Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-21
"TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED
IN BASE BALL." WISE SAYING
There Is no Sport in Which the Element Of
Uncertainty Plays So Prominent Part as
in National Game.

Take nothing for granted In base bal"
Thus reads little framed card that hangs
over the desk Of President Lynch in the
National League headquarters at New
York. 1t was favorite saying OF the
late President Pulliam, Every time /
that little sign is one of the first things
that greets my eyes. and / always mar
vel at the truth OF 1t.
There Is no sport in which the element
as II does in base ball. 1t is the one sport
In which YOU can never dope out with
any assurance what Is going to happen.
A year. and often less time, can work
wonderful changes in base ball. Just
when you begin to think you have PEN
nant winner. you discover won have been
hitting the wrong pipe. Just when you
decide you are a success. you awake to
discover you are on the brink of failure.
Just when you think you have picked UP
you have selected a prize ounce. Just
when you begin to believe your employer
can't get along without you, you draw
a blue envelope. informing you that your
services are no lohger required.
1t Is really startling, the rapidly with
which changes are made in base ball. No
one dreamed that Hank O'Day. star UNI
pire OF 1911, would be manager in 1912.
Yet such Is the case. and the greet Ma
tional League arbitrator will hold the
This time next year Hank will be in a
good position to voice an opinion as to
which job Is the worst. No doubt such
an opinion will be nodded largely on the
showing Of his club. No job is pleasanter
than the manager OF q winning ball club.
Any old job Is more acceptable than the
position Of directing the destintes Of a
loser.
One would hardly think 1t possible thai
inside Of year there would be Ave shifts
In managerial Jobs in the American
League Improbable as It would have
seemed had some one expressed such ar
opinion last summer, there will be five
Harry Davis. who has been drst lieuten
ant to Connie Mack for these many
years. will have charge OF Cleveland
Jake Stahl has decided to forsake the
the strenuosity Of the diamond. Stab
will return to Boston and direct the Rec
Sox. The peerless Hal Chase has de-
cided since the close Of the season thai
the managerial job is no place for q
star. Harry Wolverton. who did well In
up the New York burden. Clark Griffith
who managed the Reds last year. will b.
back with his first love, the American
League. at Washington. as chief mogul
Perhaps calIahan's case Is one Of tn,
best examples that could be cited Il
prove the uncertainty as we'll as tn.
great possibilities OF the national pas
time Six or seven years ago Callahan
left the ranks Of the majors to embark
in the semi professional game in Chica
go. He gathered a bunch of fast play
ers many Of them outlaws. built q mic,
park, and for years coined real money
Then the semi-pro game began to wane
Callahan surprised fandom one day By
announcing that he intended to come
back" as q member Of the Chicago Amer'
leans. While always q big favorite al
over the circuit. few fans regarded Cal
lahan very seriously. as they didn't thinl
his retuvenation to big league form pos
sible.
In spring training work, Callahan was
very much in the head lines, but still
fandom was decidedly dubious In the
early games he showed to advantage, but
few thought he would be able to 60 the
route without fai.ering. Not until about
the middle of the summer was every one
satisfied that Jimmy Callahan had really
come back" No player performed In
| better style than did the veteran last
year, and his fine showing added much
strength to the White Sox Now the
come back Of 1911 Is to be the White
| Sox lsader In l012 All Of which. by tho
| way. has happened In one short year.
! In the fall series many predicted the