Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-03-03
WIN, LOSE OR
UkAW By FRANCIS s1ANN
To Roll q Little Joe

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA, MAR. 3.-"This club seems
to roll lot of Sevens Bob Elliott was saying ut might
be all right dice table under certain circumstances
but I'd like to hit couple of Little and make the
first division"
Elliott is the big, strapping new manager of the
Kansas City Athletics who group pretty big and
strappng themselves. They're built like football
players with only 10 of the 40man roster under feet
Trouble is, they often played like football guys
Elliott, the old National Lacquer, referring to
Kansas CityS three straight seventh place finishes the
American League with only the Senators cushioning
complete drop into the cellar 1T to be the favorte
number-SeVen Bob grinned in his cubbyhole Office here
at Connie Mack Field. Il note that in 1857 the AS
So games and next to last In SO they 10
and still finished seventh Last year they slipped to 66
wins, but didn't change position"
The rugged looking third baSeman of few years ago
paused. How could the club have won IS games in SO
and been SEVENTH" he asked rooful of visitors This
will bear checking Elliott carefully looked up and it
was true-73 wins seventh place. in SO.
I'm SORT OF FEELING my way naturally" this
stranger to the big league managerial ranks admits
played only one season in the American League but
don't think being National Leaguer-and Pacific Coast
League manager these past few seaSons-wl be any
great drawback"
But your coaches all except Don Heffner are as
you and they're all National Leaguers" party
reminded The aides Walker Cooper the old catcher
and Fat Freddie Fzsmmons who will handle the pitchers
Well still think We'll manage" Elliott said. We've
got some guys like Ned Carver and Hank Bauer who can
help US"
The heft of the Athletics little awesome to
Elliott We've got runt' you might say, the entire
pitching staff in camp He's Carver, who's only $40 But
we've got fellows like Dick Hall 6-6l2) and Tom Acker
AL Grunwald, Ken Johnson and Don Larsen, all Ga"
WHEN ELLIOTT WAS NAMED to succeed Harry Craft
last November, he appalled, by the heft of the AS
nominal top catcher Harry Chit He weighed PSI pounds
I knew he working for meat packing outfit, but
began to wonder if that meant packing himself
you've got to do something told Harry You
can't report at that weight
"a few weeks later" Bob related, 81 saw Chit again.
I could that he'd lost weight. He said that he
about 230 is that all right? he asked.
Hell, no. told him. want you to report at 225'
Well Harry pretended to But by gosh, he turned
up here at 224la Maybe shouldn't mention it, but the
front Office promised the kitty him little
he lost enough weight After all Harrys good catcher
ELLIOTT is APPREHENSIvE about his inhed but
proud of his oueld strength and hopeful about his
pitching.
1--WE got to like the outfeld starting with Bill futile
in center. We've got Bauer and Bob Cerv and Russ
Snyder and Norm Siebern We've got power, guess but
the defense must have been real bad"
ut this bad, Bob" interviewer said waving
record book THE AS led the league in losing one-run
games-27 They also led in most given up-76O."
Elliott nodded silently.
IF you could have your choice of club" he was
asked, would you prefer defensive offensive club"
Defensive" Elliott replied without hesitation 81 like
the way the White Sox played last year. You get that
good outheder like jim Lands and fellows like Fox and
Aparicio around second base, and you're alive"
But that isn't the kind of club you're inheriting"
he reminded
he answered Il" my shortstop-second base plans work
out, we'll have the middle protected I'm not worried
about the catching and, said have hopes for the
pitching"