The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-01-22


stronger battery work today than
Mathewson and McGinnity pitching
to Bresnahan.
There was plenty of Irish on that
Giant squad-McG innity, Bresnahan,
McGann, Devlin and Mike D0nlin,
to mention only few. 1t was the be-
ginning of new Giant history that
was packed with merry sagas up
until the last three years when Bill
Terry's material dropped to the Sec
ond-division class and fioundered out
of polite baseball society.
The Giants, in their day and time,
have had such pitchers as Mathew
son, McGinnity, Wiltse, Ames, Mar
guard, Tesreau, Nehf, Schupp-and
the great Hubbell. They have had
such ball players as Devlin, Bres-
nahan, Donlin, Beauty Bancroft,
Heinie Groh, Pep Young, Buck Her
zog, Larry Doyle, Bill Terry, George
Kelly, and a long line of others well
UP on the list. 1t is different now.
OTIS Job
No one can expect Mel OFT to
reach into the dugout and bring forth
a miracle. These are tough rebuild
ing days for any owner or man.
ager.
You'll readwhere the Dodgers need
maybe two or three additions
where the Cardinals can stand pat
where the Reds need few changes
where the Pirates need pitchers
but the Giant need takes in the
pitching staff, the infield and the out
field.
Mel OFT is smart, keen baseball
man who knows his trade. But he
will need at least 10 or II new, good
ball players before he will be back
in old Giant territory, around the
top. And good ball players are not
picked up around the first corner.
It is hard enough to get one or two
good new men, much less 10 or IL
or more.
Someone has let the Giant ma
chine go to rust. 1t will take large
bale of money to have it shining
again. MacPhail at Brooklyn has
proved the job could be done. But
he found no substitute for money
on his way up. For that matter,
Tom Yawkey and others have found
that even money isn't always quite
enough, no matter how much you
spend.
The Changing Years
I can take you back to the days
when the Yankees were struggling
on the old hilltop and the Dodgers
were just another club in the Ma
tional league. At this time the
Giants were the Mt. Everest of
baseball. Under McGraw they were
winning 10 pennants. The Yankees
and Dodgers were trying to get out
of the second division the greater
part of the time.
Last fall the Yankees and Dodgers
met in the World Series show with
the Giants SO deep in the second
division that it took deep-sea diver
to locate their bodies.
Just who it was that let the Giants
go to seed-Stoneham or Terry
isn't so important now if the right
move is made to bring them back.
But the point is that the Dodgers
and the Cardinals are already
strongly fixed around the top-the
Reds have the pitching that may
again carry them close-the Pirates
and the Cubs have been building for
another upward surge. 1t is easy
enough to understand the killing job
Mel OFT faces in clearing most of
these hurdles, especially if first
baseman Babe Young goes into the
/ army.
Larry MacPhail, Leo Durocher and
the Dodgers at large will go all out
to hold their championship rating
next spring and summer. The Car
dinals will be out there swinging
from start to finish with better
ball club than they had this past
season. You can gamble that the
Reds, Pirates and Cubs will be
much better.
So the matter of getting the Giants
out of the second division in 1912
will be close to miracle.
Mel OFT is almost certain to do his
share, but that will only be part Of
the job ahead.