The Washington times., 1929-07-09
By Davis J. Walsh

BY laws ". walsh M
NEW YORK, July 9.-Hav-
ing within the last three years
excommunicated one manager
who won a worlds champion
ship, another who furnished
the runner-up in the league
race and a third who was ut
terly unable to do better than
win the pennant, it might be
interesting to know what Sam
Breadon, of st. Louis, intends
to do about Bill Southworth,
who today has managed the
Cardinals right down to the
500 mark.
This Is the most questionable
relationship the Cards have attained
in July since 1924 and. seeing that
they have blown Is out OF 21 bail
games in. the last three weeks, may.
be / won't be misunderstood IL /
mention the fact that Southworth
doesn't appear to be an unparalleled
success.
There have been all manner Of
runors this year about managers
who are about to be beheaded. They
say Russell Blackburne is breathing
his last In Chicago and that Old
Jake Atz from the Texas League
will take over the White Sox in
1880
Out in Cincinnati, the directorate
has asked the Muggs to bear with
Mr.. Hendricks until the end Of the
year. at which time it promises to
deal with him in a manner befitting
\ his shame.
Robbie either Is or isn't to
20 IN Brooklyn. MaranVille may
be 'sent in' with the Braves
and Dan HOwley. having made
faces at Phil Ball, Is said to be
destined for Washington. where
Walter johnson Is expected to
retire at the termination of this
season.
Bill killefer then is supposed to
get Howley's job, the idea being
that Mr.. Ball doesn't like the faces
Howley is making, which is fair
enough. It is understood that How
ley wasn't altogether sure whether
he liked Mr.. Balls even before the
face-making began.
Anyhow, in all the clamor, there
hasn't been so much as syllable
to indicate whether or not Mr..
Breadon's Intentions toward Mr..
SouthWorth are strictly kosher.
However, with the Cardinals in
fourth place and maybe going lower,
it is assumed that Williams job is
safe. If only ne could finish a game,
fighting fifth, in fact, he might even
get q bonus.
He doesn't deserve to be tossed out
overnight, at that, for. barring Gel-
bert, they didn't give him club
that was meant to go on forever.
Pitchers like Alexander. Sherdel and
Haines had won for Hornsby and
McKecknie In 1926 and 1928 and had
kept the club UP there for O'Farre1
in 1927.
They were due to bow down under
the burden of increasing years this
season. And they did.
The town, too, walked out on the
club, for Some reason or none at
all, even when it was leading the
league. I don't think this helped
the outfit in a big way. Perhaps
It's encouragement in the face Of
this condition set in about the time
that Time began holding the stop
watch on a club that had run the
good race and was now out OF
breath.
Anyway. the Cards were lead
ing the league ON June Is with
3 record Of S4 won and IS lost.
To-day, they have won and lost
81 each. and the end apparently
ls not yet.
The fun began on June 16 when
they dropped a double-header to the
Braves, but they beat the Cubs the
following day and held the lead I'M
til June 1S when they blew a pair
to Chicago and fell all the way to
third place. They have won only
two games since that day.
Maybe the slump was coming to
the Cards, for really they didn't
belong UP there and baseball has
an arbitrary way of reetifying mis-
takes like this. AS a matter of
fact, the Cards never would have
been up at the pace in the first
place without the aid of the Gin.
j cinnati Reds, from whom they have
won IA out of IL to date. For the
other Western contenders, the Cubs
and Pirates, beat them IL times
each and the Giants have won four
giving the latter q misfit average
OF .235 against its arch-rtvals.
It wasn't until recently, however,
that the truth about the Cardinals
was revealed in all Of is disquieting
aspects. They have begun to lose
to the Phillies.