Show i Baseball and the Third Big League By By GRANTLAND RIC RICE THE TUE TIIE and up-and and up coming West Coast has bas been asking to be rated as the third big league This Is a reasonable request if It the West Coast can can dig up enough league big cities and enough league big ball baU- players Suppose we inspect the situation at large There arenow are arenow arenow now 16 18 m major major- a j 0 r. r league clubs with wilh an enrollment of some ballplay ballplay- e. e ers Does anyone t think there are major league ballplayers ballplayers ball baU players In action today Does anyone any any- one actually believe believe be be- lieve there are Grantland Rica major league ballplayers ball ball- players a around r 0 u Does anyone believe there are certified dead sure major league ballplayers operating Look over the records of the hit Look over the even more scarred and tattered r records cord of what they now call league big pitchers Look over the run home balls and the bases on balls and the ups blow and the frantic rush from 16 bull pens What Is a big biff league ballplayer ballplayer ballplayer ball ball- player The stars are l Robinson the DIl brothers broth broth- ers Campanella Ashburn Herra Her Ber- Berra ra Fain Rizzuto Williams Kell MInoso lInoso Irvin Dark Kiner Reese McDougald l and anda a few more Especially Rizzuto who outclasses many of these The good pros Include Country Slaughter laughter Gil Hodges Furillo Snider nider Lockman F Fox x Car Car- and a few more The promising prom ising kids include Mays Mantle plus a small number of others But if 11 you add up the entire list you wont won't reach old fashioned big big- league ballplayers Look over the old Cubs Johnny Cubs Johnny KUng Cling catcher one catcher one of the greatest Brown Overall etc pitchers Chance Evers Tinker infield Hotman Hot Hof- Hofman man Schulte and Slagle outfield Every one a major leaguer The old Athletics Athletics l Collins Barry Darry Baker aker Thomas Bender Dender Plank Waddell Wad Wad- dell Coombs Coakley Bush and Pennock These were exceptional exceptional ex ex- exceptional teams of course But ut It strikes me that the real big leaguers abounded In those good old days S e e eThe The Big fig League Angle The West Coast first needs more league jig league ball parks and big big- eague populations eague-populations populations in many cities Los Angeles and San Francisco ne hundred per cent big But what about Baltimore or Buffalo What about Houston or Dallas It is hard to understand the big league slump More kids are ara play ing baseball today than ever be be- fore tore The Little League has thousands ands under good instructors There are many many other leagues or teams for players ranging from 10 to 18 years Maybe they haven't had Hmo to develop But many of them should a little later on To show the scarcity of bl big league players meaning real league big caliber take the Dodgers Well the Giants did The Dodgers had five or six men nominated for an star all team These men were Campanella Campanella Campanella Cam Cam- panella Robinson Hodges Roe floe and Newcombe with Reese close up op They were among the elite eUte of 1051 1951 baseball Yet they couldn't hold a game 13 lead on August 11 This included a game 16 lead on the important losing side Now the Giants were a good ball club So were the Yankees But Dut certainly neither was a great treal ball baU club S e e Texas Talk At this point In the annual fall lall proceedings the state that leads the field by a wide margin Is Texas In Texas A A. A and M M. Texas and Baylor this expansive commonwealth torn com om has three of 01 the country's country's coun coun- try's finest football teams You can add to this list from now on with Rice and always danger ous Why should Texas have so many fine football players year after year The answer is fairly simple The state has more strong high high- school football teams than any inthe In Inthe Inthe the country One Texas statistician wrote m me they had over high schools with wilh good teams This may be true but It sounds rounds rather high These teams start starl playing In September and many are still battling late In December Many of these squads are well wen coached and they go all aU out at every start No wonder they give football such men as 81 Sammy Baugh Bull Dog DOll Turner Dave OBrien ODrien Doak Walker Kyle Rote Larry Isbell and Fred Benners S e e Football Story Years ago when football players were much cheaper eastern crowds crowd often ran from to Today's Today trouble Is that footballs football's costs have mounted moun ed heavily The platoon double-platoon system has bas been partly responsible for this One big university admits it has haa 80 men who must b be taken care of ot Including scholarships and boards I 1 know of one coach who was offered of a year with a year for his scouts scouts' expenses expense |