The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-08-10
JOHN DObbS AGAIN
TO LEAD PEL|CANS
SAYS HE|NEMANN
Pei Owned Says Johnny Will
Pilot His Team Again in
1917-Pels Have Good
Prospects

New Orleans, August 9.-Johnnie Dobbs,
| manager of the Pelicans will be manager
of the self-same Pelicans during the sea-
son of 1917 unless something happens
| in the meantime to render him physically
| incapable of performing the duties of
such position.
For John already has signed a contract
to hold down the job of Boss Pelican
for another year When he signed last
! winter, the contract read for the season
of 1857, according to President Heine-
mann in a statement last night, and
Heiney laughed one of his merry little
ha-has at the idea that John would not
be here.
The only thing that would take him
away from here, it is understood, would
be his signing to manage a major league
club, this being the agreement between
the manager and the club. But unless this
happens he will be right here on the job
at the head of the club which he brought,
in two seasons, from a rank last placer
to penant winner and this season, his
third here, he had held no lower than
second place from the beginning to the
present stage of the season.
IT'S SOME RECORD, TOO
And that's a record that lot of other
managers are shooting at vainly.
Perhaps the Pels will go lower than
second place this season. And then, again,
perhaps they will win another flag. That $
to be seen yet, but just the same, 1t
is the consensus of opinion, from the
president of the club to the bleacher fans,
that if anyone can put the club over a
winner in the face of all the obstacles
in front of it, it will be this same Jawn
Gillespie Dobbs.
Sure, the club has not been going well
of late. Everyone knows that Neither
have the New York Yankees, who, for
a long, long time, were in the lead in
the American league. They went out and
lost eight games in a row. The Pelicans
have not done this badly all season and
yet, when they go out there and lose
two games in one afternoon they are
panned, and rolled and kicked about and
Dobbs is criticized and fired bodily by
the grandstand critics and managers"
Oh, it's a gay life. this managerial
stuff. Lead a winner and you re nero;
loser and you're a bum.
But the work of Dobbs during the time
that he's been here, is the best that has
been dished out to New Orleans fans
in many a long year. Even before he
came to New Orleans as manager of the
Pels he was recognized as live wire and
when he took hold of the locals he effect
ed so great a change in a few months
of play that the club was hardly to be
recognized as New Orleans organize
ton.
TEAM INTACT AGAIN
This spring he put team upon the
field that instantly made itself heard and
was looked upon as a winner from the
start 1t was a good looking aggrega-
ton in every particular and played up to
it's description. For over half of the sea-
son they held the lead in the league
without a falter. Then-perhaps the pace
that they set was too fast to be main
tained--they slipped little. recovered
themselves and went on, only to be
stopped suddenly by series of acct
dents and illnesses that broke up the
easy running machine and started them
on the slide which has placed them as
far down as-second place. A long drop,
isn't it?
And that's just as far down as Man
ager Dobbs and President Heinemann are
expecting them to go, too. Both are of
the belief that with the machine intact
again the club will begin to play better
ball. And, anyway, Dobbs will be right
here next season.
'Hes good enough for me-" says
Heiney.