Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-06-17
THE BASEBALL
BEAT
Gombler With Imagination
sY SUTTON HAWKINS

DETROIT, JUNE I7-Baseball is a game for gamblers,
and Frank Lane didn't to kbitz Tmdity is for the
unimagnatve alsorans snug the security Of tolerated
close-to-the-vest policies which may return small profit
but which fail to generate excitement Lane TO roll
the dice
The Indians general manager plays the trading game
II there's tomorrow. While others may tell Jokes or
pun placdly their cigarette holders frantic Frank be-
HAYES like there's Is minutes remaining before everybody
heads home and he bellows, impatenty Deal the cards
He doesn't sit back complacently and wait for others to
make moves. He has ideas. He offers deals that make
sense and he makes deals by the dozens Sometimes he's
right sometimes he's wrong but there be no accusa-
ton OF fanheartedness The man has the heart OF an
ADVENTURE.
Lane play the two-bit game pluckng players from
the waiver lists examining them briefly and tossing them
into the discard Or he play for table stakes rskng
the rent money in the process He has tossed the likes oil
Red Schoendenst and Early Wynn for ante proof that
he doesn't retreat when others might quake at the size OF
the wager
YOU'D HAVE TO SAY the man knows what he's doing.
He took White when they mired and trans
formed them into strong first-dvision club Then ne
shifted to the seventh Cards lifted them TO fourt
then to second Now he's wheeling and dealing with the
Indians sixth last year but not this season If Lane can
prevent it.
In an effort to foresa such drabness this season.
Frank has made these remembered moves Traded Early
Wynn and AL Smith to the White Sox for Minnie Mmoso
and Fred Hatfield traded Jim Hogan and Hank Agurre to
Detroit Hal Woodeshick and j. w. Porter traded Pee
Mesa to the Senators for Mt Boiling dispatched Mt Boil
ling and Vito Vaentnet to Detroit for Pete Woley ana
$40 oOo acquired Steve Ridzk from the Giants Clarence
Churn from the Red SoX Bob Kelly from the Reos Mickey
Vernon from the Red Sox; dealt Bud Daley, DICK VIII
ams and Gene Woodng the Orioles for Larry Dooy ana
Don Ferrarese; snapped Chico Carrasquel to Kansas
City for Billy Hunter got Jim Constable on waivers from
the Giants and sent Roger Mars Preston Ward ana DICK
Tomanek to City for Woody Held and Vic Power
PERHAPS A TRANSACTION or two may nave oeeh
tho he
clogged in the Cleveland with players headeo LOT
trains and planes works the assumption tnat an
inferior club can't progress while standing pat
So Frank furously has shifted the furniture IWeiVe
little indians remain of the swarm who there when
he arrived He doesn't cling to veterans In raise sense Oh
senmentaty There sacred cows He moves Oooiy'
swiftly and perpetuay He doesn't require weeks 10 maze
up his mind He's informed intelligent and aware tha'
fans can't be stimulated by complaints that lhey &c oel
ing us Junk" =
Lane makes pretense Of labelling all his deals sue
cesse but there have been enough fruitful transactions
to keep him happy He got Billy Pierce for Aaron Robin
son and he landed Nellie Fox for Joe Upton The unframed
catchers have vanished but Pierce and Fox remain in
Chicago tributes to Lanes trading tactics.
FRANK ALWAYS is EAGER to trade and has said,
That's only way to operate If you don't move pail
players around according to needs hrst thing you
know you've got rundown franchise on your hands ltS
game l try put myself on both sides Of the desK al
the same time Whenever have trade idea that looks
logical from both Sides know have fighting chance
His ultimate object? Il want men who understand
that when they step onto the field they won't spend the
next few hours among friends" Lane has said AT the
fringeS there may be for sweet KIDS and kindly oo
gentlemen but center has got to be as hard ana as
tough as a diamond. The core creates winner.
He has ideas about all phases of baseball violent
idea about the leagues umpes expressed publicly TO the
leagues president at ComiSkey Park several years ago.
cost Lane $500 The is shrinking violet He makes
mistakes but the outweigh the errors He's base
balls most exciting executive.