New-York tribune., 1920-02-07
M Major League
Pilots Overlook
College Youths
and Mack Among
Few Who Consider Pros
poets at the Universities
By Ray Mccarthy

by Kay Mccarthy
Managers of big LEAGUE basobo1l
teams as we'll as club owners, are be-
moaning the lack of good PLAYERS
why there isn't even enough to 90
around whines one manager. All Of
which may be true enough Navor+bo.
less, it seems to us that manarors md
owners overlook one big field in their
search for prospective stars. viz. tho
colleges.
Connie Mack, the attenuated and as
tute manager of the Athletics. is one
of the very few who have realized tha
value of having the colleges secuted for
material, and although in recent voars
the Philadelphia manager has had moth
ing to brag of In the way of ball team
ne mas Jared pretty we'll with college
payers. But even Mack misses many
good ones, as is shown by the corninr ~
such stars as Ryan. Statz and Bowen IN
the Giants. And there are many others
Just as good if the managers knew
where TO look for them.
The main trouble, Of course. lies in
the failure OF the manager and the col
!ege ball player to meet each other
Without casting reflections on anv of
the major league managers it can safely
be said that most of them give no one
credit for being able to "discovern y
real ball player but their paid scouts,
VINO generally are seasoned veterans.
John McGraw, manager Of the Giants,
IS one OF the few who VIII take on a
player recommended by some one out
side the baseball fraternity. McGraw
says: Any young fellow that is recon-
mended to me, no matter by whom. is
worth looking at. You never can tell
VINO is ball player ana who isn't until
he is given fair trial"
Play for Sports Sake.
College ball players have different
mental attitude toward the national
game than the, non-col ollegians. Cen
er&l!y the college man PLAYS the qa,1e
purely for the fun Of it and seldom. #
ever, gives a thought to making Il q
profession. A great many colleciars
IN TACT, receive offers from major
league teams every year which tbev
turn down. And if he doesn't receive
direct offer form a manager a col
legian certainly wiu never be found in
the big leagues, for il is the safest kind
OF wager that university man would
never ask for try-out from any man
ager ''''''''
Therefore, it behooves the major
league il, manager, if he is looking for
liNely material, to make careful sur
Vey Oh the colleges; q hastv glance AZ
d game between two teams viii not
suftlce, because not even the best scout
IN the business can determine tha
ability of college ball player in one
contest 0''9
For instance: The Cubs sent a scout
to watch the Lehigh nine Derforr,
mat was IN 1917, the year the Ra+hle-
hem institution had an exceDtionaljv
good team, which won the chamnioT-
snip. The scout was sent in to watch
only one man, an lnhelder. whereas
there We're several others who were
even better ball players than this mar
ticular fellow.
ne scout vent away without sjqr,
ing ms man and at the same +i'oa
missed the others. OF whom few
la1er went to oig league teams and
Wil probably make good. One OF then,
vas George Lees, the catcher. Tans
belongs othe White Sox. and oKid,
Gleason says that with some avra,i-
ence ne ought 20 make a corkinr good
receiver Lees returned from gr8nce
last year and played with BIilwapl,aa
where he did we'll. He viii he wi+h
the SoX this summer.
Another Twombly Appears
Another on that Lehirb nine o,no
was overlooked was Babe" Twornhiv-
= brother OF the former Boston prsve
j., ! oung lWombly has been out OF col
lege a couple of years and il vas
.nought ne was lost to the game But
1t was reported recently fiat be
had signed with the Cubs and wonld
season. ''' '"lS
In landing this fellow Mitchell gets
a pfi2e. he IS fast, is left-handed
oaI1ef VINO hits only with the wrists
heidlng. He should fit well into the
and Flack. 49, % 0i'
Mathag, of Lehigb, was another
member Of that Lehigh team. He has
lad several major league offers ard
1t is reported he will be seen in aefio~
ms year with one of the big mines
VI cGraw has fine scout in Jesse Bur.
<ett, the Holy Cross coach. In the last
-Wo year burkett has sent RYAN y
pitcher, and Bowen and Statz, out
lelaers, TO the locals. All three give
promise Of making good.
NSt "'e ptenty OF olher college play
'rs who might be induced to trV Tie
g2me at least couple Of years. for
as rule, collegians do not care To
AXE UP the game for livelihood
Sam FELTON,, of Harvard, is pitcher
IF first class calrbcr, as is Cove of
ale. Sawyer, of Yale, is a fine second
oaseman, while Maury Trimble the
Princeton football hero i- star
catcher Bill Donovan, Lei. saelet-
oall star, is an infelder o 3ili+v
Who undoubted would H. ad In
-he big show.