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When A Pennant Is Almost Won The Thoughts of a Successful Manager in the Very Shadow of the Coveted Flag As revealed from an interview with

EDWARD G. BARROW Manager of the Boston Red Sox (This interview with Mr. Barrow occurred after the loss of a double header to the New York Yankees on August 10th) did not intend to have morning practice next Monday, but after such an exhibition of baseball we will have morning practice to the end of the route. Any club that can’t put up a better brand of ball than the Red Sox did this afternoon needs all the practice they can get. So I ran the risk of offending our star players by telling them to report for duty Monday morning. It is a bitter pill for any manager to swallow a double defeat in one afternoon. But coming as it did after we apparently had a pretty safe lead, it was all the more exasperating. The boys are in a little slump right now. I realize it and I guess they realize it after this afternoon’s exhibition. The sooner they do realize it and begin to act upon that knowledge the better for us all. If I were superstitious I would say that the Yankees have a jinx on us. They have been the one club which has stood us on our heads all through the season. But I frankly hoped they had got all such rough tactics out of their systems and would be nice to us this series. On the contrary, however, they trip us up just when it hurts the most. And it wasn’t so much their fault either. They didn’t play better ball. We outhit them the first game and should have won handily. When the Sox make four hits in one inning and score only one run something is the matter. And that second game was a nightmare. A hit to right field that bumps up against the fence with the fleet footed Hooper in pursuit, should be good for two bases at most. But it rolls gracefully through a hole in the fence for a home run. I didn’t know there was a hole in that fence. The ground-keeper says he didn’t know there was a hole in the fence. You can gamble it is plugged up now all right. But what I want someone to tell me is why did that ball have to find that particular hole in a close series like this? And if it did have to, why couldn’t a Red Sox player have been responsible for the fluke instead of

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a Yankee? I tell you it’s uncanny. Anybody who says there is such a thing as a jinx won’t get a rise out of me. One of the queerest things in baseball, is how a supposedly weaker club will consistently beat a stronger. You can find plenty of examples of this. The Yankees are our hoodoo. Brooklyn seems to be a hoodoo for the Cubs. And so on down the line. Whether the weaker club really plays better ball, or the stronger club plays

worse ball than usual I don’t know. I am inclined to think that psychology has something to do with it. For if a club gets the idea that it is going to lose it is bound to work under a heavy handicap. Whatever the cause you will find this freak condition pretty widespread in baseball. It is one of the curiosities of the game. Another thing which has bothered me a good deal this season is this. I find it the hardest kind of job to get the Red Sox

Edward G. Barrow, manager of the Boston Red Sox

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Manager Barrow at his desk to play at their best against a second division club. They don’t deliberately lay down on the job. I suppose there isn’t a man who would confess, even to himself, that he didn’t do his best. And yet it is very evident that the club does not do its best under such circumstances. No sooner do we get a fairly safe lead than we lose most of it. And generally we lose it against a supposedly weak club. It sounds strange but it is a fact nevertheless. I actually fear a meeting with the weaker clubs more than I do with the stronger. Against the stronger I know that the club will realize that it has to do its best work and every man can be counted upon to get on his toes and dig in at his fastest clip. That is why I am not worrying more about our lead right now. That lead has been cut down to a dangerous degree, but we are going to face strong clubs and face them on our home grounds. Under such circumstances the Red Sox usually win. I have been in baseball long enough to have no hallucinations. I know that nothing is certain in this old game until the last man is out. But I will say this. If we don’t win the pennant now, after all our good start, we ought to be run out of baseball on a fence rail. When I took my present job last spring, many good people had grave doubts of my ability to fill the position. It had been some years since I had had active leadership of a club and, barring one brief experience at Detroit, all the clubs that I had managed were Minor Leaguers. Not unnaturally, perhaps, a good many people thought that I was entirely out of harmony with my job, with limited experience at best, and long grown rusty.

