Evening star., 1948-07-17
Hickey Felt Duroeher
Had Lost Confidence
As Brooklyn Pilot
BY The Assoeiotsd Press

NEW YORK, July 17.-Still fab
bergasted by the greatest mana
gerial shakeup in major league his
tory. baseball followers today were
speculating. where do the Giants
and Dodgers 60 from here in the
flag chaser"
viii -swashbuckling Leo Durocher
who supplanted mild Mel OFT as
manager of the New York Giants
make the heavy hitting but weak
pitching Polo Grounders a more
formidable pennant threat? Can
the games most explosive fire.
brand since John. McGraw instill
some Of his fighting spirit into the
heretofore colorless, dead-panned
Giants?
On the other hand, will the g.
year-old Burt Shotton. who re-
placed Durocher at the Brooklyn
Dodger helm, repeat his miracle
of 1947?" can the snow-thatched
tactician steer the fourth-place
Brooks to the top. thus duplicating
his brilliant achievement Of last
year?
Those and other questions won t
be answered for several months, but
the general feeling Is that both
clubs will be helped tremendously by
the two-ply change.
Little comment has been offered
over the supplanting Of Ben Chap
man by Allen Dusty Cooke as
manager OF the Philadelphia Phils.
The Chapman-Cooke announcement
yesterday practically was blacked
out by the startling news of the
across -the-river deal between those
bitter interborough New York rivals.
Cooke, hired as trainer last spring,
will be temporary manager" only.
He is expected to yield the reins
when a permanent one Is named by
President Bob Carpenter.
Frisch- Hornsby Trade Recalled.
The switch from OFT to Durocher
is easily the most fantastic shuttle
in Giant history. Only one other
Giant transaction came close to
rivaling it. That came about in the
winter of 1926 when the Giants
stunned the baseball world with the
announcement that they had traded
their great second baseman, Frankie
Friscf, to the st. Louis Cardinals
for the famous Rogers Hornsby.
Hornsby had just gained great pres
tige oy leading the Cards to their
first pennant and world champion
ship. Hornsby later became tempo
rarv manager of the Giants when
McGraw took sick. =.
The nearest thing to a precedent
occurred when Wilbert Robinson
jumped from coach of the Giants to
Manager of the Dodgers in 1914.
Robbv's shift to the Dodgers. Incl
dentally, intensified the feud be-
tween the interborough rivals, which
has been nourished by incendiary
sparks until this day. This latest
switch undoubtedly will raise the
rivalry to fever point.
1t is agreed generally that TINS Is
the toughest job in Durochers
career. Not only must Leo produce
in New York, but his managerial
ability will be judged on what occurs
in Brooklyn the balance OF the sea-
son. Should Shotton work his
miracles on the Dodgers again and
lead them to the flag, Leos stock
will drop considerably.
Durocher Doubly on Spot.
Leo also will have the added
burden of swinging the Giants over
to his way of playing. His handling
of men may inspire the Giants or
| it may create resentment. 1t won't
take long for him to famiharize
himself with his new hirelings, but
it may take the Giants some time
to become accustomed to Durocher
Paradoxically, 1t is likely that Brook
Iyn fans will be pleased about Shot
tons return. Burt was an unknown
man when he joined the Dodgers a
wear ago last April, but his retiring
ways and his pennant crusade mace
Dodger patrons turn to him like a
great protector. Shotton's popular
ity also was marked among the
nlayers. Jackie Robinson, upon
hearing that Burt was coming back
said:
IT love playing for Shotton.
can't wait to see him. It's going
to be a lot different. When Shotton
wants to bawl out a player he takes
him aside and does it in private
If Leo has anything in mind, you
hear about it in front Of everybody.
Shottons task. it is believed, is
not nearly as difficult as Durochers,
AS Brooklyn President Branch
Hickey pointed out, changing man
ayers in mid season will not mean
a thing because Shotton knows this
club as we'll as Durocher. With
couple of exceptions, 1t is the
same team which won the flag Tor
Barney last year"
Also the Dodgers have been riding
high in recent weeks. In last place
on July 8, the Brooks have climbed
into fourth place in two weeks with
500 rating for the first time TINS
season. They've won 10 and lost 2
over that span. On the other hand,
the Giants have been descending
steadily. In third place three weeks
ago, they are now in the second
division, having lost II Of their last
II games.
Says Giants Need Popping.
On arriving in Pittsburgh to as
sumo the managerial reins OF the
club he took a keen delight in taking
over the hurdles for years, Durocher
told newsmen:
This club needs life. And maybe
with a few changes and with the
pitching Strengthened out, 1t VIII
be able to 60 places. Certainly 1t
has the power and will be able to
score runs"
In Durocher the Giants have q
.McGraw" type manager. He is q
driver, q "holler guy who gets the
most out of his players. He proved
that by taking combination OF
fading veterans and untried young
sters and almost leading them to a
championship in 1916. In eight
years as boss Of the Dodgers, Leo
finished lower than third only once.
Leo, in . press conference IN
r&& y1r~sov.f eafd there