Show e by per aaa I i V HEN the Erklyn Fr Brkl UMI n Di Ledgers leers In InI I signed I branch I to a the fhe thee year e ar t lct as general mi t r r the club secured UI the the- services er of or lillei tiie lille i of the nio most t powerful men in b bI b. i c e ball Mr Ill Ir has an all uncanny U knack Imar of judging men nicu He lie Is n a polished hh Ill I'll orator graduate la lawyer lawr cr churchman I and holder of numerous degrees IllI lie Ill I has properly proper been called the he father of the chain chilli store More sy astern stem of using I smaller clubs as a recruiting rutting ground I for young jining pia y NS c ts In addition Mr Rickey HIckey Is ts no shirt lie He still works as hard hird to achieve chieve success as os ashen ashell when hen he was as teaching country school in the till hills of southern Ohio coached coad ha baseball cbill at the University of Michigan during the He lie Ills dis discovered serous seasons of or 1912 1112 and Hid 1913 covered fed such stars stirs as liS George Grorge Sister Sister Sis Sis- ter ler and Johnny lavan an for lor the St. St Louis Browns At t the urging of 0 onner owner own onn- 11 er r Itol Robert Lee Lt Hedges he became t a aI ai pirt part time time scout sout for the St. St Louis I Americans and thrall came to the lit front office otilee as secretary lie He became I manager of the Browns in 1916 Named President The following year a group of ot bt St t. t i Louis men bought the Cardinals i iI I Rickey was name named d president and andI andfield andfield I field manager and remained at this job until 1924 when he was made I general manager of ol the extensive Cardinal Cardinal system he helped create IUcker liked to get his ball players II joung young preferably at the age of 16 IG IGor I or 17 17 and ind brin bring them Hum up tip In the Cardinals Cardinal's farm organization The Thes I s stem paid dividends not dividends not 1111 in I strong Cardinal teams but In direct profits I Through their chain un system the I Cards developed more players than 1 ti BRANCH RICKEY they could use and there was a ready market for them Quite a few National National National Na Na- league stars were trained in inthe inthe the chain store system and then sold to a rival club While quite a few Cew managers are aregood aregood aregood good judges of a new players player's ability abil ity seemingly fewer of them cap car sense the first signs that a star player play play- er is slipping Rickey had an unerring unerring un un- un erring instinct in this regard He sold players who appeared to be at their peak but who in his judgment were starting the long trip downhill M Memorable Deals Deeds The Cubs bought Dizzy Dean Bean from him for in a deal dal which will willbe be long remembered In Chicago Biz Diz was through and didn't take long to prove it Joe Medwick went to the Dodgers for and several se players ers Brooklyn doesn't hav have ha e muc much h to sa say concerning that particular In Investment Investment investment in- in vestment Johnny Mize went to the Giants for another The Cards still won the pennant HIckey pointed out that The the Cardinals otter offer the real challenge Inthis inthis in inthis this Brooklyn job They will be hurt by the draft comparatively less than any other team in the majors I know they can bring 11 major major league league pitchers four catchers their whole infield plus Ray Sanders the extra first baseman and at east six ou outfielders outfielders out out- fielders to camp All AU those men are married and are fathers They are hurt most in the outfield where they've lost Enos Slaughter Terry Moor also is unmarried It is obvious that changes will be made in Brooklyn Rickey also remarked remarked re reo re- re marked that The alarming thing about the Dodgers is the number of year 10 men on the team The direction tion and rapidity of their Descent over the last 40 days of the season is u cause for concern In planning for 1943 And yet it is a fine tine team and while most of the players are veterans they are competitive veterans vet veterans erans crans and know how to fight But ButI I have always said that it tt Is U a bigger bigger big big- ger mistake to hold bold on to a mediocre player too long than to let go of a good one too soon loon coon Rickey's actions through rough the years yean that he means that last I prove very y logical statement I Professor Rickey I Mr 1 Rickey Is to a man of strong stron beliefs He lie looks like a college professor pro pro- lessor fessor and once was He lie taught at atI I Allegheny college in western Ienn Ilena before reporting reporting- to the 1 t Browns In 1905 A graduate of Ohio I Wesleyan he later became a trustee for or that Institution Active In church I circles be he would not for years atI at at- I tend a Sunday game ame He lie even turned over his bis managerial chores to one of his bis assistants on the Sab Sab- bath Unquestionably It will be quite a dance change from the MacPhall regime I |