Show R CE WE E HAVE been reading lately ly from something like a dozen spring training camps about the number of amazing rookies that Olat have come along This happens every spring It has been going on for some 50 years ears It Is only natural that it should be this 6 way for the rookie J is usually young keen ambitious and 4 thinks only in terms of today The veteran veteran vet vet- eran Gran has to think in rr terms of next summer summer sum sum- mer as he nurses I r A- A his waning arm and L none too certain legs TYCOBB Spring is the rookies rookie's happy huntIng hunting hunt- hunt hunting Ing ground It would be a wonder- wonder lui rul thing for tor the game 1 if they all I could make good but as one veteran veteran vet vet- eran manager told me lately lately All All AllI I can ask for tor is one or maybe two That would be a big average So tar far the Dodgers and the Giants seem to have discovered the leading leading lead lead- ing rookie But if it tithe either r team can start the new season with two rookies who arc are good enough t twin to o win a a. job away from Crom some regular r they will be two lucky ball clubs Now and then you hear about another another an another other Cobb or another Ruth Suppose Suppose Sup Sup- Suppose pose we check back on these tw two o famous names Cobb reported to Augusta in the Sally league in 1904 where he batted batted batted bat bat- ted in 37 games I was working in Atlanta that year and I heard no great uproar about Cobb being another Wagner Tys Ty's best press agent was Ty Ty joined the Tigers in 1905 where he batted in 41 games that season season season sea sea- son and there was no overwhelming chorus about coming greatness He jumped to in 1906 and 1906 and from then on it was something else again again- again in 1909 in 1910 in 1911 and In 1912 Ruth Known as Pitcher In 1914 Babe Ruths Ruth's fame tame belonged belonged belonged be be- longed to pitching No one had anything anything any any- thing to say about his hitting In 46 gam games s with Baltimore and Providence Providence Providence Provi Provi- dence that 1914 season the Babe I ba batted My record book shows that he hit one home run that year I In his first live five years as a pitcher with the Red Sox the Babe averaged averaged averaged aver aver- aged slightly over with no great home run record That came later Frank Frisch was no terror when he broke Into Giant ranks right out of ot Fordham in 1919 In 54 games that season with the Giants he hit Wt only Not so hot for Cor a a. rookie even one just out of ot college But Bot McGraw still had bad full lull faith in him and the Fordham Flash moved up to A year rear later in 1921 he was up to winding up as one of ot the great second basemen of ot all time Maybe not the greatest greatest but but up among the best Hank Greenberg batted only with Hartford In to 1930 He moved up to with Beaumont In 1932 But he reached with Detroit in 1933 The greatest pitching rookie that I recall was Grover Cleveland Alex Alex- ander Reporting from Syracuse to the lowly Phillies in 1911 Alex won 28 games his first year He was wasa a rookie you dream about Among the time all-time rookies I find that Chuck Klein of ot the Phillies Lou Gehrig of ot the Yankees and Jimmy Foxx of ot the Athletics were around the top top possibly possibly the best They began began began be be- gan tearing down do fences shortly aCter after after aft aCt er arrival The year 1946 had Its full share of ot exceptional rookies in including In- In Del Ennis of ot the Phillies Furillo Whitman and Edward of ot the Dodgers The second year is the big test Frank Frisch tells me mc the test for tor the hot rookie and the young fellow tellow moving up Good rookies often fold up after a good first year They take too much for granted Some slower starters can press them thema a mile in the second season Smarter Smart Smart- er fellows with more hustle This new season may be packed with exceptional rookies t facing G GI veterans who were not too hot last ye year It will be an interesting study to see how they come along The Top for or 1947 1917 A correspondent has asked us to forecast sports sport's top name of the year for tor 1947 What was sports sport's top name for 1946 Joe 1946 Joe Louis Eddie Dyer Leo Durocher Bob Feller Stan Musi Ted Williams Hank Greenberg Armed Assault Red Blaik Black Frank Leahy Jack Kramer Ben Hogan Eddie Arcaro Bob Wa- Wa Charlie Davis and Blanchard Joe Cronin Suppose you try to pick a name from this list There was certainly no Babe Ruth around last season There was was no noTy noTy noTy Ty Cobb There was no Jack Demp Demp- sey There was no Jim Thorpe no Knute Rockne no Bobby Jones and no Walter Dagen My vote for tor 1946 would go to Stan the best around all baseball player player Glenn Glenn Davis the best around all-around football player As player As Assault sault the best horse and Ben Hogan Hogan Hogan Ho Ho- gan the best golfer goUer It takes the high mark of ot competition competition com corn petition to make a n top performer and Davis Assault and Hog Hogan Hogan Ho- Ho g gan took the lead |