The Wilmington morning star., 1940-11-13
BRADLEY PROMISES
NO INTERFERING
One-Time Great Shortston
Gets Two-Year Contrao.
For $4,000 Annually
BY LARRY H.AUCK

oLHNELAND' Nov. u, p
Flatly assured there will be -,
front office interference" once:t;rs,
Roger Peckinpaugh today sian,
back into the managership OF 80
turbulent Cleveland Indians.
President Alva Bradley empbas;z.s
his "free-hand' statement by g;vjr,
Peckinpaugh a two-year contra.
which is believed to call for 81 "a
annually plus a bonus clause hasai
on attendance. Oscar Witt, ous,ei
1910 manager, was paid $4,000 a.
the attendance bonus unde, his Ia.
one-year pact and probably made =.
least $4,000.
We have heard so much AIM.
the front office running the Cl4ya,
land baseball team that l wan ~,
make this clear Bradley SAD
"'Rog' is on his own as far as m.
Grating the ball club. The only time
the front office will step into the cio.
ture is when he needs assistance and
asks for it."
Il know I am going to have FIJI
cooperation of the club. Mr.. Bradley
has always been in my corner Ary.
thing that happens on the hall f!eId
will be my fault
1t was Bradley who fired Peck n
m%id-1933 in favor Of Walter John.
son. At that time the club pres.
dent said Il still feel that YOU have
the ability to be a successful man.
ager, but if we don't win under Won
We'll have to try someone else. Al
the owner can do is appoint the
manager. The public fires him
Today Bradley, addressing Peck be.
fore a newspapermen's luncheon. de-.
clared:
You didn't have much material
then. With what you had I always
felt that you did an excellent job
In five and a half seasons as
Cleveland manager, Peck's teams
won 416 and lost 400 and never fin.
ished above third place. Since then
he managed Kansas City and New
Orleans n year apiece.
Pitcher Mel Harder, one Of the
four present Indians who PLAYED ILL.,
der Peck in his first stretch, termed
him "a master of psychology and
opined he wouldn't have any trouble
with the Redskins. Last June half
the players marched into Bradleys
office and demanded that Witt e
fired.
"As far as I am concerned" Peek
said, last season never happened.
It's none of my business. I don't
care who was involved or who, il
anyone. was at fault. Wen start
fresh in 1871"
Peckinpaugh takes owe the JOB
under unusual pressure, even for a
Cleveland manager. In addition to
the discipline problem, the winning
and losing bugaboo that cost him MS
job before is here stronger than ever
Critics are bound to compare
Peck's record with that Of Wit, Tho
despite the unprecedented player re-
hellion brought his team home only
one game out of first place.
Witt said at Oakland. Calf" that
he wished Peckinpaugh AL the sue
cess in the world" and expressed BE-
lief he would make a good manager
"He is a resident of Cleveland ara
knows the ms and outs Witt added
I'm my book he is a right fellow
Aside from the clubs persistent
quest for more outfield power, Peek,
inpaugh said he had not studlea
trading possibilities. amy manager
who can start with Bob Feller has
quite a pitching staff he unused.
Peck, now 40, was one of the best
shortstops of his time. He started Ms
playing career with the old Cleve.aho
Maps in 1910 and ended it in l'-'
with the Chicago White sox' Al
though never a great hitter he was
named the American leagues mos
valuable player while with NashlhS'
ton in 1925. He was employed ny
the American legaue last season !"
a promotional capacity.
Man can travel as fast $ oVo