Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-03
BEST LIKED and
THE MOST HATED
NAN IN CAME
lake a Chance Any Time, and
Fight All the Time" Is
Managers Motto.
By J. w. McConaughy.

III
sive personality in baseball
this is John ]. McGraw, the
wonderful leader of the Giants He
has been at one and the same time
the most abused and most admired
man in the national game.
He has been called a rowdy and q
Napoleon in equal parts. He has been
mixed up in more rows than any
big league manager; but he has also
been mixed up in more pennants
Only Connie Mack has equalled his
record Of five championships in ter
Years. and McGraw has one thing on
tue leader of the Athletics in that
he never once brought his little band
down to the finish mark in the sec
ond division
Mack is his only rival for the title
M the greatest manager in the sSmc,
and no two men in the world were
ever more widely apart in character
and methods than these two. The old
fox of Philadelphia has been dealt
with elsewhere. His system is care
full constructive work, leaving moth
ing to chance.
NcGraw's motto is:
Take a chance any time. and fight
al the time"
Fights When Necessary.
He believes especially in fighting.
bur ne is Of the mind Of PolOnius in
NOT advocating fighting as an end. It
is always "A means with NCGTaw.
There is method in his mixing He
has been represented as running
amuCk through baseball for the love
~ a rough house. Nothing is fur
Their from the truth. When NcGraw
has a row on the ball field he figures
that he is going to win something
material at some time as a result.
For instance. you never hear ~
4ur Of the Giants being suspended or
fined for battling with the umpires
these days Why? Because McGraw
discovered that the magnates meant
business in their manifestos against
hully-rIgEing the arbitors. and the
chief Of the Giants decided that a
star on the field was worth six on
the bench. recovering from the effects
of easing their minds to an umpire.
"IIl do all Of the kicking from now
ON" he told his warriors IF any
man is benchcd hv an umnire III fine
him myself Let's EN- put me out OF
the game. I'm not out there Gay
ing"
He has carried his pugnacior7 per
sonalftv into the offensive tactics OF
his club He believes in going AT the
other team with a rush, taking al
necessary chances and playing them
off their feet. For this reason nc de-
msnds speed and brains Of his men.
He can makeshift to get along with
out brains, but he will not have
SLOW man.
Developed Some Boneheads.
"It is possible to get good base
ball out Of q bonehead,' ne said once,
eff YOU never expect him to think.
Whenever there is any thinking to be
done. do ii for him. and land on him
with both feet if he tries to do any
himself"
BY following this system he has
actually made popular heroes out OF
VIGOROUSLY slow-witted athletes. he
is out there on the coaching line
thinking for them. And he is the
quickest and most daring thinker I'D
baseball
II is characteristic Of his aggres-
sive mind that he is the only baseball
leader who has no use for the sacrl-
fee hit There is no doubt that he mas
lost many ball games 10y not using II,
bur there is also no doubt that he has
Won many a game by discaTdlng IT,
He follows offensive tactics of the
d7s1ing kind. He is all for the hit
and-run and the double steal He he
Heves in hitters and always has a
least q better than average hitting
..ub and his argument is that there
Is no sense in getting 800 httters anc
10 oh a
-n-three chance for a clean hit 10 adj
vance a man a base at the cost of an
out
He is like Connie Mack I'm that he
relies completely on his own jucs-
mont He is the boss-hc gives the
orders and takes the blame. He never
breaks into print with anything Ike
2 criticism Of any man on his team,
no matter how much to blame any
man may he for any disaster.
Stands by His Players.
He demands strict obedience ana
whole hearted loyalty from his men,
and he stands by them against all
comers all the time and under all
circumstances. 1t doesn't make any
difference If every fan and sporting
writer on the circuit has turned down
NJ thumbs on a ball player. rms If
usually a good reason, in McGraWS
system, for moving him up q re"
places i'm the batting order and max
.- Hlm regular player in promi-
-.'r position
There is scarcely a manager in the
country that would have chung TO
-.FEta under the terrific panning that
t'.oTtunate man was let in for ny
historic play at second base Nc
FffWs answer to the storm OF abuse