The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-20
Barry, Should He Return to Game, Will Be Lone
 Pilot to Play
ONLY ONE MANAGER PLAYED LAST YEAR
Bench Boss Has Better Chance to Get Good Line on His Men-Y ears Ago All Managers Occupied
 Regular Berths on Teams

The naming of Jack Hendricks to man. age the St. Louis Cardinals left but one leadership in the major leagues in doubt. That one concerns the Boston Red Sox, where President Harry Frazee still holds to the idea tha; Jack Barry will be available by April 1. However, no one else seems to agree to that and general opinion is that Barrys place must be filled, for Barry is in the navy, and there seems little chance that he will get back into baseball for the com ing season.
 The passing of Barry as manager is one of the most interesting phases of the coming baseball year, for it will mark the displacement of the last player manager in the big leagues.
 The passing of the player manager IS one of the most interesting subjects in baseball. A few years ago magnates would have none of the bench mana ger He was not direct asset on the field and meant an additional financial load. Player er-managers could be hired as cheaply as bench managers and filled their regular place in the lineup, thus
 dispensing with the sa;ary of player.
 It is not many years ago when prac-
 tically every manager filled his place
 upon the ball field.
 Then the magnates began to figure that perhaps a manager would be more successful if he could cevote his entire time to directing the club on the field and not be forced to divide his general ship with mechanical playing.
 BARRY WAS LAST When the 1917 season opened there was only one playing manager-Jack Barry, and there are many who believe Jack would have been more successful had he devoted his entire time to man. aging his team.
 One of the best arguments in favor of a bench manager is a list of men whc have won pennants in both leagues dur ing the last r years, since the Ameri- can league was organized.
 In 1900 the White Sox, managed by Charles Comiskey, won the pennant The next year Clark Griffith won witf l the same club. GriffIia at that time 1 was playing manager. In 1902 Connie l Mack, bench manager, won with the l Athletics, and in 1903 and 1904 Jim Col 1 ins, playing manager, won with Bos- 1 ton. Connie Mack won again in 1905 and Fielder Jones, playing manager won the next year with Chicago. The next three years Hugh Jennings bench manager, won, and Mack re- peated in 1910 and 15ii. Jake Stahl, a bench manager, came across with Bos ton in 1912, and Mack repeated in 191; l and 1914 Bill Carrgan, playing mana ger, won in 1915 and 1916. and Clarence l Rowland, bench advocate. in 1917. Int count in the American league is Il to l in favor of the Bench manager.
 CLARK WAS SUCCESSFUL | In the National league Ed Hanlon, a bench manager, won in 1900. Fred Clarke i player, followed the next three years
 McGraw won in 1904 aAc 1505, and Frank
 Chance, a player, copped the next three | years. Clarke repeated in 1909 ant | Chance came back in 1910 The nex l three years saw McGraw victorious. IT
 1914 Stallings. a bench manager, won in 1915 Moran copped; 1916 saw Robin | son win and 1917, McGraw. The last foul are bench managers.
 | The count for the National league i. 1 10 to 8 in favor of the bench managers ! In. the IS years 21 big league winner.
 have been bench managers and 14 play | ing managers.
 l