Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-25
CONNIE MACK BY b. a.; a.: IS: s: ::.
HIS so YEARS IN BASE BALL
No. 10-Starting Over Again.

No. 1O-Starting Over Again.
TITO almost every one, appar-
emily, except Connie Mack
Il there always has seemed
something darkly mysteri-
Gus about the drastic smash-up
of the club that captured four
pennants and three world cham
pionshipS.
After the 1914 season and the
teams debacle in the world
series with the Braves, Mack sud-
denly asked waivers on his three
pitching aces, Bender, Plank and
CoombS, besides subsequently
selling Collins, Baker, Barry and
other stars.
Many years later, Mack told me he
did this, not because the team had be-
come so monotonously good as to lose
its drawing power; not because OF any
suspicion of crookedneSs or gambling,
such as was goSsiped about, but solely
because of the fresh upheaval in or
ganized base ball caused by the launch
ing of the outlaw Federal League, and
in order to help save the game"
When the famous BLACK Sox' scan
dial of 1919 revived ruInors about the
1914 series, Mack declared himself
plainly:
ssT ALMOST wish that team never
i had been broken up. Every time
a gambling scandal, League of Ma
lions or poor wheat crop Is mentioned,
sure enough they asked me whether
that was not the reason I broke up the
1914 team.
Gambling had nothing to do with it.
Surely the fact that Eddie Collins and
Eddie Murphy acted the way they did
through the White Sox expose shows
what kind of men had on my club.
IF 1t hadn't been for the Federal
League. that team of mine would have
been winning pennantS for years after
1t did, barring the deterioration OF age
and love for life on the farm.
Look back at the facts in 1914 and
you will find the explanation of our
decline easily enough. The team that
year clinched the pennant in early
Summer. Then later the boys began
to hear and think about the heaps of
money other stars were getting to jump
to the new Federal League, backed by
wealthy men all over the country. They
thought they were entitled to It. The
result was our morale soon went to
smash.
THE Red Sox came along to worry
us, won eight out of nine from us in
September. When the world series ar
rived, as you know, we dropped four
straight to the Braves. BoSton's pitch
ers Games, Tyler and Rudolph) simply
pitched us under the table. We never
had a chance.
ST PROMISED my players II they
i would not jump to the Federal
League would do my best to get
them jobs with organized base ball
that would give them something like
what they thought they were worth
They were loyal, but / knew could
not ask or persuade them to stick"
In breaking up his club, Mack sold
Eddie Collins to the Chicago White
Sox for record price Of $4,000. Jack
Lapp and Eddie Murphy, outfielder
went along In the same deal for So 900
Frank Baker retired to his farm In
1915 but was reinstated and sold to the
New York Yankees in 1916 for approx
mately $4,000. Barry and Pennock
were sold to Boston
Bender and Plank were uncondition-
ally released after waivers had been
asked on them. Coombs, who had suf-
fered . back injury, was let 90 later
and subsequently joined Brooklyn In
the National League. ..
Three years later the last traces Of