The Washington times., 1926-10-02
YANk CHIEF
SURPRISES
EXPERTS
BY Rogers Hornsby
Manager st. Louis Cardinals.
National League Champlons.l

NEW YORK, Oct. 2.-It's funny
how things happen. Eleven years
ago I was a raw recruit with an
ambition to say in the big league.
to show enough out there on he
ball field to make my boss, my
manager, want to keep me the
next year.
Today / am lucky enough to be
manager on club about to play
in world series and the man who
Is leading the team that we viii
play in that series is the man who
was my boss, my manager. when
broke into the big league, eleven
years ago. Yes, Miller Huggtns
was my first manager.
He was running the Cardinals
Tor the Brittons when Joined the
club in the fall OF 1916. He was
the boss / was trying to show
something to when tried out as 4
shortstop at the old Cardinal field.
Naturally, now, that / am about
TO meet my old manager in a world
series, and now that I too am q
manager, many perossn ask me
what j think about Higgins as q
manager. That might be embar.
RAISING If asked that question
about some manager, but can be
perfectly frank and honest about
answering the question about Hug.
gins.
consider Higgins one Of the
smartest managers in baseball.
Look at his record. All the
smart boys said this spring that
Higgins had . sure taiI-ender,
that as soon as the expensive
BAH players he had bought were
worn out, the YanEs would be
through and Higgins might as
well retire.
But Higgins fooled them all. He
knows ball player and he is q
keen Judge OF what to do on the
bah field. He went out and got
himself new players, brought them
in from the minor leagues when
some OF his old regulars slipped
and here he is right at the top OF
the league and giving New York
another world series.
"A man who has had success and
then fails, when everybody picked
him to win. is in a tough spot.
Everybody figures it's his fault
when he doesn't keep on deliver
ing. But as son as Higgins saw
tat his team was no longer quite
up to the standard OF winning
more pennants he built a new com.
bination and here 1t is.
The record stamps him az a
great leader in the game.
One Of the reasons for Higgins
success is that he has climbed to
his position from the ranks.
The best managers have been that
way. I consider John McGraw the
greatest baseball leader in the game.
He was a player, and one OF the
reasons that the Giants have had
sos much success has been the fact
that McGraw. first a player than a
manager and then one of the con.
trolling owners. knows the game
from the ground up. He can see
the players viewpoint, and because
he has been through the mill, the
players are ready to take his
orders.
different managers have far
different methods. It is unusual
20 see a team directed on one-man
basis like the Giants. / doubt
r. another man in baseball could
Gas much of the thinking for
his club and get away with it
as McGraw does.
In directing the Cardinals I have
left many things to the players that
McGraw would decide for them.
Only in rare instances do I give
orders on a certain play. I have
worked on the basis that my men
have big league qualifications, and
therefore / have let them do their
oW rthinking. However, when I
find that a man is likely to pick
the wrong course I will tell him
that he had better play 1t certain
way. Then, too, " hen we are in
the field l know how each batter
is 10 be pitched to and the players
look to me when shifts are neces-
sary FOR certain batters or for GER
tain pitchers.
Ny team enjoyed games with the
Giants. McGraw's teams always
play smart baseball. I have heard
st, Louis fans say that they would
rather see the Cards and Giants
pay Ludl any OllICI IWO bSoAiio AAA
the league.
1t does seem that the Cardinals
always have fought harder and
played harder against the Giants
than against any other team. be-
lieve that is because they have felt
every inning that they were up
against a smart team with a bril-
liant manager and that in turn
have been on their toes all the way.
This world series with the Yanks
should be a great series for us. We
certainly will be up against a smart
manager when we go against Miller
Higgins and his men. But we are
all set to go.
All my men are game. They'll
fight ali the way. A load for the
other fellows doesn't mean anything
We did our best playing when We
were behind. That's a sign OF
courage and my team showed its
courage in winning this pennan,
In the greatest race since 1908.
They'll fight in this series. too
And the Yankees will know they
have plenty on their hands when
they tackle us.
.(Copyright. 1925. by the christy
Walsh SyndicatS)