El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-21
Foxy Connie Mack Is Keen
At Picking Spots To Win
Success Of Athletics anag er in Developing and Using
Youngsters Is Also Considered Phenomenal;
picking the Spots" Is Considered
the Managers Hardest job
By BILLY EVANS.

ers. who few know was actually IN the
league. -. a..
in Eddie Collins he had the maLlng OF one
Of the greatest ball players IN the WoIt1-
can well remember how Mack Irleo SoittIla
at shortstop, third base and the outIlelo' pc
base. Mack needed a shOrtstop and a thlIu
saclzer WIEN Collins Joined the cIuo, Iot
Lave Cross and Jimmy Collins were about
through. and Monte Cross was slipping Ias-
Harry Davis and Danny Murphy we're TAX
approved fashion, 50 Mack had no worries
over those positions A trial covering q a. Y.
weeks convinced Mack that Edoie Col IL
was Sdesuned to Ehine as a seCQAL7 $500 ---i,-
Many managers discouraged at the carry
failures Of Collins to show, Woulc nave
turned the youngster adrift, but not CONNIE
Mack The tall taCtician looks the fecIu ~
over slowly and carefully ana II ne -
a chance to show, Mack VIII Drlng OuL tLlaI
chance. That is one reason why olheE man nan
ayers are loath to pick up player VINO mas
been turned adrift by the foxy Connie
Mack Shows Versatility.
In the making Of g great second passLIle-n
Of Collins, Mack also displayed MS VerSatlL-
ity in making crack outfielder OF a classy
second sacker. Collins was IaFoTeu over
Danny Murphy because Of his ability to
cover more ground, his greater speed on the
bases and his ability to hit. for Collins early
showed that he could wallop the ball Danny
Murphy has always been noted Ior nus sIug-
ging ability. When Mack decided Collins
was to play second, he also decided that
Murphy should be kept in the game as
regular. What Mack would do with Murphy
was puzzling question to many people.
Mack had perhaps decided the question. even
before Collins made it apparent that he was
the man for second Always sure man on
a fly ball, Mack shifted Murphy to right
field, the very day Collins was given a berth
at second base. As an Outfielder Danny Muir
ply was as big a success as he had been as
a second baseman- Mack had PICKED two
spots and both correctly
st. Louis Hard For johnson.
Using pitchers in their regular turn, is a
system followed by many managers, regard
less Of the success twirlers have against GER
tain clubs. 1t is well known fact that
some pitchers beat certain clubs with ease.
while other teams give them constant trou-
bic. Very often some star pitcher is up
against a tougher proposition when facing
tail end club, than when opposing one Of
the leaders. Since the advent Of Walter John
son into the American league, the St Louis
club has been the hardest team for him TO
beat yet most OF that time the St Louis
club has held undisputed possession Of last
place Recruit pitchers and old timers on
me washington starr got away with the
Browns with ease but the great johnson
was always given the toughest kind Of
battle.
Managers as a rule always regard Walter
johnson the wrong spot for any pitcher. I
know several managers who figure the odds
of victory greatly AGAINST them any time
Johnson is announced as the opposing
pitcher. I know some managers who invari-
ably work one Of the weaker members Of
the staff against Johnson, figuring to use
UP one OF the stars in a pitchers battle
that brings defeat a great waste Of pitching
talent saw connie Mack use three re-
cru1ts In game against Johnson last year
y anAlng each recruit as he was about to
lalter-his judgment in this respect being
almost uncanny. Then when the Athletics
by q batting rally evened up the score, he
rushed the veteran Plank into the breach
and won the game, when in the 18th inning
the Athletics by sheer hitting. drove the
winning run across the plate. Picking the
spots is matter Of luck and brains A
game in which a pitcher allows eight runs
and manages to win to counts a great
deal more toward the peunant than a Is
inning game in which the home pitcher al
lows only seven hits but loses I to O. It's
the games won that count when the curtain
goes down Copyright, 1914, by W. G.
Evans.l