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

CT. PETERSBURG, Fla, March
- 19.-The kingly Athletics we're
playing the lowly Braves. Mr..
Connie Mack sat in a box back of
the home plate, a lank, gaunt fig
ure, 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
sae fesv IN bs re ny
players as the veteran strategian himself.
She seems to know ali the PLAYERS. all the
plays. and. as the boys say. all the
The braves are. having batting practice.
infieid. Rabbit Maranville' for the first
time OF the year. is az shortstop picking
up sharp .hopgers and tossing Ii the ball ball
pitcher Carleton. movement to first base
to Keep me runner s close clio. 70 the bag; :..r.
hsv s Aaf time es but Sg G a@ not s So
he saws. This is my fortv-ninth spring
trip and vet the picture does not look so
He looks as Young as ever. There Is Mar
awhile, still great shortstop. and there Is
ean ptch but he doesn't seem to have
changed much"
MIR. MACK lapsed into a re-
1V1 Elective silence. 1t was easy
to guess that his thoughts rolled
back to the 1914 world series with
the 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 "reminiscences. II
wasn't surprised that we we're beaten" he
said. I'm fact, was somewhat surprised
that we ever won the American League
know 1t or not but I quit on my team
in August.
THAT was the year of the Federal
League war. Practically every man on
the team had an inviting offer to jump.
Half Of them wanted to jump, the other
half seemed content This created bad
situation, the morale of the club was
II was at a loss what to do about it.
I finally gave up. We used to have daily
long? Well, for quite a long time. one
day the leaders of the two factions came
to me-the Red Sox had begun to press
the daily meetings Naturally did,
1T was evidence enough that all the
players were determined to win the
championship. and of course, they did. 1t
was simple trick for them-they were
the best team in the league. A number
OF reasons have been advanced why I
broke up that club, the most popular of
which was that 1t lacked color and didn't
draw at the gate. I will admit it didn't
draw at the gate and that it lacked
color. But no team could have drawn
in, those turbulent days. 1 don't think
color is important in ball club. A win
nlng team Will always furnish sufficient
amount OF color.
~EHE fact is 1 was very proud
Il of that team and think it
could have 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 my mind story had
written last season that Mr.. Mack planned
TO wreck his present championship team,
winner Of three straight pennants 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
and Cochrane to Oatmeal. Okla.
1t develops that was trifle cockeyed.
Mack tells me, with the same lineup they
shot in against the Cardinals in the world
series; which means Cochrane will be be-
ond. Williams at short Dykes at third
and Miller. Haas and Simmons in the
THAT was lust pipe dream of yours"
commented Mr.. Mack How wrong the
old guy is / smoke cubebs.