Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-10
Comics Prescription to Build
Up Great Ball Club Without
Spending Big Money
Fails to Work Out.
BY JACK VEIOCK.

new orR, june S.--Sonnle MACK
economic base ball system may be all
right, but after receiving several
years treatment under it the Athlet-
les appear to be ailing almost as
badly as ever.
Maybe Comics prescription would
be efficacious in a case of seven-year
itch, but it is beginning to appear
that as a remedy for chronic loser
in the major leagues Mack's economy
has fivvered.
When the season of 1917 began
there were those who predicted the
Athletics would be a tremendous sur
prise despite the fact that most Of
the scribing fellows picked them for
as good as seventh place. The Ath-
letics have been a surprise-they have
surprised the critics who thought they
were due to come to life and crowd
out clubs like the Browns, Indians
and Yankees.
During the first few laps of the
American league race the Mackmen
crowded everybody else out of the
cellar and threatened to dive into
ninth place. The only thing that kept
them from it was the scarcity of ninth
place in the American league.
There is still hope for the Mack
men to finish better than last, for the
season has some ways to run and
many strange things happen in a sea-
son. But in face Of the prediction
made by Mack when he broke up his
famous machine, and all joking aside,
it seems doubtful that the Athletics
will manage to become terrors around
the Ban Johnsonian circuit while the
economic policy is applied to them.
Three years ago Mack predicted
that he would build up another great
ball club if given sufficient time and
at practically as little cost as the
championship team he had torn to
pieces. Mack then pulled the economy
brake and went out after some good,
cheap youngsters to wear the boots
of Barry, Collins, Baker and a few
Others. So far these boots have proven
away too large for their new owners
Mack has some good youngsters and
a club that becomes murderous with
the bludgeon at times. He also has
some mighty capable pitchers, a very
bright star in Joe Bush, but still he
isn't plotting winner.
Show Flashes of Speed.
Grover, Witt, Lawry, Bates and
some of his young pitchers show
championship flashes now and then
On the field and at bat they otter
make some of the stars of the Amer
ican league look like novlces TOT.
day. But they are not consistent witt
it and they do not play bangup bal
against clubs like the White Sox, Rec
Sox and Yankees.
In Amos Strunk Mack has one o.
the greatest outhelders in the busl
ness. In Jack McInnis he has frs
baseman who need not doff his kelly
to any initial bagman in either biz
league. In Wallie Schang he has
wonderful backstopper. Old Pins
Bodies is playing better ball for Macl
than he did for the White Sox, and a
that Mack had to pay some real dough
for Bodie, which is not in line witt
the economy he breaches.
Glancing at the Athletics from som'
angles, one finds it hard to see wh,
they are not a good ball club, ye
they have not been proving it, and tn
surest sign of good club shows II
the left hand side of the percentag
column every time. :, !,
Base bali men have bewailed tn
fact that good college players are al
most thing of the past, and that tn tt,h
oncoming crop of phenoms from tn
bushes has been badly mildewed II
spots. Perhaps the alleged scarcit,
OF crack young ball players within
the past two or three years IS the an
swer in the case of the Mackmer
Perhaps the youngsters were NOR
plentiful when Mack built his erst
u while champions than they are now
and better ball players along wit
it, and perhaps Mack will have to g
out and peel off some OF the ol
money for players before. ne turn
out another club like the old Athletics
II is our guess that he will have to d
this very thing.
Pirates Another Example.
While on the subject of econom
in base ball it might be well to men
ton the fact that the Pittsburgh clu
is another object lesson for club own
ers who would like to put padloc:
on the purse strings. The econom,ii
noI;cvSof the Pirate ownership with
the last two years has resulted i
dragging the Pirates down into tn
sea Of despond. You can't buy goo
watch for a song, and the same ar
plies to base ball club.