Evening star., 1963-12-18

New Light Shed
On Being Loser
BY MORRIS SIEcEL

y 1T MIGHT BEHOOvE Bill McPeak, as a result of his
unanimous reelection, to moonlight political con-
sultant to candidates anxious to gain retain office in
Washington
In keeping his job McPeak violated the cardinal rules
OF the game He lost the popular vote in II Of the IA pr
aries he contested but when the showdown came in the
Redskins own electoral college he by acclamaton
Dick Nixon, who four years ago also had designs on
becoming Washington-based head coach might find
conversation with McPeak stimulating and enlghtenng
y The former Vice President much better race
against sffer competition than McPeak yet Nixon fin
shed second He won almost so per cent Of his schedule
but failed to make the cut. McPeaks credentials were
nowhere near imposing only "a per cent but McPeak
won and Nixon didn't.
3 WAYNE HARDIN, THE NAVY coach is another who
should study the meaning of the McPeak COUP Hardns
JOB could be In jeopardy If he mastermnds staubach
Academy to q Cotton Bowl victory. There might be a
tendency to fire him on the grounds he is too successful
q Hardin has been under the foolish impression it's
great to be winner So far the brass at Annapolis hasn't
bothered to tell him differently In certain areas it's also
great to be loser
The Association for the Advancement of the Redskins
known formally the team directors might see their
precedent -smothertng decision boomerang
Redskin players, noting their coach was voted q Is
per cent pay raise for guiding them to II losses could not
be blamed If they demanded similar increases in their
1854 Their logic is unassaiIable BY their perform
ances they made it all possible.
q
MICKEY VERNON, IF HE still is inclined to tbink b.
uCA ses any VI ue peSt OF 1t managing the
could ask for of his firing on the basis NJ th
McPeak decision - ~
q Mickey could maintain with impunty he was do,nv
just as good job Of losing for the Senators as McPak
did for the Redskins, but Mickey got pink slp while
his football counterpart got dividend
However, baseball people think differently Their ont
look like their game becoming progressively archaic
They still cling to the fuddy -duddy Model-T notion that
winning Is not just everything, but the only thing
4 Developments in the McPeak case might make them
change their thinking but it's doubtful There ara too
many more important considerations for them like the
bak rule or whether to appeal the law which REQUIRES
elders to bring their gloves with them or the size Of
catcher's mittS.
Naturally, the only exception to the baseball axiom
that the best losing managers the dead is Casey
Stenge He continues to thrive defeat In two years
Sengel has managed the Nets to 231 losses Nobody ea
make that statement and live to manage another dav
BASED ON THE IMMEDIATE reaction to the reten-
ton Of McPeak in places where truth seekers gather the
rookie Redskn team of operators performed like
pros in their first big decision
McPeak certainly must be the most popular loser since
Robert Lee Old football players not so old law
yers Dartenders doctors and fans alike agreed with the
verdict
George Marshall himself appauded the move even
though was the first time anybody except the ang Old
Chief himself ever had hired coach for the Redskins
Good" he remarked when his daughter brought him
the news.
"He's good man." Marshall added as firmly as he
could
The vast jury Of Redskin fanatics agrees