Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-24

danger of losing his slender job as
coach of pitchers with the Phill1es
and sliding out of base ball entirely,
when a change in the leadership of the
club was desired by the club owners.
who had already selected another
player on the team to succeed Charley
Doom as manager. Not desiring to
play under the leadership of the
player whom they knew had been
selected. some of the players on the
team went to President Baker and
told him that, unless another man
was put in charge of the team for
the following year. they would refuse
to sign their contracts. When asked
who they wanted as manager these
players mentioned Pats name. but
said they would play for anybody
else who was selected from outside
the then present membership of the
ball club. 1t wasn't that they wanted
Pat SO much at the time. but they
didn't want the other fellow. There
being nobody else available at the
Fate simply reached out and dragged
Pat in by the scruff of the neck.
Score a Two-Base Hit for Fate.
Having the favored child Of her
whims thus properly placed, Fate
then started in to gum up the cards
and slip him a pop-eyed cinch. Fat
took hold of club that on past per-
formances compared with what might
other clubs in the league, was unani-
mously picked to finish in the second
division. But fortune SO fixed 1T that
in his first season as big league
manager all the teams that had been
picked to fight 1t out for the PEN
nant skidded at one and the same
time. The Giants hit the soapy chute
so hard that they slid all the way
down into last place. where they fin
ished the season. while the Braves
famous "big three" pitching staff
that had carried them. through the
previous season cracked badly, and
all the carefully prepared dope on
the National League race went up in
smoke. Thus dragged through by
the Hand of Fate, Pat came through
and won a pennant with a ball club
that would have been lucky to have
finished in the first division in many
previous National League canter.
Score a Home Run for Fate.
Pat was then canned from a ball
club that skidded back in playing
merit to where it would never have a
chance to creep into the first division.
Score a base hit for Fate.
Having signed up to coach the
Giants pitchers. it then SO happened
that the Cincinnati team was with
out a manager owing to It's repeated
failure to get in touch with Christy
Mathewson, over in France. Some
BODY neglected to answer communi-
cations, or the mail miscarried in our
joke mail delivery system over
there" or something like that. You
can score another base hit for Fate
in this.
Pat then gained McGraw's consent
to negotiate with the Cincinnati club.
and despairing of hearing any definite
word from Matty in time, Hermann
signed Pat as manager.
Then Fate got busy for Pat again.
The Giants and Cubs had been uni
versally conceded the chance to fight
it out for the pennant. with Brooklyn
and Pittsburgh conceded an outside
chance to come through. Then the
Cubs blew terribly. Tyler. one OF
carried them through to a pennant
last season, has been useless to them
all year Vaughn could never get
going. and Alexander has been away
off following his return from the
Army, while the hitters who formed
the bulk of the Cub attack last sea-
son have proved helpless. The Giants
all-star cast, verging on the sere and
yellow age as it is. after having made
a good start, began to blow all at
display but feeble resistance to any
good ball club that is up on it's toes"
The much touted Brooklyn pitching
staff that was supposed to carry a
team weaker in other respects
through in the pennant fight all
cracked. and now Pat. with a team
that is even weaker than the club
with which he won the pennant for
the Phils, has been able to practically
cinch another pennant in his first sea
son as manager of a second division ball
club.
Score another home run for Fate.
Batting averages
ab. bh. 2-bh. S-bh. mr.. ave.
Fate a 1 o 1000
These little pearls Of fact constitute
no attempt at aspersions at Pats
nj erling qualities "A n base ball man.