Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-25
BY ]. ED GRILLO.

In their anxiety TO improve conditions
many club owners have let out capable
managers simply because they attributed
their teams failure TO the imaginary
shortcomings of the man in charge. The
experience of Frank Farrell in New York
and Garry Hermann in Cincinnati should
be a lesson to others who. when their
team is down in the race figure that 1t
is the manager who is to blame instead
of realizing that in most instances it is
the team which is lacking.
New York had a contender so long IS
Griffith was in charge of the team Ii
slumped badly under him in 1905 how
ever, and there and then he was drop
ped. New York has not had team
since which gained a respectable posi-
ton, ba rring the year Stallings was there,
but he. too had to make room for others.
Griffith was also blamed for the poor
showing of the Cincinnati team in the
last campaign. Yet. though there Is new
manager in charge. indications are that
the Reds will finish lower this year than
they did last. Club owners should realize
that no manager can make winner out
of a second division team. He has to
have the material before he can show
anything, and should at least be given
the chance to build up team.
Ball players as rule give little heed
to criticism which is hurled at them from
the grandstand, and yet every now and
then player will make the serious mis-
take of resenting sucl criticism when he
should stop to consider that the vapor-
ings of a single individual out of crowd
of thousands by no means express the
general sentiment.
Why a player should give any attention
10 the remarks of some one disgruntled
individual when it is plain that a major
ity of those witnessing the games are sat
isfied is hard to understand, but il
must be said that there are few ball
players nowadays who give such matters
any attention, and they are all the better
off for ii.
The Cleveland club is pulling in its nets.
and expects to have a horde of youngsters
to look over this fall. Cleveland has been
one of the most active clubs in the league
in the matter of securing young players
for the past five or six years. yet seems
never to have been able to get a WIN
ner. The trouble seems TO be that TOO
many of the old players who have proved
that they do not make winning compl-
nation are retained. The young players
are tried out for a few days, but II they
happen to go poorly they are benched
and some of the old material is put IN the
game again. In this manner much of the
recruiting material never really gets a
chance to develop. Some day the Cleve
land club will awaken TO the fact that
the way to develop young team is TO
cut out all the useless old players who are
hanging on to their jobs by reason of
their regulations of the past.
Two of the Nationals cast-offs are very
apt to break back into fast company next
year 1t seems certain that Jack Ieli-
Welt will get another trial with the New
York team, while some major league ciuD
is almost certain to pick up Bill cunning
ham, who is hitting like a fiend Tor
Montreal these days.
Home run drives are almost daily oc-
currences for Cunningham and he mas
proved himself the most dangerous MT
ter on the Montreal team lncidehtahy
he is fielding WELL as IS usually the case
when q player is hitting, and II would
not be at all surprising If some major
league club took a chance on draItlns
Cunny. for there is an opportunity for
him to develop into real star
Lelivelt is seeing the best year Oh ms
career. He is longer suffering WITH
the ailment which slowed him up Wnile
he was with the Nationals, and he Is MT
ting so we'll that he is attracting gen
erai attention. I.elivelt is given credit
for being the best hitter in the interna-
tional League. Three and four hits
day are his lot, and only yesterday lie
made clean record with four singles ia
as many trips to the plate
Jim Delehanty's coming release ny
the Detroit club VIII end the Delehdn's
family. connection with the major
leagues which has extended over a period
of eighteen wears. The brothers. Ed
ward. James. Thomas. Joseph ana FRANK
Delehanty, have all served more OF less
time in the ma jors-but only Ed attained
supreme greatness. That deceased
PLAYER will remain in memory and IN
the records as one Of the games greatest
natural batsmen.
Praise and compliments for the Ma
tionals are numerous around the circuit
III. c. Salsnger of the Detroit News CON
tributes the following.
This spring. when the Washington Ma
tionals began their first sensational squirt.
a wise base ball world smiled and said il
wouldn't last That old. time-worn ex-
preston. Just flash in the pan. was
daily applied TO the Washington team all
over the country.
Here il is the Both day Of July
and that Washington team is kicking
Justify around second place with more
than dozen men. young and ambitious.
slowly chopping down that Boston Red