Evening star., 1960-10-19
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW }, FRANCE. .14,,u
The Old Mans Farewell


= THE OLD MAN knew or sensed that he was dead in
Pittsburgh when the Bucs and Yankees were hung up
and going into the final game of the World Series. It
really didn't matter that luck the side of the
Pirates and that his pitchers betrayed him. Casey Senge
knew he was dead
He knew that Dan Topping was after his scalp and
that Del Webb of the Yankees putting in
with Topping. He knew that it wouldn't have made any
difference If the Yankees had the World Series. All
victory would have meant was implausible dsnis-
sal by Topping and Webb.
Il Oh there are two sides to the Yankee story Man.
agements is that Casey is 10 years old not many
hire or rehre Of that age Management permitted
=. or at least did not deny . . rumors that stengel
fell asleep the bench and that his players doubt
ing the wisdom Of his strategical moves
You talk to the Yankee players and you find none
who accuse Stengel of sleeping the Job or making
foolish moves lot of them don't understand the Old
Mans strategy but they don't question him, publicly at
least, because this is who 10 pennants and
seven world championships in IL years.
i.
IF STENCIL HAD favorte it had to be Yogi Berra
whom Ole Case would call my assistant manager" Yogi
didn't look like an assistant manger but neither did
Stenge always look like manager They two homely
awkward men-one old, one young-and they made dug
out visitors laugh with their quaint sayings
II Yet over the years they were great combination
Casey would kid Berra and put him in the lineup catch
OF play leteld, rghtfed and third base. Minutes
after the Pirates the weird dramatic 1919 decision
cch the SERIES reporter said to Yogi in the clubhouse:
A well you did all one guy could do to pull it out for
the Old Man" Yogi was tremendous figure in the SERIES
especially in the final game.
YEAH but it wasn't enough" Yogi replied signin-
canty he spoke in the past tense if Stengel already
had been handed his papers.
Balplayers the youngsters sense changes almost
as the higher echelon decides them. It now
is being said that Ralph Houk Stenges coaches
will be announced tomorrow as the new manager
At Pittsburgh of the young Yankees already
tagging after Houk and sitting at his knee content in the
knowledge that he would be No. l..
AT THE NEW YORK press conference that made 1t
OFFICIAL Topping was mealy mouthed He spoke Of Caseys
retiring" Stengel who had no more intention of retiring
than Kennedy Nixon set the record straight "I was
fred" he said blunty, bitterly.
In many respects, Stengel never was better man
ager than he this year. The Yankees far from
good Yankee team They porous on defense spotty
at bat and there were times when the pitching de-
plorable. 50
Bob Turley turned out to be nothing pitcher Whitley
Ford struggled to be 500 guy Art Ditmar, colossal
series flop the top winner with is games Yet
how, Stenge glued together the fosam and etsam He
was more masterful general than he was when
the Yankees swept crucial four-game series the
Orioles in mid-September and left the Baltimore chal
lengers for dead.
4 Casey has been ham and clown, but studiedy so
He only pretends he doesn't know THAT fellow
in right field for them etc. However when he walks to
the box to speak to pitcher and advises keeping the ball
low throwing breaking stuff he knows whereof he
speaks
HE WAS DIsCREDITED manager at Brooklyn and
Boston, but he didn't have the horses in those days When
Webb brought him back from the minors In 194s
came implausiby it seemed at the time manager
of the Yankees and following in the tradition of Joe
Mccarthy and Miller Higgins.
1t didn't take Stengel long to become Mr. Yankee. He
was the Pied Piper Newsmen followed him wherever he
wen hung onto his every vague word He W. c. Fields
IN an limiting flannel suit with short baggy pants He
was combination of John McGraw Connie Mack and
Clark Griffith.
Caseys stamina is legendary At 10 he could stay UP
until talking baseball to the present audience
and partakng Of the wine. Three hours later in hotel
lobby he would be waiting carefully combed and clear
See WIN. LOSE OR DRAW, Page G-s