Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 210, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 September 1917 — Whimsical McGraw. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Whimsical McGraw.

Al Demaree’s return to the Giants is another evidence of the eccentric whims of John McGraw. When Demaree went to Philadelphia in a trade with the New York club, Gotham fans thought they had seen the last of him in a Giant uniform, for McGraw seldom turns a player loose unless he is satisfied that the player has outlived his usefulness as a Giaut, and he seldom calls a man back. Because of this Demaree’s “come back” marks a peculiar turn in the administration of the Giants. Only a

few times in the history of the Giants under McGraw’s management has a player been sold or traded and later brought back to the fold. Herzog is serving his third term as a Giant. He was brought back from Boston and later turned loose to manage the Cincinnati club. After his fling as a manager in Cincy Buck figured in the trade for Mathewson. Red Murray came back, having been sent to the Cubs, but at that was not considered as a likely candidate for a regular job. Demaree may well consider himself a lucky player, although he is to be given some credit, too. When McGraw turned Steamer Al over to the Phils it was spid that he had lost confidence in Demaree’s ability to hold his nerve under fire. The cartoonist-

pitcher was knocked out of the box in a number of games which McGraw thought he had no reason for losing, and he put Al down as a player without much backb<ae. But when Demaree became known as a Giant killer, by virtue of numerous victories over the New York club after Muggsy turned him loose, Jawn promptly changed hjs mind and jumped at the change to trade KI 1 duff for him. The Demaree-Kilduff deal was made at a time when McGraw was beginning to look at the spurt of the Reds and Cardinals with an apprehensive eye. He decided that he could sacrifice an infielder for a pitcher of Demaree’s caliber, and at the time the Giant staff was going none too good. As a member of the Cubs, Steamer Al had little to look forward to. Mitchell’s team was out of the pennant race by the middle of July, and, wfth the White Sox struggling for the American league pennant, the chances of a city series and the resultant financial fruit was considered slim at the time the deal was made. Demaree is lucky, and all that, but it must be remembered that he pitched his way back to the Giant berth.

Al Demaree.