Evening star., 1956-08-28
WIN, LOSE OR
ANAV By FRANCIS STANN
Cellar to Penthouse

TIME is BEGINNING to out for the Brooklyn
Dodgers and it looks if Grard
Haney will become the rares of the managerial species
pilot of last-pace team and skipper pen
nant winner the next.
His Pittsburgh Pirates won 60 games last year and
finished 1872 games back of the Dodgers So far his
Milwaukee Braves already have rs you'd have
say that Haney has em running nicely Which only sub
stanates theory long held by managers to w.t. 1t amt
the manager it's the personnel that counts.
Joe Kuhe, who given the key to Washington City
in the spring of 949 because the Senators had good
Western trip and was given the boot in September for
finishing in the cellar bitterly phrased it this way
You can't make chicken salad out of chicken feathers"
THIS MAY BE AN APPROPRIATE time to reappraise
Haney who fired last by Pittsburgh and who
caught coach under Charlie Grimm He is So years
old and in his playing days he a scrappy inheder
who didn't hit much He of Irish-Duch ancestry and the
only big league manager of acquaintance born in Albu
querque N. Mex.
He spent half dozen of his many playing years in
the majors Fans in Los Angeles Omaha, Hollywood and
Toledo knew him better He manager at Toledo as
long 1885 hnshing eighth but the next year he
darn near won the American Association pennant.
Fred never pennant until 1949 when he turned
the trick with Hollywood in the Pacific Coast League.
There was an oddity Haney after finishing fourth with
Toledo In 1872 had migrated back to his beloved West
and turned baseball broadcaster He spent six years
the mcrophone before somebody got the bright idea that
as sportscaser he good manager they turned
the Hollywood club to Fred and he the pennant
When he repeated in 1882 Pittsburgh grabbed him. where
upon he ran last three years running.
BY NOW THE STORY of how he fell into the Job as
boss of the Braves should be familiar Grimm buddy
and betriender was given the earlier this be-
cause the Miwaukees weren't doing WELL The job was
offered to Haney
He's not interim manager" one high official of
the Braves quoted in strange statement IF Haney
does very well he'll be our 1857 manager"
Haney and the Braves looking increasingly better
as the National League heads for the month
The Dodgers conversely looking older and tired
although many of the still like their chances
the blunt facts that the eight stars who have held
Brooklyn together for long-Reese Robinson Hodges
Furllo Campanela Erskne, Snider and Newcombe-have
drained themselves OF an enormous amount of energy
Robinson, Snider, Furillo and Reese have anywhere
from 1855 to 1858 behind them Campy about
1000 1t is class ball club but that had to leave
something behind
HANEY's BRAVES JUST MIGHT do it as s-to-1 shots
and they make the grade it can't hurt baseball
to go all the way back to 946 find the last time Western
club won the National League penhant Even then it was
close squeak The ST. Louis Cardinals had
lyn in payof
over the last decade the West hasn't done much in
the American League either The years the Yankees missed
outl946, l94S and 1954-Boston Cleveland
twice which isn't much consolation to outlanderS
If Haney wins it couldn't happen nicer guy AS a
player he was in the image perhaps, of Bill McKechne
and Miller Huggins-a little guy with determination
than ability. STILL Fred batted 278 608 games in the
American League although he quite the mustard
as a regular.
ONE YEAR-1923. IT wAS-Fred actually won the second
oasng JOB with the Detroit Tigers He hit 282 which today
would be considered commendabe rabbit ball notwith-
standing
Nobody paid lick of attention to a second baseman
who hit 2S2 and drove home 81 that club Haney
now says, wryy grnnng why should they? manager
Iy Cobb fell way of in his hitting He 401 in 90 but
only $40 in 49,
Then there was Harry Helmann leading the American
League with 4O3 Bobby Veach hit 32 Heine Manush,
rookie, bated 1874 We had couple of 3l5 regulars
Who paying attention to little oil Haney? And
on top Of it all there kid come up who would
Gehringer'