Evening star., 1955-07-18
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW ;, FRANCIS ,r4ua ,
Lane and His Track Team

ALMOST FROM THE MOMENT that Frank Lane became
general manager of the White Sox-and highly successful
one too everything considerable had to add Gil
Coan to his roster Lane is speedconscous and his
early efforts had been successful he would have able
field an outfed of Coan Minnie Mnoso and Jim Busby
combination that might have qualified the swftes of
all time.
Today Lane has those three men-Minoso Coan and
Busby-bu it hardly is the unit it might been few
years ago. Coan now 3d. picked u apparently pinch
hitting purposes by the White other day on waivers
from Baltimore MnoSo perhaps the best player
IN the American League 195354 hasn't been up par
since an early beanng by Bob Grim the Yankees
Busby who went at bat for Washington early year.
has picked up since reaquson by whether he's
the 312 hitter of SO remains to be seen.
They've all lost half step between bases, but
Lane finally has got the hreesome Now Mnoso isn't badly
pate-shy and Coan play back to just portion of
his potential and if the Chicago pitching hold up
will be interesting to how many fellows can
steal and beat the other clubs out of close ball games
THERE ISN'T REAL power hitter in the group but
Coan Busby are about 1O-second men
at 100 yards 1t is true that Mickey Mantle the Yankees
can run at least weland additionally lot Of base
stealing heroics with his tapemeasure hoerbut there
not many Nantes.
The transfer of Coan to the White sox revives some
memories There day. for instance when Bucky Harris
managing the Senator'S wanted to trade COan Chicago
for Busby
"I want coan" admitted Lane at this particular winter
meeting but not at the expense of Busby his
son up195-BuSby had batted 283 and stolen 20 bases)
But in May, 1852, Lane fooled everybody by trading
Busby and ineder named Mel Hoderlen Washington
for Sam Mele 1--WE needed power explains 'but
1t was one of the worst deals ever made"
AS YOU MUST KNOW, Lane regained Busby not so long
in trade that outraged lot of Washington FANS who
found consolation in defeats by the ashy Texans
catches in cenered Now he's got Coan apparently the
downhill. AS for Mnoso
II stole him the Indians back in ST." Lane says
"and those people in the front office at Cleveland still won't
speak to me-"
Coans acquisition hardly guarantees anything for the
White sox If he had be written OF right now you'd have
to say Gil was all potential little production He did put
two pretty good back to back in Washngton-twin
.S03s in 194950-but he hasn't been much and ev-
IDENTIFY the Orioles considered him loss
Lane is famed Rehabilitation retread artist Present
plans don't call for it, but Coan might yet wind up as
White Sox regular 1t doesn't figure but Lane has
to do more with less
GIL COAN, ABOUT perfect looking as any ball player
with his feet and l80 pounds those wartime
sensations He out of Monroe c. and somehow the
Senators atched onto him and in 1914 he played both
Kngport of the Appalachian League and Chattanooga
the Southern Association batting 1857 for the first club
1886 for the other.
War scarcity or no. Washington kept him in Chatta-
in As and he led the Southern Association diff
ferent offensive departments winding with 372 average
Some big league cubs-the Giants and Cubs notably
mentionedwere said to offered as much as 900
in cash for the young who partly because Of mill acci
dent which took of part of finger considered
top-hight fielder
Gil never quite it after the Senators brought him
up He 200 in 46 and then 232 and 28 Between times
he was sent Chattanooga there he burned UP
the circuit Clark Griffith died hard the handsome young
fellow and finally traded him to Baltimore in February
1854, for Roy Sievers
Whether not he knows It, Coan practically Sena-
tor in miday when threeway deal involving washington
Baltimore and Chicago all but made then Sievers
for whom traded and who to have involved
hit for the Senators and Griffith Cancelled the
whole deal.
For Coan it might have been the break Of lifetime
Now he's on contending club-Chicago-and If he's got
anything left Gil might work his way into World Series