New Britain herald., 1930-09-15
He Starts Out As "Slats''

1.-He Starts Out As "Slats'
 MT. and Mrs. Michael McGillicud- dy christened him Cornelius. That wa5 in the little shoe town of East Brookfleld, Mass, on December 23, 1862.
 The boys in the factory and on the sandlot diamond nearby, where the lunch hour consisted of 10 min ute5 for lunch and 50 minutes for baseball, called him .Slats." That was around 1880.
 For a half century and over he has been identified with Americas na- tional game as Connie Mack, smart as player. famous as a manager, strategist and maker of worlds championship teams, beloved on and off the field as a leader and coun- Selor.
 The career of this lean and up- right, soft-spoken and Irish blue eyed man parallels the history of baseball, throbs with its ups and downs, sparkles with it's triumpils In his keen glance, firm handclasp and spontaneous enthusiasm in 1oSO there is the flash of spirit that you know was manifest by "Slats" Mo Gillicuddy in 1880.
 Baseball always has been a great game to me" he remarks. T played it because it was the thing l liked to do best as a boy. It seemed too good to be true when 1 discovered they were willing to pay me for it and offer me steady work. I was very fortunate"
 And so baseball became the life work of the slim young Irishman. 10 whom as he hears three score and ten years it was still "a great game" and the thing he liked to do best" "
 When Connie Mack broke into the big leagues in 1886, with the Washington club of the National league, Adrian C. (Pop) .Anson vas in his prime, the slugGer of slugscrs al-~ the Babe Ruth of his day.
 Seven balls entitled a batsman to first base then and it was legal for the bat to be fat on one side.
 The Baltimore Orioles, greatest of old-tlme teams, ruled the roost when Mack had his first engagement as a major league manager with Pitts bur1', in season of 1894.
 Hans Wagner was then only a boy playing on the sandlots. Hugh Duffy of the Bostons was batting :ing with the record major que percentage of .43S.
 Jol-.l McGraw, later Mack's great world series rivcl, was just taking over the helm of the Giants when Connie won his first American league championship in 1902 with the Phil adelphla Athletic, the club with which the tall tutor" became permanently identified in the forma- ion o. the second major circuit.
 Mack led another championshir club into the first official world series in 1905, the year that Ty Cobl broke into the big leagues with De- troit,
 Twenty-three years later Cobt played hls last maJor league season under the leadership of Mack. who has stamped the Georgian with his l unqualified choice as the greatest nll-around player the game has evel known.
 Babe Ruth bounded into the biz show as a southpaw pitcher Tn 1914 when Mack was leading his fiftf championship machine. That wa. the team that brought him his great. est lc as we'll as his worst wovlt | series defeat; the combination witt the S100.000 infelI that he startled the baseball world by wrecking ir 1915.
 The old master has known the depths as well as the sunlit heights Has has heard the raucous cry fol his scalp from the bleachers, al well as the frenzied cheers.
 He has seen his club finish las over a stretch of seven straigh years of postwar depression anc struggle. He has known the glory