Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-10-21
SOME SPICY
SPORT CHATS
Baseball viii Lose Great Man.
aver When Clarke Retires.
WILL WAGNER GET JOB?

~old Honvs" Likely to Succeed Fred
~ Leader Of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Lawn Tennis Now q Strenuous Game.
Connie Mack Will Be Heard Frsm
Next Ysar-othsr Notes.
When Fred Clarke counted ten on
his own baseball career by resigning
from the Pittsburgh Pirates recently.
to take effect at the close Of the pres
ent season, 1t marked the passing Of
one more Of the old school Of baseball
fighters.
1t was "cleats first" with FREDERICK.
the devil get the baseman who didn't
know how to fend OF the spikes. A
hard mouthed, tobacco chewing. rough
riding scrapper, his tactics kept his
team In the first division hunt for If
teen years, with the exception Of last
season, when he seemed to lose his
punch on the bench.
Clarke astonished the world, and the
players especially. last year BY his
philosophic manner q taking defeat. a
system absolutely foreign to his ma
ture. His changed attitude presaged
his waning interest and his prospective
Eetirement.
Nevertheless but for the late injury
30 Carey and the short absence from
the game Of his greatest pitcher, Ma
maux, he might still be in the pennant
race this season, despite his reformed
methods.
He retires with one Of the best rec
ortls ever achieved by major league
manager, having won four pennants.
Nearer to his own heart Is the thought
that he has won enough money for him.
self to retire to his ranch in comfort
with the knowledge that the wolf will
never howl at his door.
Who will succeed him? We would
like to say Hans Wagner. but the hope
can't be encouraged. Hans is a great
player, and some say he has been do
ing much Of the advising in connection
with the club as it is. Hans is the log
ical leader Of the team, but he has said
he did not want the job.
It isn't so very long ago, not much
over two decades, since boys and men
refrained from telling in public places
that they were great tennis players.
The sport had little niche along with
croquet, rogue and lawn bowls as a
nice girly-girly game, good for flirting
purposes and to show OF your swell
new blazer"
Even ma and pa held up their end
pretty we'll in the doubles In those
days, when the athlete was very strong
for the lob and the lemonade, the last
usually kept near by.
But today-well, only sound hearts
and steel sinews can get away with
this 1915 high tension sport.
Not that it takes any burly stuff to
succeed at this game. william NJ. John
ston, the national champion, weighed
exactly 116 pounds when he finished
trimming Maurice Mclaughlin. the
California Comet. out of his title.
While Mack's team looks like bush
league organization. the leader of the
Athletics undoubtedly in time will
come back with another winning club.
He is the best developer Of young base
ball talent of all the managers in the
big leagues.
1t is not going to take Connie Mack
long to build up winning team Of
youngsters. The elongated leader of
the Athletics is reported to be making
rapid progress and already has several
players who give promise Of filing the
holes left by the going of Collins,
Baker and Barry. Mack will have
real ball team next spring. Malone,
who Is playing second now. is said to
have improved considerably since he
made his first appearance at the bag.
n
There Is one play In baseball which
has not been tried for many years. 1t
b the fake passed ball worked by
catchers in the old days, when there
was a man on third. 1t was the plan
to carefully tuck the ball away in the
big glove. then swing around as II it
had got away from him. Many a
coacher fell for the trick and sent the
runner home. only to be touched out
when he reached there or caught be-
tween the bases and run down.
It would seem that the American
league clubs permitted a mighty good
ball player to slip out Of the cir.
cult when they allowed waivers on
Doc Johnston. who is playing wonder
full ball for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Johnston is playing the best ball of his
career for the Pittsburgh team, and he
Is filing the position better than any
other man the Pirates have had since
the days when Bransfeld was In his
prime. There are several American
league clubs which would be benefited
By the acquisition Of Johnston.
Star Seullsrs In Match,
Eddie Durnan Of Toronto, Canadian
and American professional scullina
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