The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-11-13
SELECTION Of
PECKINPAUGA
AID TO INDIANS
Slapnicka Slips as ''FrOnt
Office" Interference
for l04l
BY JOE WILLIAMS

New York, Nov. 13.-1t would be
easy enough to bring the barbed Jest
and whitening wisecrack to the ap-
pointment Of Roger Peckinpaugh as
manager Of the Cleveland Indians;
or rather the disappointment of Mr.,
Peckinpaugh who would appear to
be glutton for punishment.
But hasn't there been enough
testing and wisecracking about the
Cleveland situation? We think so?
Admittedly to outsiders 1t had all
the elements Of broad farce but to
the homelanders the ultimate loss
of pennant which had seemed
won was grim tragedy. That's how
seriously they take their baseball
out there.
Personally we think the selection
OF Peckinpaugh was wise. He's a
sound baseball man, has character
and is no panty waist. He isn't
going to try to run over anybody
and you can be doubly sure mo-
body's going to try to run over him.
Not with any quick success at least.
He's all man.
Peckinpaugh will be as competent
manager as the front office will
permit. This seems to have been
the source of most of the man
agerial distress out there. On the
one hand you hear Alva Bradley,
the club president, Is "too much of a
fam; on the other hand, that Cyril
Slapnicka, the No. 2 executive, in
sistS on managing the managers
Whatever the trouble, Cleveland
has been building UP a Macabre
reputation as the graveyard of
managers. This may be the turn
Ing point. 1t took certain amount
Of courage to re-establish Peckin-
paugh as dugout boss after he had
once been dismissed as a failure.
This is an admission by Mr.. Brad
ley and the club directors that they
we're wrong. If they we're stuffed
shirts they wouldn't have endured
this loss Of face. Certainly they
didn't have to.
May Be True
SO this is at least one practical,
not to say courageous, action the
Cleveland brass hats have made
and the common indictment against
them in rival baseball sectors is
that they lack practicability. This
is always the criticism against bust
ness men who take over big league
clubs. You hear 1t every day, for
example, about P. K. Wrigley and
the Chicago Cubs--and in this par
ticular case there seems reason to
believe 1t is true.
The managerial problem should
never be too disturbing. A sound
baseball man who can command
the respect of his players and main
tain team spirit is about all you
ever have to look for. 1t takes no
excess of genius to call the plays
on the field. There aren't many
secrets in baseball that an adj
vanced sand lotter hasn't heard
about.
Just to what extent, If any, Cleve-
land managers have been dictated
to by the front office we wouldn't
know II such q situation base
existed we think the naming of
Peckinpaugh indicates a change
From all you hear Slapnicka is a
sort of Rasputin character in the
Cleveland background, gent who
signs dreamily to the nuances OF
such words as power, self esteem
and intrigue.
You hear that 1t was slappy slap
who inspired the incredible played
rebellion against the recently de-
posed Oscar Witt last season. 1t
seems that Witt had wounded the
gentleman's feeling by publicly re-
nouncing some of the Slapnicka
policies the week he was named
manager One of these was to pitch
Bob Teller in turn and not hold
him for Sunday games as had been
the custom, more or less.
Witt and Slapnicka maintained a
mongoose and cobra relationship
from that time on. Slapnicka
had the sack ready for Witt as early
as last spring. This was revealed
when Fred Haney tried to get Luke
Sewell from the Indians. At that
time Sewell wasn't even on the &C
tive player list. The Browns want
ed him as a part-time catcher and
offered $500.
Who's Boss?
"When the matter was put up to
Mr.. Bradley" says Haney, 'he
turned it down, explaining, SLAP
nicka isn't sure how long he can
go along with Witt and he wants
Sewell around, just in CASE" The
"just in case" never developed be-
cause the Indians were in the fight
from the start.
Sewell was an articulate candi-
date for the job and since he didn't
get it it may be assumed that Slap
nicka had nothing to do with the
appointment of Peckinpaugh. This
is why we say disappointment may
be significant with respect to flu
ture front office office policies.
Another Slapnicka choice for the
lob was Rogers Hornsby who talked
over the prospects with us at the
World Series. Hornsby seemed to
think all that stood between him
and the job was Judge Lands OBJ
iections to him as a horse player,
Anyway, Slapnicka said he'd
put my name up and not to do any
thing until I heard from him." AT
the time Hornsby had an offer To
manage q double-A club.
Well, Sewell and Hornsby were
known Slapnicka candidates and
neither was elected. just where
Slapnicka stood on Peckinpaugh
hasn't been disclosed. Nor Is II
known whether he was even corr
suited. In any event. we like Il
feel this Is the beginning OF New
Deal on the lake front and thai
Of front ofiice interference ever
existed, II will cease. To repeat
old eagle beak Peckinpaugh wtl
be as good q manager as They'll
iet him and that will be plenka