Atlanta Georgian., 1912-07-26
Bv Percy II. Whiting.


will have to come to a bench
manager before the team can
win another pennant The Crack
ers may get there with a player
manager, but there's no denying
that all their luck in the past came
when The director OF their destinies
was playing a thinking part only.
Yesterdays game at Birmingham
presented a strong argument in IA
vor of a bench manager. 1t hap
pened through a luckless chance
that on two occasions, with john
ston and McGilvray on bases, Carr
roll grounded TO Alperman. Both
times the ball got past the new
Atlanta manager Both swats were
called hits by the official scorer,
though others called them errors.
Both times both runners scored. AS
the final score was 6 to 2, it would
be more than possible for Alper-
mans players to say that his near
errors cost the game.
Baseball players are like school
boys in a lot of ways. They need
firm handling and it must be by
some one for whom they have en-
tire respect Just SO soon as school
boys begin to think they know more
than the teacher riot is due. Just
as quickly as ball players get
bunch that they are playing better
bah than their manager a lot of his
authority slips away.
TLANTA'S playing managers
"A have not been successful. Each
has had his weak points. Jordan
could field perfectly, but couldn't
hit. Hemphil could hit but
couldn't throw. Any time either
of them criticised one of his play
ers he took chance of having
something handed right back to
him about his own Weaknesses.
The only Atlanta manager who
could win pennant was Billy
smith. and he won both his from
the bench. The second he found
that he was skidding as an out
fielder he canned himself on the
spot and took up his work from the
bench There he was immune from
criticism by his players.
4 BENCH manager has all
y the advantage Sitting apart
from the game, he can better Judge
the players and the play There
is nothing to interfere with his
judgment. The players have no
come back if he criticises them,
And as the bench manager has
ever been our notion of real man
ager. so Connie Mack is our ideal
OF bench manager The Connie
Of today, a great player once, is
merely mass Of brains now, on
the top end of tall scaffolding of
bones. He directs his players
from the bench He makes no
noise. He criticises no players He
gives orders quietly and he scores
the game He IS, in truth, the
braius-or perhaps better still the
brain center-of his team
OF course. barring miracles. the
Atlanta club isn't going to dig up
any Connie Macks. AT the same
time it is perfectly possible that it
may come again TO a bench man
ager
And in the meantime We're all
pulling ourselves sideways for
Whitley Alperman and hoping
against hope that he'll be able to
lead the Crackers out of the cellar
and keep them out
THE Cra,Nets will have good
chance to shake themselves
together next week and the week
after, for they will be home for a
series with the southern division
clubs Here are the games of that
home stay:
With New orleans. July %. 30, 81
With birmingham, August /, ,, 3
With Montgomery August ), g..
With Mobile August s. ., 10.
of course. there ate some post
poned games to be played off with
these clubs. too. SO Alperman WI
have two solid weeks Of baseball al
home in which TO whip his team
into trim Then he has 20 take
them out again into the south