The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-07-03

@'fS''''Saa s ible for its new
Hornsoy est recurrence.
Eornsby was expected to perform
miraculous feats with the Boston
Braves after succeeding one Mr.
Slattery, late Of Harvard, 10 the
management.
Up till now the only miraculous
feat Horrsby has performed in con-
nection with the Braves has been To
oesist certain bellicose citizens III
their determination to sink the en-
tire Boston pitching staff in the I'M
inviting waters OF the Charles River
EIuch was expected or Hornsby
when he became the head man III
Bcston. Possibly too much. There
were seine tricks even Houdini
couldn't do without mirrors, trap
doors, or doubles.
Il
TORNSBY had taken the Cardi-
L 4 nails and driven them into
championship in ST. Louis. Moving
abruptly and with some mystery to
New York, Hornsby took hold of the
Giants during the enforced absence
of the Little Napoleon" and pro-
ciuced a winning streak the like of
which the club had not known al
season.
With these s. ccegses standing out
like brown derby in a G. o. P.
caucus, Hornsby was expected to
transform cobble stones to rubie5.
When he failed and the club instead
Of climbing began to skid, the wolves
reared back on their launches and
rent the air with sinister winnings.
Now you hear that this fellow
Ecrnsby never was a manager. the
Cardinals? Say, Branch Hickey, left
ehin with raadeto--order ball club.
And the Ciants-Wiat about
them? Weren't they a pretty good
ball club? And weren't they just
beginning to play together when
McGraw had to leave them? Horns
by helped at second and the bat,
but his managing didn't produce
that squirt.
This is what you are told today
by many of the same critical per-
sons who not many weeks ago
were calling Hornsoy enc of the
greatest baseball leaders of his
time-another McGraw in the
rough, and not so rough at that.
A S a matter of truth Hornsoy is
"A probably very fine manager.
For one thing he is intensely
interested in baseball. e has
driving aggressivenes5 that
somehow escapes tyranny.
knowing baseball is not the
answer to managerial success SO
much as knowing men, how to
handle them and, most important,
when to handle them. Eighty per
cent of the McGrawa formula con-
sists Of this.
Eornsby has more than a smatter-
Ing of it. When his pitchers begin
to pitch better ball for him he will
look better as a manager. This is
t-ue of all managers. 1t is more
true of some than others. This is
Why no one has yet been able to
settle definitely the disturbing ques-
tion of whether the manager makes
the club or the club the manager
They have been debating this
question ever since the first PEN
nant was unfurled in the
autumnal breeze. They called
Frank Chance the peerless leader
as long as ne was winning flags.
DUT when Chances winning
- ways deserted him it was dis
closed that what actually happened
was he had inherited great bal
club from Colonel Selee, including
Brown, Reulbach, Pfeffer and nund-
gren as pitchers, the smartest
catcher the game has ever known in
John King, three great infielders
in himself, Evers and Tinker and
two outfelders that were more than
fair in Hoffman and Schultz.
mo wonder he was a peerless
leader" the critics chorused. who
wouldn't have been with those fell
lows?"
1t always has been thus in base
ball in the matter of managers and
championships, 1t probably always
will be. Hornsby is merely going
through one of the inevitable stages
Of the business. Practically all the
great managers have gone through
it at one time or other.
Some have survived to write their
names high in the eternal records
of the game. These were the ones
lucky enough to stumble across 4
slashing 400 hitter or a raw-boneC
lefthander with superlative contr0
just when they needed him.
Hornsby may have similar luck
in the seasons to come and if so
rosterity will unhesitatingly rank
him with the greats. PosSerity,
International, grave in judgment,
and infinitely fair, is like that.
RESIGNS AS ANNOUNCER