Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-26
CONNIE MACK, TUTOR,
TEACHES SCHOOL OF
YOUNG BALL PLAYERS
Twenty-Five Kids" Ball
Players in the Making,
Attend Glasses Every
Day at Shibe Park-The
Future Greats.

That Connie Mack is several years
ahead of other major league managers is
evident by his method of developing
young ball players. When Collins and
Baker departed from the ranks OF the
champions II was freely predicted that
Mack would never be able to develop an
other championship team, but Connie mas
started building from the ground up and
Is conducting n baseball school at ShlDe
Park in the mornings.
Just before the team departed for wash
lngton Mack told the EVENING LEDGER
representative that he regretted to leave
Philadelphia at this time, as he was max
ing great progress with his morning class
at Shibe Park. Each day he has had from
10 to 30 college, scholastic and independ-
ent ball players practicing at Shlbe Park
In the morning and has followed the same
plan that college baseball coaches are
forced to use in selecting team each
season. He took his squad of so and has
gradually cut 1t down until 1t now COM
prises % of the most promising young
sters in this section of the country.
With his squad down to % men, two
teams are selected and each day they
play a regular nine-inning game with
one of the veteran members Of the team
as the umpire.
Manager Mack and the three veterans,
Harry Davis, Ira Thomas and Larry
Lajoie, stand about and offer suggestions
and call the attention OF the youngsters
| to each mistake made and show them
| what they should do II the same play
| comes up again. Frequently Davis will
play on one side and Lajoie on the other.
They tell the pitcher how he should work
on each batter, teach the other players
how to switch for batsmen and with their
quick warnings, prevent the lads from
| making Dlayg o the wrong bases,
One of the pitchers has perhaps made
a great mistake in pitching into bat
! ter's groove when the latteB is in the
| hole, or perhaps he did not heed a waste
| ball sign, or did not hold the runner close
! enough to first. When he comes in from
the field, Mack and Thomas take him IN
hand explaining to him Just where he
erred and II is seldom that any of the
present squad make the same mistake
twice.
AS soon as he returns home, Manager
| Mack will select his varsity home team
OF IS players and games will be ar
ranged for the mornings with all of the
best Independent teams in this section
Of the country. Mack says that the
youngsters will have a better chance to
show their true worth in regular games
when opposed TO strangers.
Two OF three of the youngsters will be
sent to clubs in the Blue Ridge League
until the Athletics return home. and they
will get a little of the experience they
need. This league Is just about the right
class for the boys Connie has in tow. IL
is not too fast and the pitching will be
better than they have been facing In in
dependent or collegiate ranks. In this
way they will be gradually worked up to
the point where the best OF the lot will be
almost ready to face major league pitch
ing.
When Mack first became attracted to
Malone he took him to Hagerstown. OF
this league, and induced the manager to
let him play one game without contract.
as he wanted 10 see how he sized up
against that brand of pitching Malone
more than made good and was immedl-
ately brought to this city.
Some of the youngsters Connie has
working out at Shibe Park are we'll known
locally. Three members OF McNiehor'
Logan Square team are working out daily
and have made a good impression or
Mack They are Charles White. a prom
lsing catcher. who formerly played witt
Catholic High School; Blair, an inhelder
and Faulkner, a pitcher. Bob johnson
and Lawrence Gould are two OF the pitch
ers, and both of them look good. John
son has quite a fast ball, but lacks ex
perience. Gould is a bit older and cam'
10 Connie as first baseman but It die
not take Ira Thomas long to see that h'
should have been a pitcher. He has de
velOped a curve ball that is a wonder
according to Mack and Thomas. VITA
more practice and little control he vii
soon be ready for a trial. He viii prob
ably play with Ocean City until the Mack
men come home.
Others who have made an impression
on Mack are Bob Murray, pitcher; Omen
who was an outhelder, but who win b
used ia the infeld in the future, and
lad named Murphy, who seems TO be quit
a hitter He thought he was pitcher
but Connie believes that the outheld i
the place for him, Several other lads re
ported the day before the team wen
away and a few Of them looked good, bu
Mack does not know them very well yei