New-York tribune., 1918-02-05
Jack Barry
Cone: the Last
ayer-Manager
War Puts Skids Under Relic
Theory of Old Days in
Baseball

Inc world war has aided In putting
the final skids on the playing manager.
This relic of bygonc days is now as
dead as the bemustached outfielder.
When Jack Barry, Of the Boston Red
Sox, enlisted in the United States navy
as a yeoman the last Of the species
passed.
1t was not so long ago that man.
ayers of the type of Brcsnahan, Hug
gins, Stovall, Carrigan, Callahan,
Clarke, Chance and number of others
not only managed their ball clubs, but
fought side by side with their men on
the field.
Even if Carrigan should come back
and manage Frazee's White Sox it is
doubtful if he would again don the
mask and glove, much as he used to
like to stop the s1dewinging shoots of
"Dutch" Leonard. Carrigan brought
Leonard out, and it was seldom any one
else ever caught the young Californian
while Carrigan was in harness. But
Carrigan has aged; he never was "a
vicious hitter, and the chances are he
is slower than ever.
Miller Huggins, the new manager OF
the Yanks, could still play at second it
necessary and with things breaking
right he would make good job OF 1t.
But Hugs legs have gone back on him,
too He almost collapsed after doing
some pinch base running for one of his
Cardinals two years ago, and he never
again could hold a major league job
on his playing ability. Even so, he
could make as good a show out of
second base as some of the other
gentlemen who have been intruSted
with that job in recent years.
Bench Manager Logical
The bench manager is the logical one.
He usually is the one whose years of
experience have capacitated him to
direct younger men. player, how
ever great star he may be, seems
overburdened with responsibility once
he is given the managerial reins, or at
least it has seemed SO since the days
of Huggins, Clarke, Chance and Bresna-
han. Each year there is more method
to the successful teams play. That
means additional signals and conse-
quent greater engineering. 1t is a man
sized job for any one to sit on bench
nine-inning ball game. No manager
should be expected to do more. If he
does that we'll he has accomplished
much.
Ban johnson is so displeased at a
news leak which told prematurely the
opening dates of The American League
that he may cause the schedule to be
rewritten. There will be some diff
Guilty, however, in finding any one who
is worried over Ban Johnson's dis
pleasure over news leak.
Artie Fletcher, of the Giants, is nurs-
ing a lame back He told Western
scribes recently that while it was moth
ing serious it prevented him from NOV
ing about as freely as he wished.
Clutch" Schmidt, who played first
base for the champion Boston Braves
of 1914, may get back into harness this
season. George Stallings has a line
on Schmidt and probably will call him
in if Eduardo Konetchy, the lank first
sacker of the Braves, makes too much
ado over the luscious slice that is to
be peeled off his seasonal salary.
Harry Sparrow, the secretary of the
duHeGS, ycSlcIUdy pdCkcQ Oll iOr
Florida. Sparrow has been ailing since
the close of the 1917 season and has
assumed the responsibility Of running
the rather managerless Yanks in the
off season. The Florida trip is ex-
pected to tone him up for the opening
exercises at Macon.
Weeghman is said to have paid a
bonus to Alexander the Great, and
hearing the good news has inspired
William Killifer with the idea Of hold
ing out until a bonus sails his way
Spalding's Baseball Record for 1918,
ably edited by John Foster, is fresh
from the press.
The Yankees arc seeking a "hard-
hitting outfielder." There are only
fifteen other major league clubs look
| ing for the same kind of animal.