Show SPORT LIGHT Are Impoverished Bunch By GRANTLAND RICE T HAPPENED to be hanging around when Connie Mack had one of his great teams the Athletics of He won blazing He nf reasons Rice Connie broke up brilliant squad was lack of He was barely breaking even with ballplayers such as Eddie Stuffy Jack Home-run Eddie Chief Bender and Jack At the time one reason offered for poor attendance was the fact that Mack had a team that was entirely too good for Today I believe that the Athletics of would draw at least a year in the small ball But not then not 40 years So Connie had to disband his great Collins left for the White went to Barry moved to Most of them were scattered over baseball's I've heard that Connie sold a big part of this squad because of shady rumors in connection with the 1914 world which the Braves won In four straight I've never believed this was Connie simply bad a team that couldn't draw up to Its playing ability at that Today Mack has no such all-star In place of a pennant winner or a pennant contender he has a cellar He is down with the Browns and White So his Athletics are even further down in attendance You don't run a big league ball club today with a few thousand Your scouting alone costs you over At least these are the figures big league owners give Pay rolls have risen from to In those days there were no Ted or Joe don't believe they get that Wagner and Mathewson were and Few got over Joe Jackson and Ed Walsh hit and Walsh won 40 picked up a year one Their average was under Today a or a near can knock over Or a kid can get a to bonus more than Wagner or Mathewson or Alexander or Cy Young drew In 12 Or Walter Mack can't face the toll any His Athletics must go overboard to someone This year Mack's will be the most he has ever A Strange Career Connie Mack has been the living proof of what can happen in He has won nine II my figures are correct he has finished last 16 When he had fine he won When he had poor he finished No one can say that Connie Mack hasn't been a fine One of the He knew He knew how to run He knew how to handle But he never knew enough to lift poor material out of last Look at his His one weakness was lack of a big bank When this 1950 season opened his year with the Athletics-he had faint dreams of first place Paint dreams but possible He had definite dreams of finishing in the first These dreams were based upon high grade pitching headed by Brissie and Also the addition of The first thing that collapsed was his pitching Then the rest of his team followed the Big Connie Mack has always been a sportsman and a Bui baseball is a matter of winning oi losing Nothing Hii 1950 team his final dream of moving up with McGraw as a 10 time pennant winner is already The Other Boston Team Back last when the mockingbirds were singing on the wesl coast of the team given the best chance to win a pennant was the Red Sox rated about level with the It the Braves who were shoved in well back of the the Cardinals and the Yet it has been the other team not the Red Sox that hat been in the thick of the pennant scramble all the The Braves are an odd They are seventh In below the Reds and They are just a bare notch above the They are supposed to have kept their place through the pitching of Spahn and But Spahn has lost about as many games as he has won at this You have to give more than normal credit to Billy who keeps his clubs shooting at the no matter where he South-worth is a great He is also a close Inspector of |