The Washington times., 1936-04-18
Phi||Y Fdndon
At0dds With
'0IdConnie'
BY FRANK BUCK" ONEnL

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, April 18.
It would seem that the venerable
Connie Mack is going to get a
draw with the press and public Of
Philadelphia.
When Connie sold his players to
the Boston Red Sox, he replied to
the criticism that made this town
howl by saying that no one could
tell him how to run his ball club.
Persaps the words were different,
but that was the expressed idea.
It's working out just fine, ex.
cept for the fact that the white
elephants of Philadelphia may
prove to be the white elephants
of the American League. Their
plight may develop into league
business ere long. The Athletics
may succeed in equalling their
performance of 1915 when they
lost 116 games and established an
American League record.
Neither press nor public can tell
Connie how to run his ball club.
Neither he nor anyone else can
coax or cajole the public into his
ball park. This is the evidence
offered by the attendance at the
opening game Of the local 1885
season.
What q Crowd
Almost 2,0O0,0 900 Philadelphia
fans stayed away from Shibe
Park yesterday as the White Ele-
plants opened the home season
with the Griffs. A crowd of some
800 fans-give or take a handful
here and there-paSsed through
the turnstileS. OF course, it was
cold-far too cold for good base
ball. Then again, the Athletics
had lost two games in Boston.
The attitude Of the few fans who
watched the game seemed to be:
well, what of it?"
OF course, the Athletics finished
last in 1885 and the public didn't
exactly storm through the gates.
Just the same, the fans refuse to
accept the sale of Eric McNair,
Jimmy Foxx, Roger Cramer and
Johnny Marcum to the Red Sox.
as anything other than a destruc-
tive program. They contend that
no studied effort was made by
Connie Mack to reconstruct the
team.
If the front office of the Ath-
leticS desires to launch another
up from the Sandlots to fame"
movement, the fans seem willing
to judge its success or failure
from remote points, leaving Shibe
Park to silence and to Mack. ..
The rest of the American League
may see little grandeur in a
lonely stadium.
Storm clouds do not hover over
this City of Brotherly Love alone,
Baseball'S grapevine has it that
neither critics nor players Of the
Boston Red Sox view with alarm
the fact that Joe Cronin is lost
to the Fenway Company for at
least two weeks. Cronin'S two
errors in the opening tilt with the
Athletics brought forth howlS
from the stands. 1t was said that
Cron1n's lack Of skill alone caused
his injury when he stumbled over
frankie Higgins.
New Infield Strong
The opinion seems to be gen.
eral, Philadelphia critics say, that
the infield now working-Foxx at
first, Melillo at second, McNair at
short, and Werber at thirds the
strongest that Boston can place in
the field. Gossip mongerS repeat
the tale that cauStic comment flies
about the Boston bench when
things go wrong.
Inc Yankee bench is no place
Tor minister's son right now.
The burn suffered by Joe Di Mag.
glo while taking heat treatment
Tor bruised ankle has cost the
Yankees heavily, and will be more
costly before he returns to the
lineup. Reports have it that n
Will be at least another week be.
lore D1 Maggie would be ready to
pla:.- ball. ""
In the meanwhile they say that
Joe Mccarthy is talking to him.
sell, and only to himself.
The Sox-Red and White-arO
leading the American League this
morning. Silent" John White.
head pitched the White sox ia
victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Whitehead won his first eight
games last year. Lefty Grove
stopped the Yankees with two
hits and a shutout in Gotham
yesterday.
Joe Kuhel's new stance is get
ting results. The first sacker
made three singles yesterday. hit
ting to all three fields. He is
meeting the ball well out in front
Of the plate.
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