The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-05-20
Frank Will Stay in Dixie,

49, 49, hNp - ~ AhAN ih''H
crs, and the minors will get all my
time. Down In the bush the crowds are
just as crazy, the umpires are just as
rotten and the home fans yell just as
Justify as they do up yonder, When
| win seven more flags I'll be ready
to give my Job to another man-not
before y
Who is this man that wants to hang
up such an astounding record? Just
what does Charlie Frank of Atlanta,
Ca, know about baseball? Why don't
some OF the eagle-eyed magnates In
the supreme set reach out for this
sharp-sighted diamond director? They
have tried to get Charlie and he
wouldn't go, At ono time he was Of
fered the managership OF the Cleve-
land club, and he turned the Job down,
Yes, the South Is Franks field. He's
out for II pennants, but he wants to
get them in Dixie, the land of cotton
and 300 hitters.
The brainiest man in the bush-that's
Charlie Frank. He's keen of eye, ro-
tund Of figure; kind OF heart. He tips
the scales at $50 pounds. His sarcasm
is as penetrating as the summer sun,
and he is n great disciplinarian. He
does not rave, he does not rant; he Is
r~csolute and unfiinching In everything
he undertakes-and he gets results.
He knows how to encourage his play
ers-embolden, e%nliveii, inspire. awak-
en-, vex, madden, embitter and exasper-
l believe he really means II when no
one OF the most popular men In baseball
To-Day. The umpires are fond of Char
lie Frank, and so are the players and
the fans. Frank thrives on the PEN
nant race. Without these standing
of-the-club summers, life for Charlie
would, be .oheerless. His friends are
looking forward with no little anxiety
to the time when the chubby leader
OF the Atlanta team hangs up his Gone
l OauA - A.-. ..,-~1 4 y ~ At--
Tho .Falstaffian magnate-manager
caught. his first healthy peep at day
light 46 years ago in Mobile, Ala, and
that's where he had his first glimpse
Of a ball field, n learned to groan
at the sight Of an infield fly. He also
bile corner lots before the civic bodies,
began to convert them into vacant
lot gardens, and he signed with John
Kelly In 1893 as a member Of a picked
team that took a>trip to Cuba. John
McGraw was n member Of the outfit.
Like MANY other diamond performers,
Frank, or the Dutchman,' as he IL
called, began his baseball career as a
I!tcher, only to be shifted to the out
field when 1t was whispered that he
could hit. Frank stuck around the
majors two years as an employe of the
st. Louis National league club, and
then he drifted minorward. He played
with Columbus, o., st. Paul and Mem
phis, and there he remained for quite
a spell.
Organized Southern League.
Up to this time several ~Southerners
lad tried 70 organize the ball clubs OF
Dixie but none was able to make money
At tho game, Some OF the cities frankly
Announced that they couldn't take In
enough money to pay the bat boys
fare. Then along came Charlie Frank.
He had seen his chance and In 1901
the aggressive Albanian organized the
Southern league with eight clubs, and
TO enliven the proceedings Immediately
took charge CT the Memphis team, His
Bfme appeared In the city directory
Of the Tennessee town from 1901
through 1906 n In 1903. Charlie Frank
e. Co., won a championship.
The Dutchman journeyed to New
Orleans in 1907 and with him went
Memphis luck. Memphis hasn't won
a flag since. Charlie managed to keep
himself fairly busy in the Creole City
from then until 1913, when he resigned
his job to become the Southern repre-.
sentative OF the Cleveland club. In
1914 he was given an offer to handle
the Indians-or was it Naps2-and
trr'ed DOWN the JOB.
While in New Orleans Charlie Frank
kept his teams around the top. Charlie
was heavy, and so were his batters;
and in 1910 and II the New Orleans
Pelicans finished in front. For some
strange and u~naccountable reason
Frank has always had an unconquerabis