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Show - ' GPQNILAND C , nAND nANDi GPQNILANDRCE R/CE R CE RCEIT / IT MUST be understood m in advance advancethat advancethat i that it is the minor mmor leagues and andthe andthe andthe the colleges collegcs that make the ma maJor mayor major Jor yor leagues what they are And YOIl you YOIlcan youcan youcan can include the sand lots who fur furnlsh furnish furnisb nlsh nish the r full supply of stars The Thebig Thebig Thebig big leagues stand and wait walt watt wattBut waltBut waitBut But it is the case of Lou Novlkoff Novikoff Novlkoffrecently Novikoffrecently NovikofTrecently recently turned back by the Cro Cln Crocago Clncago Chicago cago Cub Cubs s that thatproves thatproves thatproves proves again agam the t theP"number thePnumber h e " " > . : . v vnumber vnumber number of brilliant brilliantlyminor , . . , ; : V Vmmor mmor league starswho stars p.who pwho . , . who can shine shme In inf infbut 4wfi M . : Mtheir " their own domain domainy domainbut 'fJil fJil , " ' ' y but are only dim dimI dimcandlelights \I I a \ ' , , 4 4candlelights . candlelJghts candlelights in the thewind thel thelwind 7.4- 7.4 7.4wmd ' . . - wind wmd w when hen h e n they they4 theyz theyjrs | -4 4 " - z A Amove move into mto fasterr fasterIFS faster IFS IFScompany r/ r rcompany / " "company company " r ' " ' . - " company LC p L Lou N Novikoff oVlkoff is no nooutstanding nooutstanding _ " outstandmg outstanding excep- excep excepLou . - Lou r > . .ovlkofl ovlkofl Novikoff Novikofft .ovlkoflt t on He is merelyone merelyone merely merelyone one of many For example I recall recallfrom recallfrom from my earher earlJer earlier years the case of ofThree ofThree ofThree Three Finger Fmger Jack Hulseman of ofShreveport ofShreveport ofShreveport Shreveport who could hit mt 380 in theSouthern the theSouthern theSouthern Southern league lead that circuit circuitmore circuitmore circuitmore more than once and yet finished finishedaround finishedaround finishedaround around 180 190 100 in 1D the majors And AndHulseman AndHulseman AndHulseman Hulseman was a great mtter-but mtter but hitter-but hitter hitterbutonly mtterbutonly hitter - butonly only in the mmorsA minorsA minors mmors minorsA A day or two ago I had a fan fansession fansession tansession session with Lt Bill Dickey late ot of otihe ofthe ofthe ihe the Yankees and Duster Mails Mailsone Mailsone Mailsone one of the best pitchers of his day20 day20 day -20 20 - 20 some odd years agoI agoI ago agoI I could name yon you 30 the Duster DustersaId Dustersaid Dustersaid saId Do you recall Paul Strand StrandPaul ? Paul hit Jut over 400 with Salt Lake LakeWhat LakeWhat LakeWhat What a hitter Pan Paul ! was a 400 mmor minor mmorleague minorleague minorleague league hitter miter litter But a 200 big bl : league leaguehitter leaguehitter leaguehitter hitter hitterI I 111 II ll give you another Do you re remember remember remember member Ike Boone the Alabama Alabamafootball Alabamafootball Alabamafootball football and baseball star star7 ' There Therewas Therewas Therewas was a great football and baseballplayer baseball baseballplayer baseballplayer player Ike came to the M ss is ons onson onson onson on the west coast in a tough league leagueWith leaguewith leaguewith With a bad right arm He really reallyhad reallyhad reallyhad had only one arm he could useA use useA A Flop Flap in Big Blg Time Tlme TimeBut TimeBut But in his first 27 Z1 games that thatseason thatseason thatseason season Ike e batted 410 He was ter terrIDe terrifle terrific rIDe rifle We all said that with two twogood twogood twogood good arms he d hit 500 He was big biggam biggam biggairr gam . strorg a natural athlete athleteand athleteand athleteand and a natural hitter rolter But in the bIg bIgleagues bigleagues bigleagues leagues with at least one or two twoclubs twoclubs twoclubs clubs he was a steady 240 hitterAnd hitterAnd hitter hitterAnd And there was wa Smeed Jol1ey Jolley Jol1eyWIth Jolleywith Jollcywith WIth the Red lied Sox-6 Sox 6 < ; Sox ox- ox oxfeet - - 6 feet 3-235 3 235 3235pounds 3235pounds 3 3235pounds - 235pounds pounds one of the createst greatest mmor minor mmorleague minorleague minorleague league ] hitters Jutters utters I ever saw He Be had hadeverythmg hadeverything hadeverything everythmg everything In the big leagues he be hehit behit hehit hit maybe 200There 200There 200 200There There was Bevo LeBourveau of ofthe ofthe ofthe the Philhes Phillies Phithes and Glants-ternflc Glants ternflc Giants-terrific Giants terrific Giants - terrific in inthe inthe inthe the mmors-but mmors but minors-but minors minors - but a flop in the big bigbme bigtime bigtime bme time I could name you 20 great greatmmor greatminor greatminor mmor minor league hitters who couldn t hitthe hit hitthe hitthe the s ze of their