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Berkshire Eagle
August 21, 1930
Dear Sporting Editor,
Imagine, if you will, that you are the manager of a professional baseball club. Your team is battling for a place in the championship series of its league.
Your team added a new player two weeks ago, a third baseman who brought with him a reputation as a strong hitter. Despite this reputation, your new third baseman has a batting average of .218. What is more, he has made six errors in the field. He has not committed a miscue in nearly a week, but there is no reason to believe he has suddenly become a sure-handed fielder.
Most significantly, since this player arrived, your club has won seven games and lost eight.
Would you continue to give this man a place in your lineup? Would you continue to have him bat third in your order? Remember, your club is a contender, not an also-ran. You do not have the luxury of giving extended try-outs to hopeful players.
My guess is that your answers to my questions would be "no." If you know baseball, you would certainly answer that way.
Why, then, does John Sanders, when confronted with this exact situation, continue to write Pat O'Farrell's name on his line-up card each day?
Mr. O'Farrell was once a legendary player. Mr. O'Farrell is now nearly forty-three years of age. His day has passed him by. Were he an attorney like his father, Pat would be in the prime of his career. He is a ball player, or should I say, he would like to be, although his claim to that title is now, sadly, questionable.
Mr. Sanders would do well to end the O'Farrell experiment sooner, rather than later. If he is motivated by the prospects of losing gate receipts if he were to bench O'Farrell, let me remind him that fans come out to the ball park to watch a winning club. They do not come to watch an old, slow player try to regain the glories of his youth.
Sincerely,
A Mohawks Fan
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