Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-20
It's Almost Certainty That Browns
Get Him-May Have Inter-
viewed Hedges Here.
DOBBS HAS BEEN IN
BASEBALL 16 SEASONS
First Game "Boy Manager" Ever
Played With Real Team Was in
Atlanta, Nearly 20 Years Ago,
By Percy II. Whiting.

good manager next year. His
name is John Dobbs. The boy
Manager" is slated to go to the st.
Louis Americans 1t isn't fixed at all.
But it will go through.
Dobbs is innocent as a pup when
you ask him about the prospects of
going to st. Louis.
Il really don't know" he told me
just before he left Atlanta. "Of
course, l have some good friends in
st. Louis and they tell me that they
are working on the thing. a lot of
the st. Louis newspapers are plugging
for me. l believe there is a good
chance that something may be done.
But l haven't seen anybody connected
with the Browns in six months"
That's what John says.
The facts are, however, as follows;
Robert f. Hedges, owner of the
Browns. disappeared from st. Louis
about the time the rumor got afloat
that the St. Louis Americans wanted
Dobbs as manager Nobody in his
office would say where he had gone.
The St. Louis papers got hot tip,
however. that Hedges had gone South
for something or other.
Now, NOrtherners make no regular
summer for pleasure. The Florida
resorts aren't open then. you know
and it IS hot travelling
Hedges didn't come South to look
over players. He hires scouts to do
that.
More than this, Dobbs was seen in
earnest conversation while here with
a slight, rather smallish, dapper man,
carrying a cane and wearing st.
Lousy clothes.
He may have been a travelling man.
He may have been Hedges Anyhow,
Dobbs is going up. If he does not
land the Job with the Browns he will
go to an American Association club.
Dobbs scouts the idea that he would
go to New Orleans.
Not me-" says Johnny. I'll stay
in Montgomery first The man who
goes to New Orleans goes to a hot
job. He'll have to run all the gam
glers out before he viii get the decent
people going again. And that will be
some job No, thanks; they haven't
offered It to me, but l don't care if
they don't"
My own private belief is that Dobbs
will go to the st. Louis Americans.
And if he does he will make them
useful manager.
no you realize that as boy Man
- ager" Dobbs is a rank faker
boy Manager" indeed! Why, the
old lobster has been in baseball six
teen years already-six years of that
time in the big leagues
But just because he has a young
face and young ways he has been get
ting away with it.
Now. he stands exposed before all
ta ~ Il g- ~ arl
ing to his own confession, and maybe
he's older. Why. the old lobster was
playing in the Southern League back
before the days of the present organi-
adirondack when Evansville, Ind,
was in the Dixie circuit A fine boy
Manager" truly!
Understand, though, that we take
exception only to the Boy part Of
it. John is strictly there as a man
ager. Anybody who can get the
Montgomery team up in the race and
keep it there with 10 cents worth Of
backing is the real stuff.
nOBBS began his baseball career,
- oddly enough, in Atlanta. That
was nearly twenty years ago. He
was a bit of a kid then. His brother
played on the Chattanooga Athletic
Club team. One day a player was
hurt, just before an important game,
and Johnny was given chance. He
played part of one game and then
was taken to Atlanta as utility man
to play a series here. Dobbs does not
even remember now what team he
played against, but he does recall that
something happened to the center
fielder, and he was stuck in and
played game
DOBBS won good bit Of promi-
- nence in Chattanooga for his
work with the Athletic Club. About
that time Chattanooga was making
one Of its periodic stabs at Southern
League baseball. Mind you it wasn't
the present league. It was the old
one. Lew Whistler, later manager
in the present Southern League, was
then the leader Of the Chattanooga
club.
one day a couple of players jumped.
Whistler was tight up against it. for
he didn't have any money to invest in
ball players. Somebody suggested
Dobbs Whistler sent for him.
kid, do you want to play with us
to-day to fill out?"
Sure" said Dobbs.
So be was stuck in.
That night Whistler sent for him
again The Chattanooga team had
just been transferred to Mobile.
do you want to go with us to Mo-
biIe2" Whistler asked Dobbs
sure" said John.
How much viii you work for?
asked Lew.
DUbbs pondered a long time He
would have been quite satisfied then
with $40 month. But he believed in
striking out boldly.
"I'll work with you just this one