The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-09-15
Ted Sullivan, Noted sports Writer.
says Ether Esan o. Boyle
Could Lead Major
Club.
BUILD WINNING TEAMS
Says They Have More Ability Than
Some Managers IN Big Leagues
Today-What They Have
Accomplished.

No matter how much one dfsagrees
with Ned Egan, Muscatine manager.
or disproyes Of his tactics on the
held, there Is no doupt that he Is a
foxy manager and is a pretty smooth
proposition when 1t comes to building
up a winning team, and in the fol-
lowing article, which is from the pen
of Ted Sullivan, noted sport writer.
1t il declared that both Egan and
Frank Boyle are capable of manag.
ing major league club. As both men
have managed the Keokuk Indians in
the past and are well, If not favorably
known here, the following story,
which appeared in the Cincinnati In
quirer on September 8, win be read
with interest:
THE major league clubs for many
years have been buying and drafting
minor league players, but very sell
dom have they engaged minor league
managers. One OF the best managers
they have today in the National
league Is a man who came from the
minors, namely, George Stallings-
OF the many fallacies that govern
major league owners, this overlook
ing the managerial minor field is the
worst OF all. They think that man
must come up through the major
league ranks to make a good mana
ger. whether he has executive ability
or not The average minor league
manager has three times the OBJ
stacles to overcome that beset man
ager in the majors. From year to
year he has to take the raw material
tutor and mold it to make 1t accept
able to the majors. do not mean
to say that every minor league mana
ger is capable Of handling q major
league club. For some men the minor
league is their actual managerial
speed. the same a. some players.
whose playing speed Is in q minor
field. There is. however. once in a
while a man or two In the minors who
is capable Of handling any major
league club. There are two In the
nine years have demonstrated
marked ability in building up cham
pion clubs. One Is Frank Boyle and
the other is Ned Egan of the Musca-
tine Qowa) club. Central association.
Ekan for ten years had had cham
pion teams time and time again. This
year his team is leading the Central
association. I know him personally,
and know OF his executive ability as
a manager. He Is not provincial any
way in baseball knowledge and exper
tence There Is not man in the ma
jor leagues his superior In general
worldly intelligence, besides he IS a
polished gentleman. It is too bad that
men OF Egan's class are overlooked.
But 1t will ever be thus as long as the
average major league club owner
never comes up with the game and
knows nothing of its machinery IN
political and playing way Engaging
a manager because he played under
q great leader may look well to the
superficial baseball world.
1T would be all right If the player
coming from such an able manager
could bring the executive ability and
genius Of his former manager with
him, but no man can duplicate an
other mans individuality and person
atty. That is both mental and
physical impossfbility. The great
marshals of the first Napoleon hard
ly over won battle without his
presence in directing the tactics of
his army.
Where Is the railroad company,
the mercantile house or any other
enterprise that viii put at the head
OF its institution any man unless he
has shown marked ability in a field
Of his own, and in the very business
in which he Is to assume leadership.