Show T THERE HERE seems to be an opinion around that major league base ball balls s playing standards reached a new low in the season just closed this is a point hard to prove and I 1 doubt that it Is true in the ebb and flow of the last 40 years we ve looked 10 et at a long parade of stars we also have peered at a still longer parade of pretty sour ball clubs and that goes k for hitting pitching j gordon and fielding no one can doubt that the tour four war years held back many a bud ding rookie lifted from minor league training to war service some of these were killed many more were wounded all were re moved from training action at vital years 19 to 23 this t include such veter ans as hank greenberg who lost five years bobby feller johnny mize and so many others who were halted in their prime many of these have had remark able comebacks greenberg leading the home run makers last season ted williams three years away from baseball leading his big league in practically every department where a bat figures joe gordon johnny mize challenging babe ruth s in credible re dible figure of 60 home runs in a year not to overlook walker cooper and what two seasons meaning 1946 and 1947 can you recall that produced a longer list of young stars ewell blackwell ralph kl KI ner yogi berra bobby thompson jackie robinson spider jorgenson spec shea earl bruce edwards and many other first or second year men A limays been that way there have been bad major league ball clubs this season and many rather sour big league ball players but this has happened sin since e uncle abner Dou doubleday bleda y had his s dream the phillies in last place are a lar far better bunch than the tall tail end ph hies ries of years we still remember and I 1 could give you the names of many other clubs in the past that were strictly moth eaten of many other ball players who were not even good minor leaguers to listen and to read you might think at times there were no good ball players left what about harry walker williams joe Dill dimaggio aggio pee wee reese ed pete heiser reiser mize willard marshall most of the cardinals Cardinal cooper sCooper gor don bob feller tommy henrich augie augle galan bob elliott george kell hell grady hatton johnny sam warren spahn and many more who would have been good in any past baseball season it is pleasant for those growing older to look back on the glories of the past when they too were young but they overlook one major point that practically every athletic achievement that can be timed or measured has known a long run of broken records modern athlete better practically every past athletic record has been smashed year after year you can t measure foot ball baseball golf or tennis by the clock or the tape but in all games that can be timed and taped there has been a big improvement oth er games must depend upon ions which are about as stable as will 0 the wisps those talking and writing of base ball s past glory have forgotten teams that couldn coulden t draw into the gate teams that couldn coulden t draw in games baseball in 1947 has been far from flawless or spotless but it has been one of the most interesting campaigns yet offered one answer Is an attendance total for all parks that will reach or pass 20 million where in many past years a nine million total was rated an exceptional turnout baseball always has had one w akness this was the average coition of its players few ball playe 12 ita ocea in the condition need ed to play 35 exhibition and pen nant games a total close to games a year poor condition ac counts for so many bad legs arm trouble back trouble and other ills and ailments that afflict so many of the hired men keeping in shape one famous athletic trainer told me recently that he could take a tail end team and get it into condi tion that would net a pennant he probably meant it if I 1 could get it into condition which he probably coulden couldn t A ball player should live on his legs just about all the year round this statement was given me by ty cobb and joe medwick cobb went in for hunting medwick for golf I 1 don t believe either ever got out of shape you know cobbs record and look at medwick s abaz ing work this season long after he was supposed to be through |