The Old Man

Other managers might have their troubles, but bat-straight, 86-year-old Cornelius (Connie Mack) McGillicudy of the Philadelphia Athletics just kept rolling along. There was no particular Mack anniversary last week (next season will be his 50th as manager of the A's), but the mayor and citizenry of New York City decided to give "a day" to contemplate the phenomenon. There was plenty to contemplate.

Connie, who was born at East Brookfield, Mass, in 1862, the same year as the Battle of Antietam, got into organized baseball (as a catcher) during the presidency of Chester A. Arthur. He became a big-league manager (for the Pittsburgh Pirates) four years before Admiral Dewey sank the Spanish fleet at Manila. In his 49 years in Philadelphia he won nine pennants (the last in 1931) and five World Series, trained a roster of greats whose names still make old fans' eyes gleam--Rube Waddell, Chief Bender, Frank ("Home Run") Baker, Eddie Collins, Lefty Grove, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmy Foxx, Al Simmons.

New York City gave Connie a ticker-tape ride up Broadway. At City Hall, Mayor William O'Dwyer handed him a certificate for "distinguished and exceptional public service." The guest of honor made a little speech thanking folks for turning out "to see the old man of baseball." Said Connie, whose A's are in fourth place but who opens spring training every season by assuring his players they can win the pennant: "I fully intend to manage the Athletics next year."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.