Show G P CE T 1 SAT at the recent West East-West A- A 1 kid game with my friend nd Joe McCarthy McCarthy Mc Mc- Carthy manager of th th the Yankees Here lIen we watched the picked teams team from Irom the East and West representing represent represent- ing 28 cities and states at 17 years or younger And it was here hero that I saw the soft spot of this sport Baseball is rated our national game There are more kids would rather play baseball than any other sport Baseball is our greatest game Certainly for our kids And y l baseball has drawn less ess support from all concerned than any other game The big leagues both presidents and 44 1 H owners including r w ing my good friend 4 Judge Landis have almost completely s Ignored the young young players from 13 lo to 17 The high schools choos and colleges Grantland RIce have been even worse Our young football players have havethe havethe havethe the best of coaching in high school They move to the best coaching in j college play They are finished products products products prod prod- when they reach the pros Our young golfers have the finest coaching and instruction that anyone anyone anyone any any- one could demand All their faults are corrected on the way up The same is true of our basketball players and our track men The same dame is true of our swimmers They Save bave the best of the coaching coaching and and the Ute best of breaks Why Thy They bring money into the box offices Baseball Any sport that brings in money gets prompt attention Those that dont don't are ignored Football gets first recognition from high schools on up through college college college col col- lege on into pro ranks Why Many college football teams play to financial ups clean-ups that run from to Baseball cant can't even touch these figures So why bother with baseball baseball base base- ball Back to the Kids' Kids Game Here is the pick of the country's kids playing baseball at the Polo Grounds They were young strong fast Cast and packed with spirit But anyone could see sec the instruction they had missed which young football players young golfers young tennis players or young basketball players would have received On more than one occasion Joe McCarthy one of the smartest managers managers managers man man- agers baseball has ever known one of the games game's closest students students- would point out various faults It might be a 1 catcher catcher it it might be bean bean bean an It infielder it might be a hitter hitter- Id like to have that kid around just a while Joe would say Id like to Ie tell him just a few things before his fault becomes a habit Bobby Jones Walter Hagen Gene Francis Ouimet Chick Evans Evans Evans Ev Ev- ans these and many mony others were great grea t golfers before they were 21 Golf Gol gave them their chance Football has been piled up with stars who were 19 or 20 Baseball has known only a few who were big leaguers at this age The answer is that only a few connected connected con con- with baseball have made any effort to see that young ball players play ers from 14 to 16 ever get the right instruction Wish Egan of Detroit is one of the few who has done a fine job along these lines Egan has developed developed developed devel devel- more than a il fey few young stars George Weiss of ot the Yankees is an an- other There are arc just a few more But Hut in the main baseball doesn't look after its own own and and its own are the kids who should be the stars of the future who never Dc get the chance or who drift into other games Minor league managers tell me they get these kids full fu of faults and haven't the time to bother about it The naturals can ean take care of ot themselves So they come from the thc minors to the majors and are either sent back or hang around for tor two or three years to be taught all aU over If baseball drew the the- the same same type of instruction or coaching that football basketball golf goU and tennis get get from from the best in the business there business there would be a jump of at least 30 per cent in baseball efficiency between the ages of ot 19 and 21 But unfortunately in inthis inthis inthis this country too often otten the dollar comes first The answer I get et is this Let this Let baseball start to pay its way and you'll see a big difference It will get the same Silme overemphasis from coaches and others that football does now Pitching Prodigy One of the thc most outstanding possibilities possibilities pos pos- at the Kids Game was WilS Frank Azzarello of 01 New Orleans He HeIs Heis Heis is ju just t 17 a 17 a great prospect prospect-il a left eft hander lander who fought 12 Innings with Dick Callahan last spring and nd fanned 18 batters Frank lost his ils game came 1 to 0 in the In addition to his brilliant pitching pitch pitch- ing ng Azzarello llo is also a star outfielder outfield- outfield er jr with a Legion batting average of ot Azzarello Is just one of ot the great kids who played in this game There were at least a dozen others |