The Washington herald., 1914-06-04
Statesnss, Real and Near.
~ Z irnEp G, .xELLY.

little tale Of personal experience b.
Harry peyendorf. formerly secretary 4
the late Vice President Sherman.
To get the story properly one woul'
!. have to see the earnest manner In whicl
! Harry tells IL. But. anyway. here II Is:
Devendorf was manager OF ball team
At Utica, n. Y, . few years ago.
was q losing team and therefore tn,
great majority Of the fans thereabout
lost interest In the game. About al
Deyendorf was able TO acquire from hi
efforts was advice. He got every con
ceivable kind and variety Of advice hand
ed to him.
The attendance grew small but ther'
was one little bunch of about q dozei
enthusiasts who went together to ever,
game. no matter how poorly the team
was playing.
When the game was over thiA LITTLE
crowd would gather about Devendorf ant
accompany him home from the grounds
giving him much advice all the way.
II seemed that practically everything
he was doing in the management Of tn,
team was wrong.
"Aw, Y'oughtn't to've let that gu,
bunt. Whyn't you tell i'm to hit. the
ball? Hit 'er out. That was the thinf
to do. Well It's too late now. Of course .
One fellow would come at him some
thing like that.
Then the next one would observe that
II they Just had a better pitcher. there
might be some chance.
But where can I get a pitcher" Harry
would ask.
I Oh. they didn't know exactly, but they
would get one.
However. II wasn't the pitcher that was
losing the games. another would say. but
the catcher-and not SO much the catcher
as the outfield. The center fielder should
have been catching and the catcher
would do better playing shortstop.
You can imagine the shower of advice
a manager would get in such circum-
stances. And worst OF all. he was Obliged
to listen TO It. He couldn't say: Boys, l
know more about running a ball team
| than you do" Because the moment he
said that, the others would have their
cue TO retort: Then. why in thunder
don't you win some games IL you know
30 much about it?'
No, there was nothing to do, It seemed.
but quietly and inoffensively to endure
all the free suggestions and words of
counsel that were offered.
Finally, however, Devendorf became so
weary Of the perpetual advice that one
evening. after a game in which the visit
ing team had shut them out. to 0. he
submitted a proposition to the little band
Of volunteer counselors.
'Tll tell you." he began. II don't profess
to know all there Is to know about base
ball. 1t wouldn't surprise me at all IL
you boys, sitting in the grandstand. could
figure out what ought to be done. just
as well or better than I can. And !
want you to bnow ! appreciate the way
yau have kept up your Interest in the
team. even when We have been losing.
You're enthusiastic and you come around
with advice because you'd like to see the
team win. think all the more of you for
1t. You're all right. And. as ! say,
you might be able to see mistakes that
would overlook. / may have got into
a rut So here's what I'm willing to do:
I'm going to let you ten boys be man.
ayers Of the team for ten consecutive
games. Each will have his turn and each
one of you will have absolute control
of the team on his day. You can take
the team and do any daggone thing you
please with II. I'll explain the situation
to the players and IL they don't follow
your orders I'll see to II that they're
fined-or fired. You can pitch anybody
you want to, shift anybody to any other
position, put the first baseman behind the
bat IL you like-tust anything that you
think best
Devendorf paused for breath after he
had thus outlined his plan to the ten
fans and they thought the idea might
be all right. They. of course, didn't like
to butt into his game, though, they said,
and
"oh. yes" cut in Harry. land I omitted
one point
AN ask in return for letting you have
a. l.. ~ z
have the privilege OF advertising each day
which one OF you is in charge for that
day. All the friends Of the man in charge
will want to come to see how well he
does, and it's only fair that they should
be notified. Is II a bargain?''
Eut one by one the fans allowed that
they didn't feel as II they ought to go
before the public as baseball managers
when the game was with them only
side issue. 1t might look immodest or un-
dignified on their part. They guessed
they would let Devendorf go along and
manage the best he could. He was max
ing q miserable botch of 1t, twas true.
but they didn't just feel like stepping
into the breach.
And Devendorf was harassed with their
words of advice no more.
Along about that same time Devendorf
got a letter from buQding Dallplayer,
who desired a chance to play on Harry's
team. He agreed to be a rare find. but
neglected to state in what position he ex.
celled. Harry wrote back and reminded
him that he hadn't said what position
he played in. The young man replied
and enclosed a photograph with his let
ter.
The accompanying photograph" says
he. will show that I play in a stopping
position"
And here's still another one. A young
player bursting with ambition applied to
Devendorf one morning for a chance to
play on the team. He was all done up
in a red suit. None of the other players
had red suits. Harry told him to go
out into right field and see what he
could do. A few minutes later Harry
noticed that the red-suited applicant was
still standing around.
why don't you go out into right field?"
he asked him.
please tell me where right field is,
mister" suggested the young man. u
never was on these grounds before"
Copyright. 1914, by Fred C. Kelly. All rights
BUSINESS DEPRESSION? FUDGE,