Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-20
Chance Great Field Leader.

Withal. to him must go the credit for
making the Cubs Of 1906 to 1910 what
they were. Chance was q great field
leader, with a personality more en-
gaging than Selee's, but he lacked the
creative instinct that his predecessor
possessed; During q ball game he
else. When things went wrong he
could be as bitter as ever Stallings is,
but of the field there was no one
squarer with his men.
When Chance took over the Yankees
Browns. So the team stayed. in the
league cellar. where It had been before
the husky Californian came to the me-
tropolis. AS a field leader under q
had no equal. but, as a builder of teams.
he lacked the penetration and clair
voyant power that some managers
possess.
Right in Chances case lies an illus
tration of the relative value of riding"
his ball players When Smiling Bill'
Donovan succeeded him a veteran big
Lacquer said: Bill will have more sue
cess than Husk did. He recognizes the
boy at heart. Donovan will kid them
into winning where Chances bullying
failed" That prophesy was a true one
With virtually the same team that
Chance had Donovan has made far
more creditable showing than did the
Californian.
Teams Need Quick Thinkers.
Major league teams need managers
who are quick thinkers, who can COM
mand. yet not irritate, who can in
struct, be tactful, courageous, undaunt-
ed by troubles great and small. If he
is young his troubles are moro than
doubled, for the veterans cannot force
themselves to look on a youth as a
superior officer. Witness the continual
broils between Lajoie and Birmingham
when both wore Cleveland vestments.
The leader must be business man,
diplomat, a teacher and an army officer
rolled into one. And the men who COM
bine those qualities are very rare, in
deed.
AS a business man Jim Mutrie of the
old New York Giants was without a
peer. But for his hustling and wide-
awake aggressiveness base ball would
not have gained foothold in the met
ropolis when it did. Without the bull
wark in New York the pastime would
many times have failed from lack Of
financial blood. In 1890 tho Players
League ruined Mutrie in . monetary
way-every member Of his champion
ship team Of 1sss-so. except Wsleh.
new organization.
As a manager Mutrie was fairly sue
cessful. winning two pennants during
his nine years stay In New York. He
was keen. good student OF the game
time and later there were those who
were not only his peers. but his su-
periors in actual managerial strategy.
Baltimore Orioles Squirt.
During 1892 and 1898 the Baltimore
Orioles were the joke of the National
League The following season. with
one of the greatest teams the game has
ever seen, they forged to the front and
won three consecutive pennants. Ned
Hanlon was the manager. and with
such brainy men as McGraw. Jennings,
Robinson. Keller and the rest TO exc,
base ball brains he was sue
cessful. When he lost those men, like
Arson, he failed to bring together an
other band with serious pennant inten-
tons
Merely winning q championship or
two does not qualify a man as great
manager. Take Jimmy Collins. for In
stance. He brought two remnants TO
Boston with a wonderful team at his
neglect of duty. the Red sox fell into
the mire of last place. Based on what
his team did in 10000 he might have
been placed with the truly greats"
To my mind Jimmy-though an as
brilliant player-was one
of the poorest pilots the American
League has ever seen.
Another first-class manager-Jim NC
the peer of Selee. Hanlon |
and Chance in his knowledge OF the |
game. He was a fighter. too. but he
lacked tact, a most important requi- |
site in the handling of squad OF tenn
ball players. This was |
proved in 1918. when. as president of |
the Boston Americans, he forced Jake |
Stahl to resign because Stahl refused |
to release Pitcher Buck O'Brien.
Comisksy Ideal Manager. |
You NAV have noticed that. the mama