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Show BREADON DECRIES PLAYER-MANAGER Playing and Directing Too Big Strain for Any Man. "I am convinced that.no ball player, however great he may be as a player, or however great may be his possibilities possi-bilities as a manager, can manage a major league ball club and play his position at the same time." It was Sam Breadon, owner of the St. Louis Cardinals, talking, says the New Tork World. He offers as first-hand examples Rogers Hornsby and Bob OTarrell, the two men who preceded Bill McKech-uie, McKech-uie, this year's pilot, as manager of the St. Louis entry in the National league race. "Rogers Ilornsby," says Breadon "was recognized as the greatest batter in tlie National league and one of the greatest the game lias produced when I made him manager of the Cardinals. "He had a lifetime batting average close to .400. "He is of the positive, self-willed type that should be able to throw off the mental strain that goes with directing di-recting tlie destinies of a big league club. Yet he wound up his only season sea-son as a manager of tlie team With a batting average of .317. Lie was 'way off his usual form. "Bob O'Farrell succeeded him one of the greatest catchers in the game O'Farrell's work as a catcher suffered mainly because of the strain of directing direct-ing the play of the team. "Selecting and developing the players play-ers and molding them into a teru and directing the play of that team on the field is one man's task In itself. it-self. Playing any position on a major league ball club demands a man's best, mentally and physically. "A manager cannot make the most of Ids opportunities if he has to concentrate con-centrate his efforts at least part of the time to his own playing. A player cannot keep his niud on the play before be-fore him, or what the pitcher is tossing toss-ing up to him, if he has to worry about the make-up of his ball club in general, the strategy to be employed the following inning, or the exigencies of the moment brought on by his own pitcher's ineffectiveness or his team's inability to solve the opposing pitcher's pitch-er's delivery. "Tou're asking one man to do two men's work at once. "It just can't be. done." To back up iiis opinion further, Breadon offers the experiences of George Sisler, Ty Cobb, Dave Bancroft Ban-croft and others who stepped into the managerial ranks before their playing days were ended, and not only .failed to set brilliant records as managers, but found their playing suffering as a result of the "doubling in brass." |