The Detroit times., 1914-01-12
Says Fault Is With Material AZ
forded Rather Than With
Method of Training
HAS COMPLETELY MADE
OVER SCOUTING CORPS
Jim Mcclure Is Only Regular to
Stick-Luck Plays a Big
Part in Gumshoeing
BY RALPH Il. YoNKER.

That the Tigers have not developed
more stars during the past few years
is The fault OF his corps OF scouts
rather than OF the men whose duty
IL was TO train the recruits after they
are signed, according TO the opinion
OF Frank j. Nayin, president OF the
llgers, and upon that opinion he is
Daslng his changes In plans for tho
1914 and subsequent seasons.
When | look over the list OF stars
In the big leagues today and count
the number OF them that / have
missed because scouts In whom | had
implicit trust reported, IL gives me a
huge pain, said Navin this morning.
Il know what other clubs are do
Ing TO secure players and know
that no club, with the possible ex-
ception OF Cleveland, Is attending
more strictly to its knitting IN the
matter OF dnding new material that
this club is. Yet In the past few
years ! have been tipped of TO player
after player, sent scouts TO look them
over and then received reports that
said the players were dubs only to
see them grabbed by somebody else
and become stars.
An owner doesn't like 10 kick on
the work OF any OF his scouts. and he
certainly would not do so when he
employed them. He wouldn't give out
any stories about any particular stars
that he had missed for be knows that
the public of the town-in which his
club gets it's money would feel just
as sore about 1t as he does.
Il have hopes that the new scout
ing corps that have secured VIII
produce better results than that OF the
past has done. The men | have OBJ
tanned and hope TO obtain come 10
me very highly recommended
1T is no disgrace to miss good
man now and then, but when il be-
comes a habit, ii gets your goat
That Navin was dissatisfied with
the material that he was being hand
ed rather than the way that material
was used when Il was obtained was
shown when he began signing up new
scouts this winter and withholding
positions from those whom he EN-.
ployed last season.
Only one OF the regular allthe-year
scouts OF last season viii be on the
job again for this year That one IS
jim Mcguire. Mcclure will do the
same this season az he did last, go
ing to Gulfport with the team and
then going out on the road for scout.
Ing duty next summer.
or the new scouts who have been
or will he secured, the names Of two
only have been announced Jimmy
Burke has been employed as a coach
and scout for the team. Nayin ex-
poets that he will be used right with
the club the greater part of the time,
but he can be sent out on hurry calls
through the Michigan leagues now
and then when not needed with the
team
Sam Kennedy Is the second new
man to be announced Kennedy is
former Cleveland and Philadelphia
scout and was last year manager OF
the Waterbury club In the Eastern
assocination.
Scouting seems 10 be more a propo-
sition of good and bad luck than of
science as matter OF fact. Man
ayers and scouts are more and more
beginning to realize that the public
understands this and they uncork a
story every once in a while about
missing some star.
George Stallings Of the Boston Ma
tlonals tells frankly that he turned
down Larry Lajoie when Larry was a
kid for the simple reason that he be-
lieved that the Frenchman would
never be a real ball player.
Al
cred by Boston newspaper man who
wasn't supposed to know any more
about the symptoms of a good star
ball player than about a sick horse.
They laughed at the man when he
tipped Walter of 10 Boston.
Sam Kennedy, the new Tiger scout.
sums up MS past sUCCe55 something
like this:
81 have been pretty lucky In the
past I'm scouting. and hope that /
shall be as fortunate with the Tigers
as have been In the past"