New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-13
By GEORGE L. STALLINGS.
Manager OF the Boston Braves.

through III mere anu AlANANs . -
sscond base. and Devlin, at third, were
80 men with big league experience in
,bs infeld. while Perdue. Tyler and
sprster" Brown were the pitchers who
,ame 20 be marked seasoned" My
orteeld at that time was a movable
seast. practically an unknown quantity
from day to day.
Give me a kid team If tho owners of
a club will extend the manager little
time had James and Rudolph TO de-
,oion as pitchers. and knew each one
would make a star if ] had the oppor-
tpnitv 70 bring out the best in him.
This required patience on the part OF
the owner. Meanwhile, / felt sure,
would be another star, and my ideas
of Rudolph, James and Meanwhile were
horne out by the performances o. these
three in the recent worlds series, as j
think the members of the Athletics
will testify. J.,
an always with 1t. Where the boston
team is. there you will find Stallings.
don't turn my morning practice over
TO the coach of the pitchers: but am
ON hand myself 10 talk to the players
~ The clubhouse at the skull re-
Lesrsal and TO direct the plays on the
field. Every player is in uniform, too,
unless he can show good cause for not
being. do not fee away from the
hotel with friends as soon as | arrive
in A town, but | am around the JOINT
with ny team.
How | Would Handle "Zim.
A practice that l have always fol-
lowed with fair success is TO associate
more with the "kids" on the club than
with the veterans. Therefore, II any
follower of baseball should happen TO
see me around our hotel when the ciuO
Il IN the road he will find me eating
and tanning with the young feliows' l
can feed a lot Of baseball into them at
these times, when they are discussing
plays and problems.
can also obtain a good line on their
characters and figure the best way TO
handle them 70 get out all the base
baU there is in them. That is the real
secret Of success-obtaining the maxi
mum OF efficiency there is IN man
or Yourself. There are many ball play
ers on other big league clubs that l
could get a lot more work out OF than
they show under their present ar
rapgements. l do not intend this
boastfully. Some men should be rid
den," others coaxed and few SAWED
They must be treated as individuals
not as a class.
As a rough example, take "Heinie
Zimmerman: "Heinie," TO my way OF
thinking, is one of the greatest natu-
raj players ever to put on big league
Uniform, if not the greatest, yet, ne mas
not reached the place he should hold
among stars because Of one weakness
his temper. Ny little club could get
sim" I'D in the air so far in two nm
ings last summer that he would not
, know whether he was afoot or ahorse-
back the rest Of the afternoon.
II Zimmerman were on my team one
Of the first things / would do would be
10 move the home bench back OF third
base instead Of having 1t back OF hrst'
Then the visiting team would not be IN
position 20 keep after "Zim" from the
bench when the club was at home. any
way. "Heinie" would have only friends
on his side of the diamond in that case.
His Bat Follows Ball.
To show how "Zim's" bat follows the
ball, I recall an incident in connection
with a game that we were playing
against the Cubs last season. thinner,
man tried 20 dodge a pitched ball and
cracked il over first base for a double
with his head turned away. Some fol-
lowers Of the game would call that
luck, but l think il goes TO show just
how mis- stick follows the ball as it
comes 20 the plate up to the last mo-
ment.
"Zim" tells this story on himself:
He became involved in an argument
with Henry O'Day when the latter was
,tmpiring the season before last and
ODay tried TO cut "Zim" off with this
blast:
ar YOU say another word III set you
down FOR three days and fine you fifty"
81 knew he would do IT." declared
"Heinie" in telling me about it, "and
nv mouth was open when he said II.
] tried 10 close it, but just could not
stop from saying: You old squarehead.
You must De crazy d,
II really wasn't 70 blame, because !
tried hard not 20 make any crack
which would get me IN bad, but /
irst couldn't stop myself. ODay mace
EoOd and fined me the hfty ana put me
ecEn for three days.
Zimmerman got back at me once iast
season when the race was hanging De
txeen tbe Giants and my club. | am
Particularly superstitious, and / en-
outraged my whole ball team 70 be, be-
cause ! think IL helps 20 make ~
winner The Cubs were playing my
team one afternoon late in August, and
"Zm" knew that / always like 70 Keep
The space in front Of our bench clean
o. any stray bits Of paper. / consider
s. bad luck 70 have paper there. 80 ne
kept tearing Up pieces OF newspaper
and scattering 10 over the lawn, ana 1
had ny substitutes constantly cleaning
. up. They certainly had an active
afternoon.
I'm a ball player and not a ground
keeper" protested Josh" Devore.
Why don't you show me, then =
asked him.
don't know where "Zim" got all the
newspapers from, unless he was Dor
rowing from friends in the stand.
Take y from ne, Zimmerman Is great
pail player, and ! would like 70 have
him % handle.
Braves Clubhouse Slogan.
This depression on Zimmerman was
The result Of the remark / made that
much depends upon how the individual
players are handled. What / try 20
afli into the Kids" and the veterans,
700, FOR that matter, although you can
not DO such an awful lot with q vet
efan after he has become "set" in his
Ways and the old ambition has begun 20
ooze a. the result Of too long as
ISOLATION with tail-ender. In that the
percentages" n what we are all looking
for.
In the yernaeulsr Of the profession.
getting The percentage" means playing
everything 20 ~ 20 have a little some
ihiug ia your favor. In other words, II