The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-03-19
TALKING
ITOVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

CT. PETERSBURG, Fla. March
- le-The kingly Athletics we're
playing the lowly Braves. Mr.
Connie Mack sat in a box back OF
the home plate, lank, gaunt fig
IRE. and hatless There was no
score card in his hand.
The big league games count in
the standings.
The spring games don't. That is
the obvious answer.
sitting with him was Mrs Mack. an
elderly be-spectacled woman. apparently
- keenlY interested In the activities OF the
PLAYERS as the veteran strategian himself
She seems to know all the PLAYERS all the
piays. ana. as the bows say. all the
The Braves arc having batting practice
Hank Gowdy is hitting them out to the
inhcld Rabbit Maranville for the FIRST
uD sharp houpers and tossing the ball
around. Dick Rudolph is showing Young
pitcher. Carleton. movement to hrst base
10 keep the runner close to the bag.
Mr.. Mack looks out upon the scene;
They say time nies but am not 50 sure.
rip and vet the picture does not not" look SO
aWfullv strange TO me. There is Gowdv.
hv Heks s S0 gres as egt snd beTe
Rudolph. ] don't know whether he still
can Ditch but he doesn't seem 70 nave
changed much
MIR. MACK lapsed into a re-
1Fl Elective silence. 1t was easy
10 guess that his thoughts rolled
back to the 1914 world series with
he Braves, when Gowdy, Maran-
vile and Rudolph created the most
spectacular upset in the history of
baseball That was, as everybody
knows, when the Braves beat the
Athletics four straight games to win
the championship.
Mr. Mack began To Renaissance. II
wasn't surprised that We we're beaten" he
said In fact, ] was somewhat surprised
championship I don't know whether you
know it or not but l quit on my team
IN August
League war. Practically every man on
the team had an inviting offer to jump.
Half Of them wanted to jump, the other
situation, the morale Of the club was
completely broken.
II was at a loss what to do about it.
9fy gave Gssd u them q How
long2 Well, for quite long time. one
day the leaders Of the two factions came
TO me---the Red sox had begun to press
rs pretty close-and asked me to resume
the daily meetings. Naturally I did
1t was evidence enough that all the
players we're determined to win the
championship and OF course, they did. It
was simple trick for them-they we're
the best team in the league. number
Of reasons have been advanced why !
which was that it lacked color and didn't
draw at the gate. 7 will admit it didn't
draw at the gate and that 1t lacked
color. But no team could have drawn
IN those turbulent days. ! don't think
color is important in a ball club win
ming team will always furnish sufficient
amount Of color.
"rTHE fact is l was very proud
L of that team and I think it
could nave gone on to remarkable
achievements. I broke it up solely
because the boys had shown me the
year before that they could not get
along together. In short, that team
was broken up by the team itself"
This recalled to nv mind story 1 had
written last season that Mr.. Mack planned
to wreck his present championship team,
winner of three straight remnants IN much
the same manner. as he had wrecked the
1914 team
In my story had Grove going one place
Earnshaw another Simmons to Saginaw
1t develops that. was q trifle ,cockeyed
The Athletics will take the field so Mr.
shot in Se asanst the cardnas in the world
series. which means Cochrane VIII be be-
hind the bat. Foxx at first; Bishop at Sec
ond. Williams at short. DYKES at third
and Miller. Haas and Simmons in the
outheld.
commented Mr Mack. How wrong the
old guy is. / smoke cubcbS.