Show L T OS CIS ANGELES two youthful i venerable sprightly ancient members of the sporting fraternity are setting a new record in california this spring both are on active duty and their combined ages reach the tidy total of years their names are I 1 connie mack and I 1 amos alonzo stagg connie and lon ale As lonnie stagg starts spring practice for his college of the pacific football team connie mack starts a new grantland nd year as manager of rice the philadelphia athletics connie and lonnie are each 77 years old both have been highlights in competitive sport tor for over 50 years both go well back into the he eighties for or their start so far back that only a fading few today re remember member the period that happened to s tart start them off and away on the long long trail about connie mack alack the amazing point concerning connie mack is the youthful spirit and the youthful keenness he still ho holds ids about his job of managing a ball club on this spring trip to anaheim Ana helm calif he gives you the impression of a young manager anxious to make good yet connie mack has won at least nine american league pennants and he has packed away PP CONNIE MACK more than his share of world series triumphs he has been in baseball as player and manager for 60 years but those 60 years have taken nothing away from the fire that still blazes in his soul the vital spark shows no sign of any smoldering ash in his day he be has had at least three great teams for one reason or another largely financial he has had to break them up and build again today he is just as keen and eager to build another as he be ever was before connie expects and hopes to win another pennant before he marches into baseballs valhalla he think it will be this year not with the yankees and red sox barring the road he has paid out as much money this season as any other owner has paid out possibly more and connie Is no millionaire for above everything else he wants one more american league fla flag g one more world series championship connie mack was 42 years old when I 1 first met him in 14 the giants athletic clash of 1905 the series that lifted christy mathewson to the heights no one could have figured then that this lean middle aged sportsman would still be driving forward 35 years later as young to in 1940 as he was in 1905 as he was in 1890 he knows the game what makes connie mack a great manager he Is one of the greatest I 1 ever knew ty cobb told me recently possibly the greatest when you figure the smaller ba bankroll ban kroll he be has had bad to work with connie was never a member of the driving hard bard hit bit ten type ife he would rather encourage you but he was never any softy he always has demanded condition and the bu hustling s spirit also he has known every angle of baseball pitching and catching infield and outfield play baseball strategy baseball psychology and abail a ball player who hustle bustle fot for co connie niale black would never battle for anyone you have part ot of the answer here you might look back over some of the cast that connie has called to the field catchers mickey cochrane wally cy perkins and others pitchers rube waddell eddie plank chief bender jack coombs herb pennock bob grove george earnshaw joe bush infielders stuffy mcinnis eddie collins jack barry homerin baker jimmy foxx jimmy dykes and many others and star outfielders who are far too numerous to mention by name |