The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-12
MARTIN HEADED /.
FOR BIG LEAGUE
PILOTS POST?
New Rochester Manager
Was pepper POf' Of st.
Louis Gas House Gang

New York, Jan. 12.-The Old Per
per Pot, meaning John Leonard
Martin, seems to be getting closer
and closer to big league managers
Job. Geographically, at least, he's
advanced from Sacramento to
Rochester. That's to be his 43 post.
At one time this winter he was
as q Brooklyn possibility.
AS 1t turned out this was o cour-
tesy mention. Brother Branch
Hickey never had him under con-
sheraton; said he lacked experience
in handling men. Which Is prob.
ably true. The Pepper Pot hasn't
been in the master minding business
very long. Only o couple Of years.
Another thing, the good brother
couldn't have named anybody but Leo
Durocher who had won a pennant
with the Buns and had come close
to repeating. II Is possible to ire
that kind Of manager In st. Louis
where the good brother halls from
but not in dear old Flatbush. They
wouldn't understand 1t over there
and even If the good brother at.
tempted to preach them a sermon
on the evils Of gambling and the
social perils Of association with
HOLLYWOOD characters, such as
George Raft, the Flatbushers
wouldn't be interested.
All they'd say is: $50 what? The
Bum wins pennaits for us, don't
her" But we started out to tax
about the Pepper Pot. He was our
favorite ball player and one OF our
favorite persons. We don't know OF
any player who put so much fire and
eagerness into his work. He was
q refreshing relief from the COM
mon type that adopted the game as
q cold business proposition, think
Ing only Of what they can get out OF
IL. He was one Of the few players
Of whom 1t could be realistically
said he loved the game; certainly
that's the way he always played 1t.
They tell many tall tales about
the romantic hardwood Of the old
bali players, especially the OLD
orioles: How they played with bust
ed ribs and broken fingers; how
impossible 1t was to keep them Out
Of a BAH game. The Pepper Pot
would have forced them to accept
him as one Of their own. He wa'
an irdestructible with a commands
technic.
It can scarcely be said the Pepper
Pot was an outstanding artist. Or
the contrary, he had only limitec
ability but he made the most Of 1t
plus the fact he always PLAYED the
game up to the tilt, made him ef-
fective es well as picturesque. He
was with the st. Louis Csrotna!S
for IL years and had an overall
Eating average Of .2e8 so in no
sense was he q luxury.
At different times he played the
outfleld and the 1nf1eld. AS a third
baseman IT used to be said he sur!
rounded the ball and that was just
about how It ives! II he couldn't
field the ball, red knock 1t down;
and II he couldn't knock 1t down,
he'd stop It with his chest bone or
his teel-like thighs. Watching the
Pepper Pot play third base required
a stout heart and a blunt soul. It
was no experience for sensitive per-
sons.
His first year up as a regular was
1891. He came from Rochester
where he had his best year up to
then, hitting 1868. Player-Inanaging
the Cardinals and led them to
championship that year, his second
in a row. That's the year the Pep
per Pot took over the world series.
made 1t q one-man show, hit 300,
stole five bases.
we can still see old Connie Mack
of the Athletics. looking completely
baffled, shaking his head and say.
ing inournfully after the fifth game:
'That boy Martin, I just don't know
what to do about him. have my
fellows pitch to him differently
every day and yet they can't get
him out. I'm really distressed" And
the old man was. too. He'd never
seen anything like the Pepper Pot
before. Nor had anybody else.
Mickey Cochrane was still catch.
ing for the Athletics in those days
and he got brisk going over from
the addicts because he couldn't stop
the Pepper Pot on the base lines.
Pitchers At Fault
True, stopping him in that series
would have imposed a stern respor-
sibility on any catcher. but the fact
Is the fault wasn't Cochrane's. Mack
had two strong armed pitchers.
Grove and Earnshaw, who simply
refused to be annoyed about such
Erifling thing as holding the rum
ner close to the bag. Their pitching
hnesse consisted mainly Of rearing
back and firing the bali past the
hitter. Rival American League
teams hadn't attempted TO capital.
lie on this indifference; or maybe
they didn't set enough runners or
base to make any difference. The
Cardinals. paced by the Pepper rot,
took full advantage Of this care.
iessness. and ran wild. Thoughtlets
criticism made Ccchrane the goat,
whereas the Cardinals, the Pepper
Pot. particularly. were half way 10
second bafore cochrane got the
ball.
The Pepper Pot was. and stu,
u. we're sure. 90 earthly and As uns
pTetentious as the Oklahoma soil
from which he sprang. Breaking
him IN 70 the dull reflnements %
Metropolitan life was not Q simple
Job and We suspect Il Il stlll fag
from Q completed Job. They put 90
q special day for him. Il was an IN.
credible thing; instead Of the Gus.
tomary bags. radios, and such Ike
1nemenfoes, his admirers presented
him with cows and hOga and mulfs.
John Henry Martin. whose heart
still belongs 10 the farm, looked n
this fantastic collection and sighed;
amt they purty7"