The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-26
Demonstrates That
Manager Are Not
Always Unpopular

NEW YORK, Jan. 22.--Away back
in the old days, when baseball was
beginning to make itself felt all over
the United States there was man
ager by the name of Harry Wright
who was at the head of the Boston
National league team, and who prob
ably enjoyed as much personal popu-
Isrity as any ball player who ever
played.
Baseball men who played and base
ball men who merely looked at games
knew him from one ocean to the
other. or course, there was not as
much baseball out in California as
there was in the East, yet there were
men in California who knew all about
what Harry Wright had done on the
baseball field and who loved to dis
cuss it when they had baseball on the
schedule for a htaiizfest =
That seems to show that baseball
managers early grew to be healthy
and popular in spite of the fact thar
there seems to be an impression out
in Chicago that the managers are not
as popular as the player folk.
The managers are akin to the play
ers and they control the players and
use all their influence to obtain the
players, and SO they are as much in
the public eye as the men who are on
the field and who throw the bah and
swing the bat.
After Harry Wright there came AM
son. Who did not know him, and
who doesn't know about him TO this
date? There was Pat" Donovan, of
Pittsburg. who never won a cham
pionship in a major league in his life,
yet he was popular with the fans and
he is to this day. There was Pat
Teheau, of Cleveland, who had only-to
walk on the ball field to bring forth
a wild exhortation from the fans.
Some of 1t was in protest and some
in appreciation.
Frank Selee was one of the most
popular men who ever WIS connected
with baseball, and Vet he was not even
playing manager. Everybody knew
him and admired him from one end
~ the big league show to the other.
When he died there was as much re-
greet as Ii rs had been a player who
had been known tor, his prowess on
the field. That would seem to show
thatsome popularity mast attach to
the manager
Clark Griffith, rugged as hs b. cer-
tainly js popular with those who fol-
low baseball closely. and in years
gone by there was Frank Bancroft,
Id
cinnatis. man who is known from
New Bedford, Mass. to San Francisco,
Cal
Ned" Hanlon is another manager
whose friends must be numbered nv
the thousands and Fred Clarke rs still
another instance Of a manager Wha is
hit with the fans. although he IS
more reserved and perhaps less talk
alive on the field than the average Of
managers. except ii be in occasional
admoniuon To the Hmpires
Coming into recent years, what is
the matter with John ] McGraw when
IL comes to looking up the question
Of popularity OF manager? II is
probable that there is not a man in
baseball who can number more friends
than he. There Is not "A city in either
the National league circuit or thu
American league circuit in which he
is not greeted daily by scores loyal II
him, und there is none in which a
manager can command more attention
along the tine Of the hleachers than
McGraw, ard thar usually tells The
story.
Jake" Stahl is popular manager.
How about Jimmy Callahan. Of tho
Chicago Amertcaus1 Il IL needless TO
add Chance, now the manager Of the
New York Americans. In fact. 60
through the history Of baseball from
the time that 1t began To have airy
history up to the present moment and
Ii VIII be found that there are mar
ayers, and many Of them who rival
the famous players in popularity. ana
the fans seem as glad To see them ana
to watch the manner in which they
handle their teams as they do 10 note
the other details Of theS port.