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Show ONE OF THESE LADS MAY BE 1920 BEE PILOT 8 & dt g vil RUMORS OF MANAGERIAL CHANGE CLOG THE AIR . WmmWWWWWWVyf ............ l ..'". ' if , ''' V' Atife wwwwaBWMtiaaJ)iM!lWBWMWI' .-8 ..,;;v ::: in mmmn g ' ' 'i " 3fl V''' " ' ' r IT V U ? . s I A lM M-kQ;,c ' ' i f "V, . r 1 - 7$ ' '' , 1 i ' ' I ( , A f if j I ' " U m Xa ? - If Directors and Eddie Herr Decide to Part Company, Com-pany, Either Infielder Would Be Acceptable to Fans. . There is no disposition on the part ot the fans to deny that, personally, Herr is a fine fellow, and there are many who would regret to see him leave the club. If the directors should decide to make a switch," the fans would back them in the selection of either Johnson or Krug. Ernie has just come from the big leagues and has five years' experience under his hat, and also has hundreds of friends among the major leaguers who would exert ex-ert themselves to help him in getting ma-' ma-' terial. He is a scrappy ball player, fighting fight-ing for every point, and he never quits trying, even though the opposition may be fifteen runs to the good. His capability capa-bility as a shortstop needs no comment. Krug has had managerial experience. He handled the Omaha club two or three years with credit to himself and to his organization. He is a heady player and upon several occasions during the past season he startled the opposition with clever tricks. Both Johnson and Krug are popular with the players, and also with the fans. Krug's popularity has grown constantly since he really got started, and during the last two months of the season he has been the club's mainstay. It is a certainty that, should the directors direc-tors and Herr decide to call it quits, either Johnson or Krug would be acceptable to the Salt Lake baseball public. It is likely that the question wiH be settled speedily for the good of all concerned. con-cerned. vV'hoever handles the club next year whether Herr or Krug or Johnson-should Johnson-should be given an opportunity to set at work at one. Season Closes Today, Meantime, the 1919 season of the Coast league will close todav. The Bees end the season with the Oaks- at San Francisco, Fran-cisco, and the players will go their separate sep-arate ways for the winter. Most of them no doubt will be back with us next year. The season has been successful from a financial standpoint. The local management manage-ment will be able to make a reasonably good showing. From a paying standpoint, the season has been successful only in spots. There was a time when Suit Lake really had warrant for holding Derma nt hopes. The peak was immediately followed fol-lowed .by a painful sluniD and the club apparently has been lucky to finish as high as it does. The people of Salt Lake have had good baseball, for the most part. At least, they have seen their club play to such good effect on the home grounds that thep lost only two of the thirteen series at Bonneville park. Most of the sets were won by, the Bees by overwhelming odds. All around, it has been a good old baseball base-ball year. HERE is a good bit of talk among I those who like to chat of baseball I affairs between world's series X games about the 1920 manager for the Bees. There is an undercurrent undercur-rent of whispers-that Eddie Herr will not be at the head of the Salt Lake club next year, and that one oi the players now on the team will be the pilot. In this connection the names of Ernie. Johnson and Marty Krug are freely mentioned, men-tioned, and, if President Lane and the board of directors decide to make a switch, it is pretty certain that either the club's shortstop or its second sacker will be at the helm. In official baseball circles there is a sudden stoppage of tongue when the rumored ru-mored switch in managers is brought up. "We haven't talked it over," said President Presi-dent Lane yesterday, "and I don't know what the other directors thing about the matter, if, indeed, they have thought anything any-thing about it at all. If there is to be a change in managers, however, it is certain cer-tain that it will be made at once, in order that the new man may have a chance to get into tiie player market immediately. If Herr is to be retained, 'the decision will also be reached at once, for the same reason. We are through with laying off all winter and trying to hustle a ball club together in the spring." Herr Assembled Good Club. It is rumored that Herr will demand a considerable increase in salary over his '1919 figure. The officials of the club feel that the revenue of the Bees doesn't warrant war-rant any fancv outlay for the office of manager. They appreciate the fact that Herr , assembled a good ball club in the face of obstacles, and that, too, with a late start. Herr is given credit for getting get-ting together a band of first-class men, and also it is appreciated that he made no mistakes. Without exception the players play-ers Herr brought to Sale Lake vindicated his judgment. Herr, without question, was the right man at the right time and in the right place. A good many baseball patrons In Salt Lake, while according Herr credit for assembling as-sembling a group of good players, are inclined in-clined to criticise his direct ion of them. They point to many Instances, some of them imaginary, it is true, but a great many of them actual, where chances to win ball games were tossed away by failure to bunt or to steal or to "try something." One of the chief grievances the fans have nursed is .the recollection of the innumerable occasions when a bunt would have advanced a runner to a position or scoring possibility. 'Also, they recall many cases wherein a squeeze play would have profited. The failure to send in pinch hitters at what appeared to be inviting opportunities also is a source of adverse com ment. At any rate, it is pretty certain that a large section of the paying population of this town is not deeply impressed with the baseball strategy of Mr. Herr on the field, and, as those paying fans are not one whit askeort of the directors, they have let their thoughts take form in expression. |
