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Boston Globe, August 1, 1934
RED SOX STAND “PAT” WHILE TIGERS ADD WELLS
Tigers Acquire Chicago Shortstop
BOSTON—Red Sox general manager Pat O’Farrell has never been afraid to pull the trigger on a deal, if he thinks it can give his club a push toward the top of the standings. This season, however, O’Farrell decided to go into the final months of the season with the cast of characters he currently has.
“Bill Carrigan thinks we can win with the team we have right now, and so do I,” O’Farrell said, confidence displayed on his smiling face. With the Red Sox tied with the Detroit Tigers for first place, Carrigan’s charges have proven they can win; can they win enough to keep pace with a Tigers club that was more active during the final week of trading?
The Tigers parted with two key elements of their bench corps, outfielder John Stone and catcher Earl Reibel, to acquire shortstop Willie Wells from the Chicago White Sox. Wells, who is batting .302 with 61 RBI, shores up the only weak spot in a Tigers infield that includes first sacker Hank Greenberg, second baseman Charlie Gehringer, and third baseman Lyn Lary.
The Sox, seeking their third consecutive World Series title, have a solid veteran club that some believe might be nearing their last hurrah. None of the team’s brightest stars—Gehrig, Hafey, Frisch, Brady, Hoyt—are younger than thirty, while only two regulars—Josh Gibson and Ray Brown—could be considered youngsters.
O’Farrell is more fully aware of this than anyone, of course. He faces the delicate task of ensuring the long-term success of the Red Sox by introducing talented young players into the lineup as veteran stars begin to fade.
“We’re always evaluating young players,” O’Farrell said. “It’s a lot harder to get teams to part with them than most fans think, however. It’s been more common lately for other teams to offer us veterans in exchange for our young guys, and I’m not making those kinds of deals right now.”
The formula that O’Farrell and Carrigan have concocted has worked consistently well since Pat assumed the GM post several years ago. Their track record has earned them the right to be free from second-guessing, at least until October brings with it the conclusion of this year’s pennant fight.
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