The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-03-16
Pat Donovan, 81 Today,
Preparing For Hard Race

Patrick J. Donovan, who led the
Buffalo International League club to
victory last year, will celebrate his
fifty-first birthday today as he was
born on March 16, 1855, in Lawrence.
Mass. That was a bit of hard luck
for Patsy, for if the stock had post
poned his visit for a day Donovan
could make a double celebration OF
St. Patrick's Day. Jimmy Callahan
also came near to being st. Pats
child, for he was born on the day at
ter the great Hibernian festival
Although he has been a baseball
pilot about as long as any man in
the business, Donovan won his first
flag last year. With the rehabilita-
ton of the Barrow circuit following
the end of the baseball war, Pat does
not expect any snap in attempting to
connect with another bit Of bunting
this season, and he has been working
hard to get his Bisons lined up for the
fierce struggle.
Patsy has been prominent in the
baseball world for thirty years, maxi
ing his debut in 1886 with the Law
renee club of the New England lea
que. During his big league playing
career he was with Boston, Brooklyn .
Washington, Louisville and Pitts b
burgh. He was at his best when with
the Pirates, with whom he played in
the outer garden from 1892 to 1899.
Donovan's managerial career come
ed the leader of Robinson's St Louis 3
Nationals He had previously had q
brief experience as pilot of the Pitts
burgh club, but had not achieved any
shining success. Patsy remained at
the St Louis helm for three seasons
the club finishing fourth in 1901
sixth in 1902, and eighth the folloW-~
ing year. In 1904 Donovan went over
to the American league, and landed
with the Washington joke club. Thorn
as J. LOTUS started the season as pi-
lot of the Senator'S. The financial at
fairs of the club We're at such a. low
ebb that the team couldn't afford q
spring training camp trip, and the IN
ternal dissensions of the stockholders
made a bad matter worse. Donovan
had this tangIe wished on him ana
finished out the season as pilot. Con
sidering the condition o. arraIrs, ne
was lucky to finish last, because for .
a time it looked like the Senator would
not finish at all.
Donovan had enough of the Amert-
can league and when Squire Ebbets
of Flatbush offered him the job OF
manager of the Brooklyn Nationals
Patsy jumped at the chance He lea
the Dodgers three seasons, finishing
fifth in 1906 and in the same notch
in 1907 The next year the Brook
Ivns dropped to seventh place, and Eih-
bets decided to try a, new pilot Many
wears passed, however, before the Eb- Z
bets clan escaped from the second Oh
vision.
After this experience Donovan be-
came a scout for the Boston Red SoN,
and his ability to pick winners was ~
great asset for the Bostonians. LasF
year the Bison owners induced Dom
ovan to assume the management az
the Buffalo InternatiOnals, and he
won the pennant in a whirlwind I'm
ish AS a big league leader Donovan ?
always had the ill-fortune to be con
nected with clubs which were natural
and he demonstrated i'm
Buffalo last year, what he could do
with a real ball club. On paper the e
Bisons did not loom as formidable as g
the Providence aggregation but Pat
club took the measure of the Saints
in the closest race the Barrow cir
cult has had in many years. The sue b
cess OF the DonoVanites was another
nail in the coffin of the Federal Lea 6
que, for if Donovan and his men had
failed to deliver the goods the Buff .
falo Internationals might have shared
the fate of Newark anad Baltimore