Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 181, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1911 — 0N QUESTION OF MANAGERS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

0N QUESTION OF MANAGERS

Which Is More Capable, Bench or Playing?—Largely Matter of Individuals and Personality.

The as to the relative merits of a bench and playing manager for a baseball team is again under way. "I believe that before long all managers will be bench managers/’ says Hugh Mcßreen, treasurer of the Boston Americans. “I think the game is coming to that. Baseball has gone ahead so much and come to be so fast, before long the manager will have all he can do to sit on the bench and direct the play without attempting to get upon the coaching lines. Managers must plan ahead, must be figuring out next play, and upon the lines they are apt to lose sight of moves ahead they have in their minds in the immediate duties of coaching. “You see a manager coaching at first base one minute and then a situation arises that takes him over to third base,'and it doesn’t seem to me that he can make these moves and at the same time plan as clearly as if he were op the bench without anything to bother him except planning. Then, again, by sitting on the bench all the time with the players around him he is constantly getting their ideas and finding out just what they think of what ought to be done.” Now, it just haippens that the Boston Americans have a bench manager, which may or may not influence McBreen’s opinion; but at any rate .it is probable that the officials of the New York, Cincinnati and Brooklyn clubs in the National league, and of the Athletics, Detroit, Chicago and Washington clubs, in the American league would agree with him. The secretaries of the other major

league teams would probably declare In favor of the playing managers, who are as follows: Chance, Chicago Cubs, first base; Clarke, Pittsburg Pirates, left field; Dooin, Phillies, catcher; Breanahan, St Louis Cardinals catcher;. Tenney. Boston Poves, first base; Chase, Yankees, first base; Wallace, 9t Louis Browns, shortstop. The whole question Is, of course, largely a matter of Individuals and personality, and will probably ha a source for argument as long as the game exists.

Capt. Bobby Wallace.