Evening star., 1949-10-14
Simmons and BruckeI
Fired, but As Fans
Still Wonder Why
BY the Assoeiotsd Press

Still Wonder Why
BY the Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 14.-The
surprise firing Of Coaches AL Sim
mons and Earle Brucker by the
Philadelphia Athletics has started
basebalps hot stove league boiling
here much earlier than usual.
What does it mean?" asked the
AS fans as they pondered yester-
days dismissal by the clubs Board
Of Directors Of two men often
highly praised by Connie Mack.
Were Simmons and Brucker let
out to enhance the position OF
Earle Mack as manager when his
86-year-old father decides to step
down?
Does it mean that Jimmy Dykes,
Athletics coach last season and
onetime Chicago White Sox pilot,
will step into the grand old mans
shoes?
Or does it mean there was fric-
tion on the ball club as one men,
ber Of the board indicated?
Mack Favors Son.
On several occasions Connie
has said that when (and ~ he
decides to retire as manager that
Earle Mack will take over. In the
last few years, Earle has shared
a good deal Of the field RESPONSE
bility with his father and ran the
club during the closing days Of
the past season when Connie was
i'll.
Dykes, who like Simmons was
a member of the Great Athletic
teams Of the late 1920s and early
sos, returned to Philadelphia this
year after managing Hollywood in
the Pacific Coast League in 1948.
He is well liked by the players and
popular with the fans.
Mack said the firing Of two Of
his right hand men was done by
the board and not by him.
"They (Simmons and Brucker)
both are wonderful fellows and
thought they did fine job for us.
But the Board Of Directors decided
we could do without them and they
have the final say In running the
ball club"
Three Sons on Board.
The directors are Mack's three
sons, Earle. Roy and Connie, jr.;
Robert Schroeder and BENJAMIN
MacFarland.
1T was done for the best in
terests Of the club. We decided a
change in our coaching set-up
would prove beneficial to the
team. So we made the changes"
Connie. jr.. said.
"You know there was some
friction on our club this year."
said another member of the board
who preferred that his identity
by withheld. by this move we
figured we could eliminate it,
Nobody was more surprised
than Simmons and Brucker over
their dismissal. Simmons, a great
right-handed hittar in his playing
days, re-joined the AS in 1943
as a coach and in late years di-
rected traffic at third base.
Brucker. former catcher with the
AS, has been battery coach for
nine years.
AS Own Brucker's Son.
In 1948 Connie signed the old
catcher's son-Earle Jr.-for q
$4,000 bonus. The younger
Brucker caught during the past
season for the Macks' Martinsville
(Va) farm club.
Simmons. at Hot Springs, Ark,
declared the Athletics need some
new players and a new assistant
manager" to get any higher in
the American League. They
finished disappointing fifth after
taking fourth in 1948.
THE coaches aren't to blame
for some terrible mistakes that
were made this year." Simmons
added.
If I had any idea such
change was going to be made I
would deliberately have stayed
for the World Series so that I
could have made some connec-
tions for another job"
Brucker Is Surprised.
Brucker, rated by Mack as the
man who made the 1948 pitching
staff, also said the dismissal came
as a big surprise"
He told reporters at San Diego,
Calf. that 1--WE enjoyed working
with Connie Mack very much and
I certainly wish him the best of
luck"
Soon after it became known
Brucker was without job Earl
Sheely. business manager Of the
Seattle Rainiers, said he would
sound out the former catcher on
whether he would be interested
in managing the Pacific Coast
club,