Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1913 — BIG LEAGUE COACHERS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BIG LEAGUE COACHERS

Seven Regular Fixtures on Teams for Next Year.

Clubs Secure Old Stars to Develop Young Material-Instructors to Dovote Attention to Players in AH Departments. * <

Coachers for big. league teams are fast becoming a necessity. Already seven of tbe sixteen managers in the National and American leagues have men who will be regular fixtures on their teams next season. The other nine team leaders are eagerly watching for the right man to fit In with their teams before they join the fast-increasing list, writes George E. Rice in the Chicago Journal. Wit. bur Robinson has been a sutcess with the Giants and Kid Gleason has made good with the White Sox. ■ Willie Keeler Is to have a regular berth with the Dodgers as a coacher, and Joe Sugden Is a permanent fixture with the Tigers. Jack Ryan helped the Senators keep up their fast pace last summer, and Heine Peitz was a, great help to the*Reds, while Lou Criger is to be given charge of thd Rrovto youngsters this spring for de- • vefcping purposes. The good and sufficient reason for such men as Robinson, Keeler, Gleason, Sugden, Ryan, Peitz and Criger holding their jobs, however, is their

value in developing young players. Every one of these men would more than earn bis season’s salary If he saved only one youngster a season. If he taught a new man enough things to make a real star of him he would make up for his salary for at least five years. More than ninety-five per cent, of the young players** given chances each year fail to make good, and it is seldom a youngster holds a big league berth on his first opportunity, but it takes two and sometimes three chances to get the young players onto the regular teams. Most of the instructors are needed for young pitchers, but it is just as essential for the young players of other departments to have instruction as it is for the pitchers. A shining example of the worth of Kid Gleason to the White Sox team last fall was given in the city series when he showed "Ray Schalk*how to stop the spitbail Ed. Walsh was throwing. Before Gleason got down on his knees and demonstrated to the youngster that he would have to do the same, Walsh’s spitter was getting away from him and the Sox were not winning, but after the lesson the Sox made a one-sided affair of the series. Kling would have been a valuable man for the Cubs to keep on the team, even if he had not been able to do anything but develop young pitchers.

With Kling behind the hat, King Cole was a grand success, but as soon as the veteran catcher was traded to Boston the tall slabman began to slip until he was of no more use **> the team. Willie Keeler can show the young players more angles to the batting game than anyone else, and he will be Invaluable to Brooklyn.

Willie Keeler.

Johnny Kling.