The Washington times., 1929-06-19

None Of US is qualified to say
definitely and finally whether 4
ball player is doing his best.
Only the player can say with
any degree Of conclusiveness il
he has done his utmost in any
given situation.
But they can't shoot us for
having opinions, and it was the
opinion Of no few who saw Gar
land Braxton's helpless perform
ance against the Athletics in
the fifth inning, that the pace
setting pitcher of last year
didn't have his heart in his
work.
The fans made no secret of
their thoughts as they were
filing out of the park and Brax-
ton and Johnson and Griffith
can afford to pay much atten-
ton to what the fans believe,
for they pay the way of. base
ball. When the fans get. GER
tain ideas into their heads it is
remarkable how they can stay
away from the park in droves.
Ask Bucky Harris about this.
Most of us are accustomed to
seeing high school pitchers con-
fused and muddIed by annoying
little hunts laid down in front
of the plate, but that condition
cannot reasonably Oe expected in
major league 'b2ll, where real
money is paid to witness per-
fOrmanceS.
Should Johnson and Griffith
decide today to give Mr. Brax-
ton a little lesson in the form
of a fine and suspension. it
might awaken him to the fact
he's not in the minors now.
Thew have been saying Of
Connie Mack for the last half
dozen years that he would retire
at the baseball end thereof,
should he win a pennsnt such as
he did for the. last time back
in 1914.
They have been talking
through their hats, one and
several, and Connie himself is
authority for such a statement.
Surely he ought to know.
So you cannot believe all you
hear, and alas and alac-a-dAy,
all you read. But in the present
instance we believe you can lay
it on the line that Mr.. Mac
Gilliduccy, to give him the
dignity his years and record
warrants him, is not through
with baseball, even though he
wins a pennant in this glorious
Year of Our Lord, Nineteen
Hundred and Twenty-Five.
Come will continue to manage
until he is 70 years Of age. He
is now So.
Well, as we were saying, the
tall tactician, as someone named
him when we were still in short
pants, is going to stay by and
with the game until he is :
seventy. That gives him four
more years, and he is sanguine
enough to hope four more pen
nants.
Besides, Mr.. MacGiIlieuddy
thinks the present team of Ath-
letics is one of the greatest If
not the greatest he has ever
managed. not excepting that
which contained the then IA
nous 100000 infield composed
of McInnis, Collins, Barry and
Baker.
Well, that is about the sum
total of what Mr.. MacGillicuddy
had on his mind during his one
day stay in Washington, and
although it didn't take him
twenty five words to say it,
we have succeeded is stretching
it out into possibly about seven
or eight hundred which isn't
a bad mornings work in view
of the fact it's too hot to either
write or read long stories.
Something light and snappy,
that's our idea of proper sum
mer literature, if such this
might be called. - At least you .
can't deny it lis summer, and !
besides, we never in our lives
have seen such a steel-grey set
of sharp, far-seeing eyes as Mr..
MacGillicuddy's when he sits on
the dug-out bench and watches
every gesture Of his rangy,
athletic Athletics. -.