Show SPEAKING OF SPORTS j by ROBERT mcshane j ft released by newspaper won union great north side wont be the same next summer not with charles leo hartnett absent from his old haunts in wrigley field gabrys honorable 19 year career with the chicago cubs drew to a close a couple of weeks ago it just the kind of a finish that thousands of friends wanted for old tomato face but it was just as definite de f as owner P K Wrig leys soft words could make it gabby play er manager of the cubs since july 1938 and member of the team since 1922 was fired with a few well chos chosen sen remarks in giving gabby the bounce wrigley said among other things we are not blaming hartnett he has done everything he could but we feel it is up to us to try and keep on trying to get the best possible combination of personnel to produce the best possible results A fine phrase even gabby will admit that is a mouth filling tonsil tickling phrase it mean a great deal ai it has the sound but not the fury mr air wrigley not unlike other major and minor league club owners would like very much to have a competent manager at the helm of a pennant winning team the best possible combination of personnel means of course a winning ball club the news of gabbis discharge came as a surprise to everyone at least to everyone outside mr wrig leys circle of intimate friends on Y atys 4 GABBY HARTNETT august 27 the owner of the cubs stated that hartnett was going to stay on as manager then 78 days later he dropped his employee like a hot potato one thing in mr Wrig leys favor he personally conducted the firing of gabby it have been an easy thing for him to do since gabby had spent his entire big league career with the cubs he stepped up from worcester of the eastern league in 1922 the hard way wrigley could have turned the very unpleasant task over to jim gallagher former chicago sports writer whom he named general manager or president of the cubs at the same time he fired gabby in other words wrigley could have hired gallagher with instructions to fire gabby as his first duty however that would have placed gallagher on the spot Hart hartnette admirers claim see seemingly with justification that wrigley has reversed his field since august 27 when he be said that no change in managers was contemplated club officials have a different story what wrigley really said according to them was that a change is not contemplated at this time the subsequent firing supposedly resulted because the cubs finished the second division for the first time in 15 years and attendance took a sharp turn downward gabby always was one of Chi cagos most popular players but fate dealt him a poor hand when he succeeded charlie grimm as manager not once did he ever manage a full squad of active players he went through the 1940 wars with only 23 men two of whom had bum legs one had his appendix removed and one who was a dead arm pitcher the 1939 campaign was even worse at one time he was so short handed he had only three outfielders and was on the sick list hartnett admitted that he was quite surprised when informed of his dismissal thousands of cub fans also were quite surprised but at least they have something with which to occupy their minds during the long winter mouths months ahead they can riddle out mr Wrig leys statement concerning the best possible combination of personnel sport shorts golf like baseball will have its hall of fame the will sponsor such a method to honor both pros and amateurs varsity players at santa clara known as the broncos call the scrubs the hank greenberg is said to have received two bonuses from owner walter briggs this year the yankees once interested in buying hal trosky have cooled off air considerably since the rebellion against manager oscar vitt of the indiano indian |