South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-08-28
ROBINSON MAIN
REASON GIANTS
KEPT IN RUNNING
Present Pilot of Dodgers Kept
New York Players in
Condition to Play
Game.
BY Frank G.. Menke.


ever occurred to you that Wilbert
Robinson was one of the main rea-
sons for the pennant winning accom-
plishments of the Giant machines in
1911, 1912 and 1913?
Here are a few young facts that you
can absorb, if you wish:
Somewhere along in 1909 Robinson
began TO coach the Giant twirlers in
his ODD moments. In 1910 he went
10 the training camp with the New
York OUTFIT hut didn't do any regular
coaching during the season. The
Giants played fine baseball in 1909
and 1910 but the pitchers didn't go
strong enough to win a pennant
In 1911, however, Robinson became
the regular coach of the Giant pitch
ers. He worked day after day with
the youngsters. And IN 1911 the
Giants won a penant. In 1912-with
Robinson holding down the coaching
job-they won another and in 1913
they won the third pennant in a row.
Tanned the Wild.
The reason for the victorious bat
! Ting of the Giants was that the
pitchers showed up in good form. 1t
was in 1911 that Marquard, once as
wild as a cannibal island chieftian,
pitched throughout the season for an
average of IA. In 1912 Marquard,
coached by Robinson, won 19
straight.
In 1913 Tesreau joined the Giants.
He, too, was wild, but Robinson
tanned him and developed him into
one Of the greatest pitchers in the
league. And Robinson kept Mar
guard in line for a pitching average
around 700.
"Al" Demaree joined the Giants in
1913, was turned over To Robinson
for training and quickly burst forth
as the pitching sensation of the Ma
tional league, finishing the season
with an average Of .7S6.
Robinson quit the Giants in the fall
of 1913 and became manager Of the
Dodgers when the 1914 season open
ed. What happened?
Pitchers Go To Pieces
The Giant pitching staff, in 1914
without RobinsOn's coaching, went TO
pieces in mid-season. Marquard who
had pitched for a grand average of
al during the three years that Rob-
inson coached him, cracked in % dis
tinct places and finished the 1914 sea-
son with an average of $50, winning
only Il games out of "a. Demaree,
the 1913 sensation, fiivered, winning
only 10 Of the 27 games in which he
worked and finally was traded to the
Phillies.
The 1915 season finds the Robin
son-less Giant pitchers still founder
ing-and worse than ever. Tesreau
is erratic, Marquard is pitching weird
baseball and none of the Giant young
sters, although they show a lot of
natural stuff, have been able to de-
liver. The Giant pitching stairs
wobbliness has been the prime cause
of the downfall of the onetime peer
less outfit
Transforms Dodgers.
And now, on the other mitt-
Robinson took charge of the Dodg-
ers when it had a pitching staff that
ranked as one of the punkiest in any
league. That was in the springtime
of 1914. And right now the DOdger
pitching staff ranks as one of the
best in any league. What's the an
swer?
"Hassen' Pfener was wild and
erratic when Robinson took him in
tow. He had speed and curves-but
he didn't know what to do with them.
1t took Robinson about two months
to teach him-and then Pfeffer be-
came the pitching wonder of the
Tener circuit.
Appleton was another natural but
crude pitcher. Robinson through
some uncanny power that is his, de-
veloped him into real pitcher.
WHetIeA DSh JOlllSu INC IIOuo Slo
this year. He wasn't highly touted.
| He looked like an ordinary pitching
| bloke. Today he is is a world beat
er.
When you have the leisure, Hora-
| ito, ponder over the above facts
while. and when your bordering is
| finished tell US whether you don't
| sort of agree with us in this conclu-
sion: Wilbert Robinson was the guy
who stood back and turned the Giant
| trick while Johnny McGraw rushed
out and gathered unto himself the
! posies that were heaved in his gen.