Show Are Impoverished hunch Bunch By GRANTLAND RICE RICE- T HAPPENED HAP ENED to be hanging around I when Connie Mack had one of his great teams the teams the Athletics of 1910 He won 9 A four out of five pen pen- pennants d r. nants Hants through that blazing bla ing march He 4 had h a d his famous famous m k f infield infield- 1 n fIe I d- d I t J no now w an a n bunch at least at present prices I recall that one of the main reasons Grantland Rice Connie broke up his brilliant squad was lack of patron patron- He age He was barely breaking even I with ballplayers such as Eddie Collins Col Col- Collins Collins lins Stuffy McInnis Jack Barry run Home Baker Eddie Plank I Chief Bender and Jack Coombs At Atthe Atthe Atthe I the time one reason offered for poor attendance was the fact that Mr Mack had a team that was en- en entirely ely too good for business Today I believe that the Athletics of 1910 1914 would draw at least a I year in the small ball park But not then then not not 40 years ago I So Connie had to disband his bis great squad Collins left for the White Sox Mcinnis went to Pittsburgh Barry moved to Bos- Bos Most l of them were scat- scat scattered scats s r over baseballs baseball's map Ive I've heard that Connie sold a big part of this squad because of shady rumors In hi connection with the 1914 world series which series which the Braves won In four straight games Ive I've never believed this was true Connie simply had a team that couldn't draw up to its playing ability at that time Today Mr Mack has no such all- all allstar allstar allstar star array In place of a pennant winner or a pennant contender he has a cellar contender He is down with the Browns and White Sox So his Athletics are even further down downin downan m an in attendance figures i You dont don't run a big league ball club today with a few thousand dol- dol lars Your scouting alone costs you over At least these are Ithe the figures big league owners give ime me e. e Pay rolls have risen from to In those days there were ere no Ted or Yoe oe I dont don't believe they get et that much Wagner and Mathewson were and men Few got iver ver Joe Jackson and Ed Walsh Jackson hit and Walsh won 40 games picked up a year year one one year Their average was under Today a busher basher or a near busher busker can knock over Or a kid can get a to bonus more than Wagner or Mathew Mathew- Mathewson son or Alexander or Cy Young drew in 12 years Or Walter WaIter Johnson Mr Mack cant can't face the toll any longer Conger His Athletics must go over over- I board to someone else This year Mr Macks Mack's will will be the most disastrous financially he has ever evero known o A Strange Career Connie Mack has been the living proof of what can happen in base base- ball He has won nine pennants If my figures are correct he has fin fin- finished finished finished last 16 times When he had fine material he hewon hewon hewon won flags When he had poor mate mate- material material material rial he finished last No one can cansay cansay cansay say that Connie Mack hasn't been beena a fine manager One of the best He knew ballplayers He knew how to run teams He knew how to han han- handle handle dle dIe men But he never knew enough to lift I t poor material out of last place Look at his record His one weakness was lack of a big bank roll When this 1950 season opened his his year with the Athletics- Athletics he had faint dreams of first place Faint Fault dreams dreams but but possible dreams He H had definite dreams of finishing in the first division These dreams were based upon high grade pitching pitching headed headed by Brissie and Kellner Also the addition of Dillinger The first thing that collapsed was his pitching staff Then the rest of his team followed the Big Flop Connie Mack has always been a sportsman and a gentleman But baseball is a matter of winning whining or losing material Nothing else His 1950 team team his his final dream of move moving moving ing up with McGraw as a 10 time pennant winner winner winner-is is already over The Other Boston Team Back last March when the mock mockingbirds were singing on the west coast of Florida the team given the best chance to win a pennant was the Red Sox Sox rated rated about level with the Dodgers It wasn't the Braves who were shoved in well back of the Dodgers the Cardinals and the Phil Phil- lies Yet it has been the other Boston team not team not the Red Sox that Sox that has been in the thick of the pennant scramble all the way The Braves are an odd outfit They are seventh in hi batting be be- below below below low the Reds and Pirates They are just a bare notch above the Cubs They are supposed to have kept their then place through the pitching of Sain Safe Spahn and Bickford But Spahn has lost about as many games as he has won at this spot I You have to give more than nor normal normal normal mal credit to Billy Southworth who wha keeps his clubs shooting at the top no matter where he works South South- Southworth Southworth worth is a great leader Ke Ite is also a close inspector of bS I |