Show I TIGER PILOT ABLE TO TOOT HIS OWN HORN I v 4 cT I I t I 5 4 I I r I I c y V S 'S 5 1 S. S Here are three steps in the rise of of Mickey tUckey Coch rane to th the of the Detroit Tigers Upper tipper left he is shown tooting his own horn a horn a saxophone he used to help pay py his Ills way through college Upper right he is shown at left with Lefty Grove Grote with Uh whom he teamed up under Connie Mack to form one of or the greatest batteries In hist ory Below he be Is Js shown in typical Cochrane action Cochrane Worked Hard HardAs HardAs l lAs As College Grid Hero Dishwashing and Milking Marked l Steps in Mickey's l Climb Toward Dream of Stardom l in Baseball Edl Editors Editor's rs r's note This Is the first of a 3 series on the career of or Mickey l Cochrane manager and catcher of the Detroit Tigers By Dy HARRY GR GRAYSON SP Special la lato to The Telegram The story of Gordon Stanley Coch Coch- rane anc is that of a poor farm boy who made good the hard way John Cochrane Irish father of the chap hap now lashing the Detroit Tigers Tiger to o an nn American league pennant saved aved sufficient scrip as a coachman and nd caretaker for a 3 wealthy family to o purchase a small place outside of Bridgewater Mass where Mickey was born on April 6 6 1903 Upon high school oung young Cochrane jU juggled hot metal inan inan in inn an n iron works for 10 hours a day In order to be able to enter Boston unie uni uni- e rs it Durin During his freshman year he ie got up at a. a ro rn and milked the ie cows and looked after other I chor chores lores before hopping hoppin a train to at at- tend end classes 30 miles away Dish Washer I Charles Farrell the screen star and Cochrane earned their board beard as sophomores by working as bus bw boys and nd washing dishes in the school cafe cafe- eria teria They also were members of oC the boxing team Cochrane made 10 sports ports letters four In football but bute buthe buthe he e failed to make the baseball team until his junior year when he played rIght ight field Against Boston college as a senior he caught played third base ase and pitched He also stood out In n track basketball and hockey It was while scrubbing crockery In Inne one ne of the school buildings in the sprint spring of 1923 that Cochrane first was I inspired to become a major lea league ue ball all player Across Boylston street lounging on the steps step of the old Brunswick hotel he saw Babe Ruth Bob Everett Scott Scot Herb Pen Pen- nock neck WaIte Walte Hoyt Hot Wally and other ther Yankees then riding the crest crestot ot of f the wave See those lucky stiffs on the Brunswick steps be he muttered to a companion Nothing to do but play baseball while whIte here I am washing dishes Some day I am going to sit over ver there and look over here and watch some other guys washing cups and nd saucers Grid Star Cochrane called Kid In college e. e was better known there as a foot foot- ball all player than a baseball player He was a brilliant back with a Class C outfit Mickey's first visit to the Yankee stadium was in that capacity Boston university men still talk about the time he came back after being knocked unconscious to score a touchdown touchdown touch touch- down and kick the goal that tied a afine afine afine fine Holy Cross array in the last three minutes And of ot his yard 53 dropkick against Brown that put him himin himin himin in a a class with French of ot Army and Davies Davics of ot Pittsburgh Cochrane played the saxophone and work with a couple of college kid bands helped tide him over while he struggled for an education As Asa a 3 ball player Cochrane pointed toward a career a 3 an outfielder It ItIs Itis is an interesting coincidence that Tyrus Cobb whose old role he now fills lilts as the baseball hero of Detroit was wa-s his idol Mickey is a remarkable base runner for a backstop It was with the Portland club of the Pac Pacific ic Coast league that Cochrane Coch rane developed as a catcher after arter a discouraging start at a position he keenly disliked Mickey never really has been a a picture catcher that catcher that is there perhaps per peri haps are a dozen receivers who are I more polished But his intelligence competitive spirit hustle s speed ed and I hitting quickly established him as the most valuable catcher in the game I Many consider him the greatest who whoever whoever I ever played it Thursday Cochranes Cochrane's disheartening dishearten dishearten- ing start star and why he had to make good |