All that I can say on this point is that there are two jobs that I never had any hesitation in accepting. One was the presidency of a league, the other the management of a ball club. Perhaps my confidence in myself was not entirely justified. I leave that for others to say. But I did have confidence in myself, that I could fill either of those two jobs. And largely to that confidence I lay whatever success I have attained. When I was offered the chance to manage the Red Sox, this season, I took the chance without an instant’s hesitation.

The fears as to my fitness for the task were all on the part of my friends. I had no such fears. For I was fully persuaded, in my own mind, that I could manage a ball club and I am still of that opinion. I do not know what share of a club’s success is due the manager. Most of the credit is usually given to the players, and rightly so. I haven’t seen any great credit given to myself this season, and am not asking for any. Most of the press comments dialate on the collapse of the White Sox as the chief reason for our success. I admit that the weakness of our rivals helped us materially. They were cruelly hit by the draft and various other causes. When a team loses such men as Jackson and Felsch and Faber, they have lost a good deal. But we lost several good men on our own account. Leonard was certainly one of our best pitchers. Hoblitzell was our regular first baseman. By the time we had trained Thomas so that he was an effective third baseman, the draft took him. We have also lost a number of other good men. Things have been happening so rapidly of late it is easy to forget the events of the early season. But it might be well to remind those interested that when I took charge of the Red Sox, I was called upon to solve the difficult problem of fusing two disorganized groups of players into a unified whole. One of these disorganized groups was the remnant of the former club, remaining after the team had been riddled by draft and enlistment. The other group was the bunch of players secured by trade and purchase through the winter. The moulding of a successful team from such materials is always

EPIGRAMS OF E. G. BARROW I am a sticker for discipline but the manager who can enforce absolute discipline this season is a wonder. About the only thing that has offset these worries has been the surprising showing of some of my men particularly Ruth. Another player who has done good work beyond what I had any reason to expect is Jones. Third base has been the position where we have been hit harder than anywhere else. Mitchell has a strong pitching staff but I fail to see where it is stronger than ours. Mitchell once worked for me when I was a manager in the Minor Leagues. He came to me as a pitcher but as I was short of catchers he volunteered to go behind the bat for me. He impressed me as a hard working, observant and very willing player, such a player as a manager likes to have on his ball club. I am very glad he has made such a success. I am not one of those who claim that baseball is as necessary as boiled dinners or armour plate. But I think it is as essential as any other form of amusement. I am wholly at a loss to explain the attitude of certain newspaper men in crying down the world’s series. The series requires the services of a comparatively few men for a few days. How those few men could be any better occupied than as participants in such an event I am at a loss to explain.

BASEBALL MAGAZINE for OCTOBER counted one of the most difficult of a manager’s problems. But that problem has been solved at Boston. And it is due to no accident that the Red Sox are still in the lead of the procession. In addition to the regular worries of the manager, which are grave enough at best, this season has been a record beater as a worry producer. The difficulties into which baseball was plunged by the Baker decision still continue, and on the home stretch of the season some of my players are not at all sure that they will be able to play in the world series, provided we win. This is a heavy handicap for the consequent disorganization which is bound to follow, is a severe strain on discipline. I am a stickler for discipline myself, for I recognize its value. But the manager who can enforce absolute discipline this season is a wonder. It is easy to see that all these things have combined to make my road far from a bed of roses this year. And about the only thing which has offset these worries has been the surprising showing of some of my players particularly Ruth. When Hoblitzel went, I had no one to put in the clean-up position on the club. So as Ruth was our heaviest slugger, I started to play him in nearly every game, putting him at first base or left field, what games he was not in the box. I must say that his work has been beyond rny expectations. He has not only pitched good ball, but he has driven in more victories with his bat than any other player on the club. Ruth has been a great help to us. Another player who has done good work beyond what I had any reason to expect has been Jones. When Leonard left us, I figured we had sustained a severe blow. No pitcher was any better than Leonard,

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A favorite photograph of Mr. Barrow