hats in m the maJors maJorsAnd majorsAnd majorsAnd And this Includes the great Rus RusslanNoVlkoffwho RusSianNovilkoffwho Russian slan-NoVlkoff-who slan NoVlkoff who Sian-Novilkoff-who Sian Novilkoff - Novikoff - who can hit mt every everythmg everything everythmg thmg thing in the minors and nothing nothmg in inthe inthe inthe the majors majorsOne One trouble with the mmors minors mmorsDickey minorsDickey minorsDickey Dickey said Is this-the this the this - the pitch pitchers pitchers pitchers ers or the catchers often tail faU fail to dls dis dlscover discover discover cover the batters weakness We 11 ll 11take lltake 11take take Lou Novikoff NoVlkolY Novilkoff He can murder murdera a certain certalD type of pitch He can t teven teven teven even foul a fast one inside But don t tever tever tever ever give him h1ID hum a fast one outside outsideHe outsideHe outsideHe He U 11 ll murder it At least that s what whatI I hear All I know is that after be being being being ing with the Yankees in the Amen Amencan Amencan Amencan can league so many years I know knowjust knowjust Just about what every fellow hkes likes hkesto likesto likesto to swing at-and at and at - - and also what he heDOESN heDOESN heDOESN DOESN T like to swing swmg at And what whata a d fference fferenee that makesCAs makesAs makes makesAs CAs ( As a side remark I d like to add addthat addthat addthat that Bill Dickey Dl\.key Dl.key Dl .key key Dii.key Diikey \ . . knew more about aboutAmencan aboutAmerican aboutAmerican Amencan American league hitter hitters bitters * than any anycatcher anycatcher anycatcher catcher in the history hJstory of basebaij baseball basebaijHe baseballHe basebalHe } He knew everythme everythmg everything they liked-and liked and likedandeverything likedandeverything liked - andeverything everything they didn dldn t like bke ) Greatest HltterThere HttterThere Hitter Hltter Httter HitterThere There was one exception His Hisname Hisname Hisname name is Ted Tcd Williams of the Red RedSox RedSox RedSox RedSoxThere Sox SoxThere There is the greatest hitter I Iever Iever Iever ever saw Dickey went on . . He d dnever dnever dnever never swing at a baIT ball'two balltwo baII'two baIItwo ' ' two inches mches off offthe offthe offthe the plate Williams could wa't wat watt wait ' lor for lora fora fora a fast ball or a fast curve until unW It ItI itwas itwas I was almost in my glove Then if ifhe ifhe ifhe he liked hked it he d even hook it to left lett . . . Ted had the swiftest reactions reactionsI I ve ye ever seen Be lie could make up upJus uphis ophis Jus his mind what to do In at least leasta a tenth of a second I tried to tocross tocross tocross cross him every way I knew but I Inever Inever Inever never coold could I U II B say that Ted WII Wil WIIIIams Willlama W1IHams IIams llama Is the createst greatest & , reatest hitter 1 I ever eversaw eversaw eversaw saw in baseball and I know how howgood howgood howgood good Babe Rath Ruth Loa Lou Gchne Gehrig and andJoe andJoe andJoe Joe Dl DI Maeglo lIIagglo Maggio were But Wllhams Williams Wllhamswas Williamswas Williamswas was somethtn something & ' oat out of thij thIs thia world worldIf worldif worldIt If we hadn t run Into this war I be- be - beIJeve believe be believe - lieve IJeve William Williams * would could ould have finished finishedas as the ereatcst greatest bitter hitter of all time ' ' It might be added here that Lt Lt.Bill LtBill . . Bill Dickey the Arkansas quail quailshot quailshot quailshot shot never makes any wild state statements statements statements ments He only calls them as he hesees hesees hesee sees * them Nothing else counts withhim withhimMost WIth WIthhim withhim him himMost Most JI.Iost JI.I JII . ost Thrilling Thrlllmg Fight Flght FightWhen FightWhen When it comes to the most thrill thrilling thrilling thrillIng ing prize fight , , , I always pick the theDempsey theDempsey theDempsey Dempsey Firpo volcanic voicanle eruption eruptionthat eruptionthat eruptionthat that lasted only a trifle more than thanfour thanfour tour four m minutes lUtes Where Detnpsey Dempsey was washammered washammered washammered hammered to the floor or at least to toros tohis tohis ros his knees with Firpo s first right righthandwhere righthandwhere righthand hand-where hand where - where Dempsey Dempse , . kept Firpo Firpoon Firpoon Firpoon on the floor tIoor most of ot the round- round roundwhere roundwhere round - where ' Firpo I'1rpo I1rpo hammered Dempsey Dempseythrough Dempseythrough Dempseythrough through the ropes-where ropes where ropes - where everything everythinghappened everythinghappened everythinghappened happened m in such a hurry that no noone noone noone one could follow fol1ow the swiftly swlltly shiftJJJg shifting shiftJJJgscenario shiftingscenario sbiftinescenario scenario of raw action shiftJJJgI I |