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. 4 Joe McCarthy Praises Stengel As Game s Winningest Leader Former Manager of Yankees -Rates Old Casey With Best; Calls Connie Mack Greatest s By JACK HORRIGAN c United Press Sports Writer 1 BUFFALO, N. Y., Aug. 21. Marse Joe J McCarthy, the man many consider base- "j balls greatest manager, doffed his cap to- f day to Casel Stengel, his successor as the games winningest leader, and insisted the 3 garrulous New York Yankee manager rated t "with the best of them." 1 "Stengel always was a good baseball man, g but just never had the opportunity to show it in the National league with Brooklyn and Boston," McCarthy asserted as he 1 sat in a beacli chair on the back lawn of j his sprawling 51-acre farm on the citys outskirts. 1 "He knows his players, and makes the proper move at the right time," he con- tinued. "He belongs with the best of them." Iron-jawed Joe, who seldom allows himself the privilege of a public opinion, didnt ! hesitate when questioned as to whom he thought was the greatest. "Mr. Connie Mack was undoubtedly t the greatest," he said with deep conviction. "There is no question about it, no one was e ever close to him." McCarthy, looking far younger than his 6 66 years, recalled how he used to visit Mack, V when they both spent the winter n months in the Philadelphia area. Always Gave Full Attention "I used to visit him quite often, and always v gave him my full attention because I I knew I was listening to the best of them a all." "I played for a lot of very good managers ii in the Minor leagues," the only man ever to v win pennants in both the National and I American leagues explained. "There was Bill Armour in Toledo, a very good manager who was at Detroit when Ty Cobb broke in. I also played for I Bill Clymer, Jimmy Burke and Patsy Donovan. c "I also watched older, wiser. fellows, like i Mike Kelly and Joe Catillion, and tried to r mingle with them once I began my own i managerial career. "And let me tell you, Stengel is right in t that group in my book." McCarthys eyes were bright, and he 1 looked like a gourmet concentrating on a t tasty dish as he spoke of Ted Williams f the man skeptics said never hit it off with him when McCarthy managed the Boston Red Sox. "How old is Ted?" he asked. "Thirty-four, j hes got a lot of good days ,ahead of him yet. Theres a lot of fellows up there , older than he is. Take Gene Woodling with the Yankees, hes been around awhile, and is still going strong. "One thing, Williams will always hit," i he added. "When his time comes.it? will be his legs. Yeah, time catches up "with the legs sooner or later." To the final question of what teams was he rooting for, McCarthy shrugged his 1 ; shoulders, then grinned. "Well, they say once a Yankee, always ; a Yankee."