Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-09

because of their superior aplllty, ia
day: but how long can the McGrawit
the enemy? That is the question. A
Connie Mack, more than the team.
will always be blamed for losing
that old ball game" The criticism
of Mack comes about because he
didn't take Eddie Plank, the pitcher,
out of tlse game in the ninth inning,
when the outlook seemed to be so
rosy for his men. With one out and
Barry ON third and Lapp on second,
Plank's turn at the bat, and only one
run needed to win the game then and
there, Mack-the clever, crafty, keen,
observing Mack-never lifted his eyes
off the scene, never turned his head
from the battle-ground, never uttered
word, offered suggestion; never
even looked at Plank, nor spoke to
him, yet on the truly wonderful
pitcher that he is depended the entire
world that very moment. AS If the
game was on ice, as if the occasion
was nothing, as if victory meant
little and defeat meant less, Mack
Connie Mack-the great general,
craftsman, diplomat of the diamond,
stood his ground, rested on his oars,
and allowed poor old Plank, who had
worked so hard, SO conscientiously,
for victory, walk right up to
slaughter although he had enough
artillerymen, enough soldiers, enough
sailors at his command to sink the
leaky, old, decrepit Giant ship.
C
Of all the mistakes that have ever
been made in baseball, and especially
in important baseball games, the one
that Mack pulled yesterday will
always take substantial beating.
And even today, Connie-generally
the last word in tact, in cunning, in
cleverness, and, above all, in good
sense-looks you in the eye and tells
you he knew what he was doing and
he had a good reason for doing 1t. If
so, outside of employing the most
effective means possible to throw
away the ball game, he will have to
do a lot of explaining, although he
refuses to give any reason outside of
the reason that he knew what he was
doing. Maybe so, but Mack will get
few to agree with him. To take
Plank out was the proper thing, by
all means, not that such a move
would have won the game, but il
would have shown at least the best
effort was used and the best judg-
ment was employed. No, it doesn't
seem like Mack at all to pull off such
play.
That ninth inning will always be
an epic inning. When the game ir
question is being discussed 100 years
from now, it will be pointed out, may.
be, as an example, maybe as prece-
dent, that on the eight day of October
nineteen hundred and thirteen, in the
town of Philadelphia, known as
Showdown" in the State of Pennsyl-
vania, known as the Keystone State
with two men on the bases and only
one out and one run needed to wir
"the old ball game" a famous ole
master of diamond lore and diamond
craft, allowed a poor, old pitcher Of
thirteen years service to face foe
man worthy of a kings steel and 81
| down to slaughter. And it will bt
said that the old general declared ir
| answer whyfore: II knew what I wa:
doing" Well, for one, we are inclined
| to disagree with Mack. He didn't
know what he was doing when he al
lowed the plainly tired Plank to go t.
| bat when he had at least three meT
who could have taken his place as q
hitsmith, and, perhaps, batter dowr
the opponents to defeat. There wa!
Schang, with the mighty clout, on thu
bench, and there was Walsh an'
Thomas, too, yet Mack had reason
for putting it up to Plank. 1t woult
have been a mistake If the play hat
gone through, but it would not hav'
been dwelt upon or criticised.
@
You can't throw away your none,
and buy cakes with it, too, so wit
the ninth-inning chances waited non
lchalantly to the breeches forum
smiled in other quarters-in quar-
ters where no opportunities wer
lost or ignored. That ninth-in
ming situation gave you tn
thrills, all right, and if you were
Philadelphia rooter 1t gave you tn
chflls, but there were other fish to fry
and on a pan smoking hot. McGra'
cooked them to crisp brown. III