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Show McKechnie Looks Like Winner $ "" TILLIAM M'KECIINIE, boss of the St. Louis Cardinals, is a f X VV 'iving proof of the old adage that he who laughs last gathers X , no moss. For Bill, forced by Barney Dreyfuss two years ago to walk the plank, has slipped in under the Black Flag boat and stuck X v a marlin spike through below the water line, says a writer in the New j. Orleans I'icayitne. : Bight now Dreyfuss faces the prospect of watching his scuttled ship flounder miles from the beach while McKechnie leads his Cardinals X X up the sands on a flight to the treasure cove. . i : McKechnie, charged with needing help to manage the Pirates to a : pennant, is doing a pretty good job of directing the St. Louis team X .s. without any help outside of the co-operation he gets unsolicited X from the boys on the team. . j While Babbit Maranviile's X comeback is playing a valuable j part in the drive of the St. Louis club, and the work of old Orover I t Alexander, Frankie Frisch, Jim Bottomley aiil others must draw X them a share of the credit, it is ! generally agreed that the astute X leadership o McKechnie is the binding post on the St, Louis X wagon. : McKechnie led the Pirates to X a pennant in 1025. The next year, J despite Bill's success, dissension j. arose in the ranks of tiie team. X Dreyfuss, possibly in an earnest ' ' - ' Vr" -"a X r - i 5 x U ,y y .s. effort to correct matters, placed X Fred Clarke, once idol of the Manager McKechnie. y j- Pirate fans as a player, on the X Y bench with McKechnie, to represent the business office as assistant X , to the president or something like that. -5 X One result of this action was a "round robin" suggestion from the X players that Clarke be chased from the bench, Capt. Max Carey, Pitcher X Clyde Earnhart and Outfielder Carson Bigbee were suspended and later X y disposed of as a result of this activity. Then came McKechnie's removal V y v X Last year McKechnie was signed as coach by the St. Louis Cardinals, y to help Manager Bob O'Farrell, who was then serving his novitiate as X X a pilot. The Cardinals failed to retain the championship to which Rogers ! Hornsby had J,ed them the year before. X X O'Farrell, though a brilliant catcher, fell short of expectations as a ! y manager. The added labors also detracted from his all-around work X X behind the plate. McKechnie gave O'Farrell and the Card owners the X y best he had, however, and his selection as manager to succeed OT'arrell y X was a popular move. X X After gettirtg away to a poor start, due to injuries to several of the y regulars and the failure of the pitching staff to click as it did in 1027, X X the Cardinals wallowed about uncertainly for a few weeks. Then they y J. found themselves. X X And Bill McKechnie is letting the day's club standings do his X j laughing with ' possible hope that Barney Dreyfuss and his office y' strategy board are still reading them and weeping, in a copious manner. X |