Evening star., 1923-01-06

KTOOveS,
and then block them.
AS to the reason for shifting from
waiting a man out" to hitting at
the first ball. the answer seems to be
OBVIOUS. We saw that the first scheme
ehanpsS not w0rsIg tac,is Naturally we
my suggestion at the start of these
memoirs. We located our fault and set
ABOUT to correct 1t as quickly as pos
sible.
In the first game had an idea that
Joe Bush might be lacking a little in,
control. 1 instructed the batters to
walt him out. Let the first one go
by, II necessary, and make him put
one over that could be hit on the nose.
Orders Change I'm Tactics.
On this plan of action We went
along for several innings. But Bush
did not get wild. He was pitching
perfectly and we could do nothing
with him. Instead of our men profit
ing by waiting. he was continually
putting Giant batters in the hole. He
saw our plan and was laying the first
one squarely over the middle OF the
plate.
Toward the middle of the game I
ordered the batters to shift.
Take a crack at anything he puts
over" I told them. Don't walt for
anything. II 1t Is in reach. sock it."
Luckily, we had called the turn at ex-
inning. it seemed. the whole complex
ion of the game had changed. One
after another our batters walked up
and took a swing at the first thing
Bush for five hits, II remember
right, and won the game in single
inning.
Gives Credit to Players.
There appears to have been a dis
position on the part of sporting writ
ers and the public to give me entire
credit for winning this last series. 1
wish sincerely they had not done
this. AS have said. I did do all the
directing, but direction and so-called
generalship are of no value whatever
,, IL the players do not carry them out.
They deserve the credit for delivering
the punch. I merely pointed out the
weak spots.
An army that wins a great battle
in the field usually gets the credit for
the fghting-the soldiers. mean.
They shoulud get 1t. The directing
head merely points the way. No gen.
eral could win a fight unless the men
deliver the punch. 1t is the combina-
| ton that counts. A soldier, / believe.
| can fight much better and with more
| intensity of immediate purpose If he
does not have to bother and worry
| about the plans.
Always ODeyeo OruerS-
At no time and in no instance dur
| ing that series did the players fail to
carry out my instructions to the let
| ter. There were no arguments and
no discussions as to the advisabiltty OF
| this and that move. I took the en-
| tire responsibility and they seemed
quite willing to let me shoulder what
| blame might come. II we had lost
| the series I would have lost it--not
thew. Our success can be laid to the
| fact. / think. that had absolute con-
| f1dence in our players and they had
similar confidence in me. l could not
| handle a team that did not have con-
| fdence in me. and 1t is cinch that
| I would not have group or players
| in whom / did not have confidence.
All | want to know is that they are
i, honestly trying to do what I tell
| is my fault If I keep them. Never in
my life have / blamed or criticized a
| ballplayer failing in an effort to carry
out instructions.
Must Take q Chance.
often we send up a pinch hitter
only to have him strike out That is
a chance the manager takes II 1t
| fails he has no right to censure the
/ player. They can't always hit safely.
| II it were possible for a Dali player
! always to carry out his Instruction.
\ even to making the play successfully
| then we would have no base ball.
| Managers could simply sit down In
I the spring and figure it out with pen
| Gil and paper.
have made 1t a point, as have
said, never to blame a player Tor ran
| ing in a sincere effort to carry out in
I structions from the bench, but l also
| have made 1t a point to censure a
| player, even If he won the game, by
: failing to obey orders. That / regard
as necessary for discipline; Az nrst
! L.. tnNnTHGGtnR
this idea upon the team.
i Back in 1905 fined a player s25 Tor
| hitting a home run with two on bases
"a wallop that won the game.
Sammy Strang the Victim.
| We had runners on first and second
with none out and sent up Sammy
| Strang to bunt. Sammy was a good
bunter and very fast on the bases. ]
wanted to make sure of his putting
| the ball down so as to advance the
/ two runners.
| To my surprise the pitcher put the
| first one right in the groove and
Sammy, swinging from his shoe
the nose and knocked it over the
right field fence for home run.
bringing in the two runners with
him and winning the game.
gan applauding and he was compelled
to take off his cap. Just at that mo-
ment he reached the dugout
"Thatll cost you just twenty-five,
| I said to him.
twenty-five? Whatd'yr mean.
Mac?"
"Didn't you have instructions to
| bunt that ball?'
"Sure, but say, Mac, that one came
| over there like a balloon. I just
| couldn't help taking a poke at 1t.
| Was q pip, wasn't it?"
'Yes, but it'll cost you twenty-five