The evening world., 1913-08-12
MACK WORKING
WONDERS WITH
YOUNG PITCHERS
Clever Handling Of Twirling
Staff Keeps Athletics in
Front in Race.
BY John ]. McGraw.
(Manseer Of the Glants,)

\<uoo00Ok VI essV WbooSOv
the Athletics had q siisht scare lAst
week when the st. Louis Browns took
two games in . row from them. II
team out in the lead loses two games
In succession to another club. all the
predactors see nothing but storms
ahead. "Connis" Mack has demon
stratsd this year what . clever man.
ager he Ia by taking two veterans. Plank
and Bender. and q crop Of good-ookins
youngsters and jockeying them DO elev-
erly in the pitchers box that he will win
. pennant.
Mack. as I cay. had good youngstt -,
but the most prscocious recruits re-
Quire seasoning. The remarkable
backing that the Athletics give . pit.
cher makes q youngster look better
With that club. Neither Plank nor
Bender have been used to working
often. Bender has appeared In q
game. either to start or nnish II. a.
most every other day this season. .
remarkable performance for him. II
Mack gets away with this system OF
using his two veterans In parts OF
games-and I see no reason now why
he should not get away with lit will
be the greatest achievement OF his
baseball days in my opinion.
II was because both Plank and Ben
der were beaten by tho Browns that
the Athletics worried. II the two vet
erans were going to crack. then they
might not win the pennant But With
In the last week. Bush. Brown. and
q e. Il.
liant games. Mack will be In . posi-
tion to give Bender and Plank . much
needed rest with the recruits showing
stsadiness throughout their battles.
II the Giants win the championship
and II somebody would kindly crowd
the Athletics to the wire in their league.
W that Mack would be forced to work
Bender and Plank hard we would have
q very much better chance In the
worlds series. II 10 q cinch that Mack
will not trust starting his recruits In
any Of the big ga1,es, and unless
Coombs should get into shape In time
he will be forced to depend on his two
veterans alone for the big series. There
fore, he will desire to rest them well
for these games In case the series
should stretch out abnormally. a. 1t did
last year.
But do not believe that any team Ii
going to be able to crowd Mack to tho
wire. For a minute the Cleveland clut
threatened 1t last week. but the Ath
letics showed they could hold them ir
their series. The Naps, headed b,
Birmingham. have made game hgh
to stay in the race after Il looked, two
or three times. a. II tney had beer
showed out Of It.
They tell me-and I don't know how
much truth there Is In t-that tn
Cleveland players are spllt into tw'
factions because of the trouble Lajoit
had when Birmingham tried to TAX
him out OF the game. II this 10 true. !
has doubtless hurt the clubs pennan
chances, as such things always do. a
situation Of this kind Is the last thin
Iwould permit to exist In my club. ant
would get rid of the greatest star II
the world TO preserve order Under
stand, l am not blaming either Birming
ham or LaJJie. because do not know
any OF the merits OF the case. Lajois
however, seems to be showing q lot
good baseball at present.
I once let a good bail player 20 fol
no other reason than that he was try
ing to play politics on tho club ant
make trouble. No man Is big enough
star In baseball to be q trouble-maker
] an criticising no one. since I do mo-
know who was the trouble-maksr II
this instance, II there was one.
For along time there has been bat
feeling between the Philadelphia an'
Cleveland clubs. and the Athletics wer
tickled to death to take the series from
the Maps last week. Several OF tn
PLAYERS on the two teams have had per
sonal differences. and this has causes
the hard feeling.
'Srhat Cleveland bunch" said q mem
ber OF the Athletics to me one day las
month, "is all swelled up on itself thi
year. They used to be a nice crow
Of fellows, but they'll hardly speak (
you this season, since they started t
win ball games."
Therefore you can bet that Athlet
series last week was keenly fought b,
cause the Maps knew that II they cou|
clean up In II they had chance to CT
in ON the worlds championship none!
They tell me John Coomhs looked
bs in pretty good shape. He will great
strengthen the Athletics II he can wOr
some OF the September games and al
pear In the worlds series. He Is grei
pitcher for a worlds series. II he ca
return to form 1t will give Plank al
BENDER a chance to rest.' although-i
l have already hinted-l am not Graz
to see them get too much OF res
Mack does not intend to work Cooml
AT all before the end OF the month.
am told, as he does not care to tai
any chances on relapse and IL nursir
him along carefully
Copyright. 1913, by John ]. McGraw