Show j I T WAS standing witha with brace of ballplayers ball ball- players watching a number of pro golfers practicing before a recent tournament Each one must have belted out at least shots I 11 wish we had that chance one ballplayer said We get to the park and probably get 10 or 12 swings We should a chance to hit at or more pitches every day This is quite true Early each spring Ty Cobb would practice hitting hitting hit hit- ting at home for two hours a day Ty would get more batting practice ina in ina a month than all other b ballplayers got in hi a year Ive I've been heading south for some 40 years of spring practice I can recall few ballplayers ball ball- players in that timet time t who took the tro trouble ble bleto to get in extra 2 Fl work swinging a r.- r. bat Cobb got his 4 work at home Ty often was a holdout not for more money P but to really get ready for a tough t campaign He was supposed to be holdout in a Ty Cobb 1911 That spring he heTy was was' working overtime hitting and sliding at home He reported at Terre Ter Ter- re Haute on April 7 The season opened around April 12 Cobb was roughly criticized Only five days of training they said no way to treat his club They knew nothing about his homework homework homework home home- work at Royston All Cobb did that season was to bat and steal something like 83 bases It was one of his best years I believe a Cobb would be better off oft training at home in his own way than reporting reporting reporting re re- re- re porting at any spring training camp He would have more time to build himself up Cobb had the ambition that too many ballplayers lack possibly 70 per per cent of them Too many want It the softer and easier way not the hard way of training discipline and hard work Among others therell there'll be two ballplayers ballplayers ballplayers ball ball- players Im I'm rooting for this season One is Ewell Ewe Blackwell the other is Ralph Kiner Both have potential probabilities of greatness Both know their responsibilities which so many ballplayers dont don't S S S The Star All All-A All rounder Who Vho Is your nomination for the best around all-around football player of all time We happened to be at a gathering that included such well known names as Jeff Cravath of Southern California Mel Hein Hem of the Giants Joe Bob Snyder Morley Drury and perhaps a dozen others others oth oth- ers known to gridiron fame More than a few names were entered entered en en- in the argument Jim Thorpe Ernie Nevers Red Grange Bronko George Gipp Don Hutson these were all amon among the leading candidates for this highly mythical honor bonor If U you were picking the greatest greatest great great- est backs I suppose you'd have to name Thorpe and Nevers Cravath said Probably Thorpe on his big days But for the allaround allaround all all- around combination I dont don't see how you can get away from Na Na- gurski a great tackle a star end a wrecking fullback and passer I believe the Bronk Dronk would have made a good While he weighed around pounds he was also fast and shifty One answer is that 11 could wreck any other one name eleven although 11 Nevers and 11 wouldn't be any shove shove- arounds after a little Utile line ence Seven Bronks would be too good a line to run against Cravath's statement drew heavy backing from most of the others Oddly enough It happened to be Grange who led all others at the box office Red had an appeal beyond Thorpe or any other single star al although although although al- al though he was only a fair passer Grange made more out of football than any other star star more more than double the amount when you consider consider consider con con- sider all the cash that came hi his way through his football fame Joe Louis' Louis Last Stop Joe Louis says his return engagement engagement engage engage- ment with Jersey Joe Walcott inJune In InJune inJune June will be his last stop It has been a long time tune since the Bomber came out of Detroit and the Golden Gloves to knock out Jack Kracken in one round in his first professional fight No one should exI expect expect expect ex- ex I 1 Louis to be the same fighter he was at that time or when he won 1 the title When you reach the top you ou usually begin to soften up in a short time and the wonder Is that Louis is still champion The main answer has been lack of competition tion lack of quality in the other cor cor- ner ncr The public at large was badly badly bad bad- ad- ad ly Iy jolted by the Bombers Bomber's performance performance per per- against Walcott They took it for granted the Louis of 1917 was still the thc Louis of 1937 There Is a mighty big difference Jack Dempsey was at his peak at atthe atthe the flue age of 24 He was over the thc hill tt It the age of 31 and through at the ige age of 32 Louis is now three years Ider than Dempsey was R. R I 6 1 i- i Z I |