New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-06
COLUMBIA Nine
DISAPPOINTED
ITS FOLLOWERS
Considered Best in Years,
1t Won Only Five OF
Eleven Big Games.

Columbia's baseball season. when
was brought 20 close last week. was
the source Of mucn disappolntment 70
close followers o. the team WIN
material the like Of which had never
before been seen on NorningS'de
heights. with tour pitchers. two 81
whom were of stellar calibre ine nine
Won only FIVE OF It's eleven big game
The total record OF games won ana
los' for 'hc season was thirteen VIC
tories. six defeats and one tie.
Although a more or lcss successful
attcrnpt was made 10 cover up internal
dissension here ia no denying the Tact
SO those who arc couversant win ihe
affairs OF the team say, that there was
disscnsion and more than appeared on
the surface when the story OF the row
between Captaiu O'Neale and Andy
Coakley became public. II IS SAID that
the uoubc was nantes: Mt the very
Outset when CoaKley was named coacn
irstead of Billy Lush. who had handled
the team in 1913. and who was conf
IDENTIFY expected by many Of the play
ers - be the coach in 1918.
Coakley began the season with mate
rial which Lush had developed and did
not add a single new player, with the
execution % Henson, the centre fielder.
whose hitting was q sensation from ms
first dav as a regular. In the early
season games all was harmony and the
team ran up n string Of half dozen
victories before u met Holy Cross and
its first defeat.
In Ire Dartmouth game there were
evidences OF broken training, fact
which had been commented on by the
college paper several days before that
game. when II called on the members
Of the team 10 refrain from smoking
and 10 observe all training rules.
Dartmouth defeated Columbia and
there followed defeats by Yale and
Harvard After that game came the
first open split when Captain ONeaIe
was SUSPENDED. although the matter
Of training had been Strengthened out
TO every body's satisfaction.
Coakley got an iron grip on things
after that. and with the return TO the
game of George Smith, whose father
had died. the team began 70 win games
again and scored over PENNSYLVANIA,
Cornell. Lafayette and Wesleyan.
Il was defeated by Cornell IN a sec
ond game. but not because o. any in
ternal disorder, and il came back 70
form by defeating Fordham and The
eth Regiment BY this time, however.
the damage had been done and the
best games on the card lost. The sub
sequent defeat BY Fordham and victo-
ries over the Chinese nine and Penn
sylvauia ended the year.
In Justice to Coskley il can be said
that there has been no open criticism
o. his ability 10 coach; the only crit
ciem has been "a 10 his holding the
team together Those who know Coax
lev best say that he dislikcs friction
and is willing 10 give in rather than
70 force his own way on others. This
may have been the cause of the riffs
which broke the team apart In mid
season.
Captain Watt will have 20 All many
gaps in his team next year. Smith, the
star pitcher, will be back, doing gradu-
ate work, and inasmuch az the new
eligibility rules regarding the playing
Of degree holding students applies only
20 students who have degrees from
other colleges. Smith will be able to
play. Don Beck. ranked by many as
good a pitcher rs Smith. will also be
on hand, and so will Eddie Shea
Shady Lane. who developed from n
mediocre into star catcher. will be
back again. but Alden, the old Dart
mouth backstop. VIII be barred Ham
has been graduated and so has Buncke.
leaving first base open Watt will hold
Gown second. but Friedrich. AT short.
will be gone, and Shea. who played
third most Of the time, will be used In
the box. Mennstein. the substitute
fielder. will be barred because he holds
4 degree from Dartmouth
Page and Roscf will be lost from
the outfeld. leaving Benson as the
only available fielder.