The Washington herald., 1914-06-21
MANAGER ABIG
FACTOR IN GAME
Every Close Contest and
World Series Game Decided
by Pilots Directions.
REDS A DEMONSTRATION
Charlie Hezos Has Brought Team
to Front--Ames Showing
Good.
REDS A DEMONSTRATION
D. cHRIsrY MArHEwsor.

I
and worlds championships and that the
players are responsible for the victories.
To these sentiments. do not subscribe.
In nearly every close game. there comes
time when it is won or lost on the
decision the manager makes in that
crisis The wrong decision does not get
the desired result.
Charlie Herzog has demonstrated what
a manager means to a club through the
showing he has made this season with
what were the dismantIed Reds. After
bad start. he has his team going now
like club OF pennant contenders. and
ne certainly tore into the Giants when
We were In Cincinnati The New York
team arrived for its games with the Reds
feeling very well satisfied after having
ripped on the Pirates three in Succession.
and We thought the series with Herzog's
team would be a loaf. Instead, he has
converted the Cincinnati Reds into a ball
club by his hustling and persistence. How
long they win hold up is another question.
| but they certainly are going great guns
now.
Herzog started out with a ball club all
shot TO pieces and with couple OF his
~.
serted TO the Feds. With Ames, YIng-
ling. and Benton as the nucleus of his
pitching stan, he was forced to build and
he saved a couple of twiriers out of the
minor league haul that he has been using
with success Starting with what looked
like one OF the poorest stats in the
league, Herzog has been getting the best
pitching lately.
Discipline Lacking.
The shortage Of good talent was no,
the only dimcuIty that Herzog encounter
ed when he took hold. in Cincinnati Dis
cipiine had been lax. and Tinker had
| been battling with the clubs directors
All the machinery was out OF sham,
Herzog has an insistent way that riIsd
some OF the older players when he first
took hold. and he went through a good
deal before he finally got the team nov
ing at winning pace at all. But he has
the men pulling for him now, and he is
playing McGraw ball BY "MeGraw
ball" mean that he is mixing up his
attack and crossing his opponents He
does not hang to one style Of play, but
uses the sacrifice and hit and run and
stolen bases and in fact most everything
permitted in the rule book He put
through one squeeze play against US in
the opening game. He has developed a
good scoring machine out Of a team that
is composed Of weak hitters
The big surprise to me Is the showing
that Ames has made this year When
Red was with the Giants we an know
he was good pitcher. but he could never
seem just to get going. and he worked
continuously under a jinx- He always
showed better in the cooler weather than
In midsummer because of the fact that
he was troubled with catarrh and was
therefore a mouth breather. II tired him
to work in the extremely hot weather.
and he would generally weaken along in
the sixth or seventh inning. But he
showed a lot OF stun and no signs Of
weakening when he worked against the
Giants on fairly hot day during the last
series He also had something that he
| usually lacked when he was with the
Giants-control
Showed Control.
Knowing the weaknesses OF The New
York batters from long association. he
pitched at these consistently and showed
wonderful control. a much improved
brand over what he had last season
Only once or twice in that game he
pitched against our club did ne split the
plate. but he kept the ball continually on
the corners When he did cut the plate
II was shrcwd pitching because he
n
curve, and he tried to fool him with a
fast one, which he usually did.
How do you feel this year, Red?'' I
asked Ames.
Better than any season since / have
been in baseball I had my nose treated
this winter and a slight operation per-
formed on it, so that I can work through
game now without breathing hard an
the time have also cut down the
cfRaretfe los
Deserves Credit.
Herzog was in high spirits when the
Giants were in Cincinnati He deserves
great credit for what he has accomplished
with the club. Plugging has done 1t. com
bined with his own personality. I believe
he has the natural qualities of a manager,
which are found in few men. All smart
ball players are not necessarily great
leaders. Some Of the best bosses have
never shown much as players themselves.
as Stallings and Connie Mack, willis
men like Evers and Tinker, rated as the
fastest thinkers the game ever produced.
did not turn out to be managers OF
course. Herzog has long way to go yet.
and my Judgment may be premature but
what he has accomplished with the Reds
so far looks almost like miracle TO me.
How do you like the job?" I asked
him.
''wait till l see where we finish.'' he
replied. "and III tell you. The season
Is young yet
Where are you going to finish?"
'sIn the first division
II Herzog does, he will have accom-
piished wonders. I would have picked
the club to battle with St Louis for
last place before the season opened
ssHac'' '.Crab.'
Herzog's success against the Giants
did not make any great hit with Nc
GFaw. He likes to see his old players
get along when they do not profit at
his expense. Mac" Is a great fellow
on the field. but. during the game. he
Is an baseball and crab" American
Leaguers. who made the trip around the
world with him last winter. have talked
to me about the change that goes over
MeGraw as soon as ne gets into his uni
form.
you can't fnd a fellow who would
do more for you when you are out OF
uniform said Sam Crawford while the
Tigers were IN New York on the on day
for the Giants before We left for ths
West. But once he gets into the SPAN
giles. he Is a crab and wants to win
an the time I'll tell you there wasn't
any hippodroming on that worlds trip.
Both McGraw and Callahan were In