Evening star., 1960-11-02
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW ), FRANCE, ,1A4~
Some Day ;. Somewhere and Nov

ALMOST FROM THE TIME in 1s48 that Alvin Ralph
Dark installed shortstop of the old Boston Braves
1t seemed apparent that day. somewhere he would
be big league manager. And now he is the new
neld boss OF the San Francisco Giants.
8 Whether Dark viii make good manager remains to
be seen. It's just that he always looked as II he had the
potential This is an intelligent quiet guy with college
backgrou9d and of hand you'd have to say that any-
body straighten out the San Francisco he can
And it's a mess all right. Last spring the manager
was Bill Rigney. He just missed pennant In so when
down the stretch his thin pitching and porous condition
at second base, beat him. But these weaknesses pre-
sumaby were remeded the winter and so in March
Rigney was quoted saying the Giants ad Just about
everything; @@ a 81
They did, according to rival National League clubs.
Everything except harmony as it turned out Rgneys
impulsive actions aIienated many Of the Giant players
who admired this man (Rgney) who had grown thin
and old during his brief stewardship
Mshs f%a = $50 ~ E
THE GIANTS HELD nothing against Tom sheehan,
tne elderly head scout who was named Rgneys successor
but after all they asked who was Sheehan? True he
has discovered many Of them but he had never managed
in the big leagues, nor had he been star player He
was regarded as happy old gent who had been con-
Vvial of Sorts not hard-nosed man
ageral type.
So the Sheehan experiment didn't pan out-as if
anybody really expected to-and Dark finds himself
with twoyear contract to manage this alleged mystery
team that finished in fifth place last season. Is games
behind the Pirates The Beat em BUGS" weren't that
much better if they were better at ALL but that was the
implausibe margin.
At 81. Dark will play little if any. In the waning
days of his brilliant career Alvin found himself on the
Phllies roster last spring. No longer a fine ground
coverer at shortsop he had become third baseman.
Eddie Sawyer, the college professor from Ithaca had
been rehired by the Philes after prolonged absence
from the same job, and he asked one day Clear
water Fa where the club trained If having Dark on the
club was like having guy looking over his shoulder.
-
type although don't know what the front office has
in mind"
couple of months after the team assembled in
Florida Eddie quit But the managerial Job didn't 90 to
DARK; IT went to rank outsider, Gene Mauch. And
Dark was mailed to the Milwaukee Braves who Incl
dentay asked for and received active player in Andre
Rodgers with full knowledge that about all Dark would do
at San Francisco was manage. He wouldn't couldn't
hurt the Braves with his bat or his glove Not any
more, although there was time. . .
The first time this department ever heard of Alvin
Dark was in 1945 when Naval Reserve officer named
Jim Owen fresh of carrier and stationed Georgia
Pre-Fght, talked of fabulous athlete Owen had been
and was to be again-boxng coach at Louisiana State
University, not to mention the Olympic team He was
handy guy with his fists and not given to casual praise
"The ball club that lands him" Owen said, twill get
somebody special" Just about that time Ted McGrew
scouting for the Braves sweet talking Darks folks
in suburb of New Orleans and mixing batch of
"my special spaghetti sauce" in the Dark kitchen.
*%*A
JIM OWEN TALKED on during those periods between
military formations at Georgia Pre-Flight
"This kid" Owen touted, "can pick up any sports
instrument football, baseball, pair Of boxing gloves
and he's standout almost Immediately
HE was outstanding at LsU at football and track
Naturally, he the best college baseball player we'd
seen in our neck Of the woods"
Our first look at AL Dark Disappointing He was
supposed to be feet and 1876 pounds He looked closer
to 10 and 6O His legs didn't look like those of sprnter
or top halfback But there he Stood deceptive all
get out. L
II remember one day." Jim Owen said, when was
sitting in my office and this kid Dark knocked my
door and said
"'Mr Owen, may borrow your golf clubs for this
afternoon?' +
why? asked. You don't play golf But they're
yours to use.'
= Dark had never played round of golf in his life
Some guys had asked him to play. He came back sort
Of detected, and returned the clubs
"'Whatd you shoot? asked
"An 84' the kid said And If par is 72 I'm sure lousv