New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-06

WALLER tRAbblI
romp for the players to work out the
winter kinks from their muscles lit
tie.
The club | faced that first spring did
not encourage me much, and, as ! gath
cred the players around me / knew II
would be UP TO me to turn a lot OF them
back TO the minors. Most of them were
not big lesguers, and they had learned
lot of slOvenly habits with the Boston
team of the past. But had no inten-
ton of making wholesale raid on the
so-called veterans until ! could see
some material in sight to take their
places.
This is the mistake made by many
managers when they first take hold of
a tail-end club. They rip the whole
team apart Immediately. 1t is my idea
to put in a man here and another there
when the opportunity comes along to
grab the desirable player. and to go
ahead with what ! have until it is pos
sible to collect the kind of club like.
am not believer in stars, and | don't
think q good machine can be built up
by buying men with big regulations
right and left Stars, as a rule, are
tempersmental and hard to manage. |
have had my experience with them.
As say, when first faced that Bos-
ton club / knew that many of the
players would have to go, but it was
not such a difficult task as the one
which confronted me when ! took
charge Of the Yankees and gathered
such stars as Keller, Kleinow, Elber-
field, Chesbro and the rest around me,
and realized that those N n were fad
ing. II would be up to me, manager
fresh from the bushes" - let them
all out and TO stand the outcry and
criticism which the move was bound TO
arouse, since each one of these stars
had a big following and was popular
with the newspapers.
Fans and newspapers do not realize
that a player is failing to cover as
much ground as he used TO as quickly
as a manager does. Many old stars
are very clever at hiding their weak
nesses, as they begin 20 realize them
quickly. For instance, third base
man will shift slightly toward the bag
in covering his position and give the
shortstop more ground TO take care OF,
so that the hits will not go between
him and the cushion.
After Willie Keller had gone with
the Toronto team of the International
League. Joe Kelly's club was playing
my Buffalo outfit on Memorial Day,
and the weather came out warm and
sultry. Willie had one of his old days,
pulling down a couple off the fence
and picking a line drive off his shoe
laces and covering acres OF ground IN
the outfeld. He showed up at the bat
with a couple he pushed over third
base, and then pulled one to right held
and wound up by dropping down bunt
and beating it out. Keller had never
looked better.
"We1l win the flag sure" declared
Kelly that night. Willie Keller has
come back and is as good as he ever
was"
But the weather turned cold and
damn the next day, md willie" was
all drawn UP in knot. Not long after
that he quit the game for good, and
think the Toronto team finished
seventh that season.
Case of Myers and Schmidt.
After sorting out the recruits in the
spring of 1918, came back North
with a club with which ] knew | could
give several teams in the big league
battle and make trouble generally. For
pitchers I had Hess. Buster" Brown,
TYLER and Perdue. Besides, had some
Youngsters. of which batch James and
Rudolph looked best. Each needed
seasoning, but James required the
most. | knew that Rudolph would be
able to show something for me that
year.
Hap Myers was on first base. and he
delivered 1ery 20. sea on TOT me,
when | parted with Hap ! received
fnr 4hn than
snv one | have made since ] took hold
Of the club. To the public Myers had
looked good, and he lad helped me out
that first season. But Myers would let
ground balls 20 over that base for two
ha0oers that were baseball crimes.
aButcb" Schmidt came TO the team in
81. TALL Of 1918, and he showed me
enough In that short period to warrant
nv parting with Myers. IL was tins
that brought the storm OF criticism
mon me, but | had been lookin, Tor
something better, and knew that l mad
Il after the brief glance at schmidt IN
/ the fall. ,.,., -,
.lt, love most Of which came the fol
/ in,,in0 spring, was because Schmidt is
/ a. sort of player who takes on weight
80 .he winter, and il is hard for him
90 ,et into condition. Last winter =
~, tinself get stout, but he will take
go % keep his weight down this year,
1 81 warned him about this after the
sna,id's reries, and expect that he will
~ GOOD in the spring when we start
the new campaign.
schmidt is the surest man on
,L yown ball that ] have ever seen on
ne bag. lie did not drop one las, sea,
~, and this steadics up an inheld
J 80, than can be told on paper, for mn
~. -. ,,ofng 10 let that ball 20