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Show "WATCH US IN 1916." CIS CONNIE 1CK Says Work of Reconstruction Reconstruc-tion Will Bring About Great Ball Club. "I am not crying for mercy or making mak-ing any plea for patronage for the Athletics Ath-letics club, nor do I believe that 1 have made a mistake In tearing apart the greatest baseball machine of the day. it Is said by a critic who has been bitter toward the Athletics for years that we must now see that we have made a mis-i mis-i take, lie points to the present season of j the Athletics us a monument to Connie Mack's folly. I"'1 1 still maintain that I did rlghl and will again say that 1 will have a greater team In two years than the one 1 broke up." This statement was made by Manager Connie Mack of the Athletics, after reading read-ing an article Intimating that he begrudged be-grudged the Phillies the success that team 1r having, and that the public and Manner. Man-ner. Mau must at last realize that it Was f si t Ions mistake lo tear apart the famous Athletic maim inc. "We are losing ball games every day an(J probably will finish the poorest lasi of any team In either major league In years, but I have mane considerable progress along the lines of reconst ruc-tion. ruc-tion. If the fans will look back to the IfiOS season, they will realize that my progress was slow then until the com- hinatlon was complete, and then the team ! came like lightning. My progress must L he slow, because the only part that I j have now that T am hanking on for my M new machine are pitchers, anil they .lon'l krtow anything vet and cannot be expected expect-ed to show until next season. Club of Youngsters. "I will have almost an entirely new ' team in the field in two weeks" time, and then the fans will be able to get a, line T tin my future championship team. To date 1 have not a single youngster, barf- ' itig one, who will he a part of the new machine. My bost prospects will be here in a short time, and I Ihiuk the fans will Vie satisfied. "The poor attendance has not worried us In t lie least . because the less attention atten-tion we attract right now, the better it ; will be for the team. 1 am convinced ihut the fans will suddenly awaken to the fai t along about tbemui(tle of next sea-spn, sea-spn, ana then they will be satisfied that ! 1 have done the right thing. "I have made no plea for mercy. s my ' critic would have people believe. He has roasted the Athletic club unmercifully for years, and without cauae. We have al- I ways played fair with the public and ' newspapers, and because we could not conscientiously give him the best of it tit the expense of the others, a campaign whs started against the club. "if I thought that there was anything to any suggeStion from carping . critics which would do the club good or aid 1 he public, I would he only too glad to adopt it. "I have not seen that I have made a serious mistake. In fact, I am more convinced than ever that I did exactly right. I made the remark last winter that I dtrl not think the Athletics as tliey finished the 101 1 season could repeat in the American .league, mid after wha t T have seen of the other teams I am sure that I was not wrong My 1914 team with its 1IM3 spirit could have won pennants pen-nants for several years but with the spirit that prevailed In 1PM, It could not have tinifhed better than fourth this year. . Pulls for Phils. "tubers may disagree, but I contend that I know that club better than any one else. We have always given the fans good baseball and pennant-contending teams, anil will do so iu the future. I do not begrudge the Phillies the money they are making or the success they have had. The club deserves the success, and 1 am pulling hard for them to win the pennant. 1 have not seen anything of the National league teams and therefore my opinion is valueless, but I should say. Judging by the existing conditions, that the Phillies will win out with a little to spare. "At the Sporting Writers' banqllet last winter Moran' and I wished each other Success during the present season, and 1 am glad to say t hat 1 feel Imppy because be-cause a man like Moran. who is a credit to the game, has bpen so successful, and I will be pulling for him till the finish. "Why should we envy the Phillies? We have had years of success and it Is their turn now. I have never been a tiultter and 1 won't quit now. Nor will 1 allow the attacks of an unfair critic to sway me. The public may be misled for a time. Inn cou can't fool the people all the time. To the Point. "I could have broken up my team in a manner that would have caused but little excitement, but that is not my way of doing business. Had tl'e team been broken up (n another manner, the fans would have had to be content with a losing team for a longer period than they will under existing conditions. "I repeat that we will have anol her Wonderful club before the close of next season. Everything depends on how soon my pitchers develop. They will surely be right by the middle of next season. They are slow finding themselves, them-selves, but they will come around. The rest of mv combination has been com-pletcd com-pletcd and will he shared up between now and he spring training season. "Just at present I prefer to ke(;i ir? names of the new men to myself, hut they will all he here within two weeks. Just remember we don't care If there are not a hundred people present. The wav the team Is playing we are getting all the patronage that could he expected, but the public likes a winner, and I will save them that," |