EPIGRAMS OF E. G. BARROW It is a bitter pill for any manager to swallow a double defeat in one afternoon. If I were superstitious I would say that the Yankees have a jinx on us. They have been the one club which has stood us on our heads all through the season. One of the queerest things in baseball is how a supposedly weaker club will beat a stronger. I am inclined to think that psychology has something to do with it For if a club gets the idea that it is going to lose it is bound to work under a heavy handicap. I find it is the hardest kind of a job to get the Red Sox to play at their best against a second division club. I actually fear a meeting with the weaker clubs more than I do with the stronger. I know that nothing is certain in this old game until the last man is out. But if we don’t win the pennant now after all our good start we ought to be run out of baseball on a fence rail. When I took my present job last spring many good people had grave doubts over my ability to fill the position. There are two jobs that I never had any hesitation in accepting. One was the presidency of a league the other the management of a ball club. I admit that the weakness of our rivals helped us materially. But we lost several good men on our own account. This season has been a record beater as a worry producer.

when right. But his going created the necessity to call upon Jones and he responded nobly to his opportunity. I count him as one of my very best pitchers and most consistent winners. McInnis is a grand ball player. But I was forced to experiment with him, playing him at third a good deal, and the change hurt his work. Now that he is back at his accustomed position, he is coining through in fine style. Mays expects to be called into the army, shortly, and under the circumstances his work can hardly be expected to hold up. At least it hasn’t done so. Strunk hasn’t been hitting of late and when he isn’t hitting his allround play suffers. Hooper’s showing has been consistently good. Bush is pitching good ball, but my catching bothers me a great deal. Shean has perhaps done as well as any of them, has certainly played a most creditable game. Scott is the life of our infield. When he isn’t right we feel it and part of the season he hasn’t been right. (Continued on Page 491)

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WHEN A PENNANT IS ALMOST WON (Continued from Page 461) Third base has been the position where we have been hit harder than anywhere else. Just at present Cochran is playing the position creditably, though of course he has not been a part of our inner defense very long. If we take part in the series, as I feel sure we shall, I suppose we will have to count upon meeting the Cubs. Mitchell has a strong pitching staff, but I fail to see where it is better than ours. In fact if there is any difference I believe it is in our favor. Certainly Ruth is as valuable a man as Vaughn. Mays and Bush are just as good at least as Tyler and Hendrix and Jones is as valuable a man as Douglas. Oddly enough Mitchell is experimenting at third base just as we are. But I believe our infield is as good as his, if not better. And the same goes for our outfield. If there is any position where I will concede that he has a margin over us, it is behind the bat. Killefer is undoubtedly superior to any catcher I can place in the field against him. This, by the way, will not be my first meeting with Mitchell. Most people have doubtless forgotten the incident, but Mitchell once worked for me when I was a manager in the Minors. He came to me as a pitcher but as I was very short of catchers at the time, he volunteered to go behind the bat for me. He impressed me as a hard working, observing and very willing player, such a player as a manager likes to have on his ball club. I am very glad he has made such a success. I am not one of those who claim that baseball is as necessary as boiled dinners or armor plate. But I do think that, at the very least, it is as essential as any other form of amusement, and several prominent amusements have been granted exemption. I am wholly at a loss to explain the attitude of certain newspaper men in crying down the world’s series. An event of such magnitude, which has become so firmly established, which meansso much to the public at large and which is capable of doing so much service to the government through direct taxation surely deserves praise, not blame. In addition it might well contribute directly and (Continued on Page 499)

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can possibly do so, to win the championship of the world. That is my immediate object, as I see it now. ——————

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IN THE SHADOW OF THE PENNANT (Continued from Page 491) indirectly to worthy war charities, to the owners of a huge and much buffeted industry, to the players who have worked with such a reward in view, to the public who enjoy going to the games, and enjoy reading about them. To suppress such an event, would be almost a crime. The series requires the services of comparatively few men for a few days. How those few men could be any better employed than as participants in such an event, I am at a loss to explain. And I am always willing to be shown. I claim to be as patriotic as the next man, but my present aim is to win the American League pennant and then, if I