The Washington times., 1933-08-18
JOE NJ 'CARTHY
FINDS SELF
ON SPOT
BY DAVIS ]. WALSH


NEW YORK, Aug. 18.-Most Of
us being high principled idealists
who make it a point never to
kick a man until absolutely cer-
tain that he is down, it is no
more than natural that we, the
press boys, have just begun to
mutter very darkly about Mr.. Joe
Mccarthy, the manager. He's the
Mr.. Mccarthy who was roaring
success last year, the peerless,
fearless leader who sat in the
dugout and deftly made the pup
pets do his will. I think we
almost believed it ourselves.
But it seems now that he is
devoid of inspiration. His per-
sonality is flat like a hat check.
His tactics are dubious. He is q
man Of strange prejudices.
Mr.. Mccarthy has been around
for some few years, so it's unneces-
sary to point out for his benefit
that the contract is represented by
the difference between the man
who wins and the man who
doesn't. It being our record
never to issue a ringing denuncia-
tion Of success in any form, we
naturally have had to wait until
it became clear that the Yankees
would not win this time before
making these revelations.
Palms Off Pipgras
One of them has to do with
George Pipgras, the pitcher. The
story is that Mr.. Mccarthy held
Pipgras in so little personal es-
TEEN that he was unhappy until
he was able to palm the man off
on the Boston Red Sox, the latter
being very gullible that way. In
fact, if they aren't careful, they're
liable to let Connie Mack palm
off Lefty Grove.
In the same way, they say, Mr..
Mccarthy has permitted bias to
affect him in connection with Bill
Werber, the former Washington
ID. CO. schoolboy, who is now with
the Red Sox, and Lyn Larry, who
has worn half-soles on his trou-
serS from reclining upon the
bench. However, the last I heard
of Larry he was hitting .006R, so
he's lucky to have bench under
him.
In fact, if it wasn't for the dis
Concerting item OF Pitcher Daniel
MacFayden, the record would be
almost blameless and without Sc
rious blemish. But Daniel must
remain the great common divisor
Of the 1888 pennant race in the
American League, the man who
saved the washington Griffmen
by going to the New York
Yankees. Both wanted him last
year. But the Yankees got him
for $4,000 and Pitchers Paul An
drewS and Henry Johnson. Most
of the time he can't get the side
out.
Break for Griffith
The Griffmen were almost
equally lavish; so much so, in fact,
that in losing the pitcher, they
practically won the pennant. They
offered $4,000, First Baseman
Joe Kuhel and one of their pitch
ers. Any of their pitchers would
have been one too many. Kuhel
has turned out to be a real factor
in Washington's success to date.
AS for the $4,000, even now it
must rise up in the night to con-
front Mr.. Griffith like an accu-
sation and deride his sleep.
Still, if a shrewd bargainer
like Mr.. Griffith can be that
wrong, it isn't altogether reason
able to hold it against Mr.. Nc
Carthy for being just a little
wronger. AS matter of fact,
the incident would have been dis
missed, if the Yankees had kept
on winning. But the Yankees
didn't and aren't, with the result
that Mr.. Mccarthy is in the usual
position Of the manager who
doesn't and isn't.
Briefly, if the ball club wins,
the manager wins with it. If
it doesn't, he loses alone.