Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-04-30
LITTLE Things
THAT DISRUPT
BASEBALL CLUBS
BY cHRIsTY MATHEWsoN.

BY CHRtST1 MAI HEWSON.
( Few fans realize how important a
part the treatment of the men on a
ball club plays in the finish of race.
The manager who gets the most out
of his team is the one who keeps his
players satisfied with the conditions.
A slight mistake in handling men will
often make a great difference IN re.
suits.
The story is that telegram held up
by the Philadelphia management, was
responsible for Tom Seaton's jumping
to the Federal league. Mrs. Seaton
was i'll last summer while the Phillies
were playing an important series
with the Chicago club. A telegram
came for Seaton just before game time
enc day when Doom had counted on
this star to work. The wire was held
up until after the game so that, Tom
would not have anything. on his mind
to worry him and keep him from
pitching his best. The telegram urged
the Philadelphia pitcher to come home
at once because of the serious con-
dftion of his wife.
Neither Mrs. Seaton nor Tom ever
forgave the. Philadelphia management
for interfering with the delivery Of
the telegram, and the result was that
the Quakers lost a star pitcher.
Is Rule With Managers.
1t does not Strike me, however, that
this was especially bad treatment,
for many clubs make this same rule,
and even a man who is SO consistently
thoughtful of his players as Connie"
Mack does not permit them to receive
any wires, telegraph or telephone, af-
ter they have put on their uniforms
But Mrs. Seaton and Tom thought it
was bad treatment, so that when the
Federals came around flirting with the
Philadelphia star he jumped, after be:
ing urged to do SO by his wife. To
be sure, Doom did not know the Fed
erals were going to break out all over
the place when he intercepted the
telegram last summer, because he
wanted his star to go into the box
with his mind free from worry. But
this illustrates how a little thing is
liable to affect the future of a ball
club, and how careful manager must
be in the treatment of his men.
Doom did what the best manager
in baseball would have probably done
under the same circumstances, but
he should have done everything posi-
bic afterward to change the attitude
Of the player toward the club. Nc.
Graw will not permit players to re-
ceive kilograms on the bench. but he
will open the wires himself to see
whether it is anything very urgent.
Very few men can play good ball with
something on their minds besides the
game, and it is wiser to keep a play.
er out of the game than to let him
start with this mental handicap. In
an urgent case, McGraw would pass
along the telegram.
Tinker's Exhibition Of Nerve.
! saw "Joe" Tinker give a remark
able demonstration of nerve last sum-
ner in a series with the Giants in
New York Just before the game, he
received a telegram saying his wife
was very iii and that it might be
necessary for him to leave for Chicago
that night to submit to an onefatiou
for skin grating to save her life. He
left directions with the telegraph com.
PAW that he was to have all wires
rushed to him at the Polo grounds
and then, with this trouble on his
mind, he went into the contest and
played the most spectacular ball
had seen him show all season. But
Tinker is a remarkable ball player.