Waite Up For Forsyth

With the snow some 15 inches deep and the first day of 1962 still some distance away, the flames that burn in the breast of your true baseball addict is far from extinguished still.

A fan stopped me on the street Friday amid (or is it amongst?) as wintry a scene as ever was depicted on a Christmas greeting cards and what do you think he asked me?

What does a major league baseball scout do in the off-season?

Which reminded me of something.

Two hours before game time at Municipal Stadium last summer, Jamestowner Johnny (Scooter) O’Neil, scout for the Milwaukee Braves, stopped to chat with a group of fans gathered about the third base concession stand.

Afterward, Johnny moved along for a talk with Tigers manager Al Federoff.

“There goes one of the rising young men in the scouting ranks,” observed one of the group.

“Pretty soft for some people, this business of making a living,” commented another.

I wondered is it so soft?

Finally I decided to delve a little. So I had a talk with Johnny over a cup of coffee.

The Scooter, who recently signed a new two-year contract with the Braves, explained his territory consists of all of Pennsylvania and all of New York State except New York City and a short stretch up the Hudson River.

Scouting is a year-round job for some. Right now, O’Neil is finishing the task of writing to coaches of between 15 and 20 colleges, asking for their 1962 schedules.

Colleges Do Their Part

For instance, letters have been forwarded to Bucknell, Penn State, Pennsylvania, Villanova, Temple, West Chester, Pittsburgh, California Teachers, Indiana Teachers, Geneva, Grove City, Allegheny, Ithaca, Cornell, Colgate, Syracuse, Buffalo, Niagara, Buffalo State Teachers, and St. Bonaventure.

O’Neil said an answer expectancy of 75 per cent is about right.

Besides the colleges, talent in high school, American Legion, Babe Ruth and other youth leagues must come under a scout’s eyes as well as the semi-pros and those in the armed forces.

Johnny noted there are 184 high school teams in the Pittsburgh area alone, to say nothing of the other metropolitan area, such as Philadelphia, Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse.

The scout sees as many schoolboy games as he can and learns about likely prospects from his sub-scouts and bird dogs. O’Neil plans on having the sub-scouts in every city of any size throughout his territory. Last year, working a smaller territory, he had 10 of these agents; this year he plans on 15 to 18.

Winter is correspondence time for the Scooter who must keep in close touch with Ray Hayworth, the Brave’s scouting director, and with all those under his supervision.

Another task is the laying out of a tentative itinerary for his spring, summer and fall schedule which entails the study of road maps to follow to reach any given community.