Show Cobb Knew Way Around Bases I By GRANTLAND RICE had a nice visit with an old friend I the other night at Toots His name happens to be Ty I was playing a game called poker in the office of the Atlanta Journal Back in 1903 when a telegram ar- was- much I wired back never Jiving heard of Ty this the mails are fast enough for Who is I found out I still believe the original telegram was sent by After that he bombarded me with numerous signed by various Cobb then was 17 or He was thinking fairly fast as a Ty still figures that the great division in baseball between skill and power was started by Babe This is no knock at You can't knock a tidal wave or a the Babe came Ty was largely a matter of speed and skill plus Home runs were Home Run Baker got his name by hitting nine home runs back in 1911 and two more in the world series against the Giants off and Most of us choked bats and pumped the ball to right or Then we depended on base running speed or the Babe reported the game went entirely to The Babe was the greatest power hitter baseball has ever no matter who might break his famous But the Babe changed the old a great all-around meant home Don't forget the Babe was also a great pitcher and also a fine But most of all the Babe's biggest asset was home This Is all The Babe was probably as fine a pitcher as he was a But it was the big blow that brought him Cobb was an accurate hitter and a cyclone on the base We won't try to settle the age-old argument between power and The Cobb Rating Ty Cobb looking younger than his likes the old game better the game that belonged to skill and Cobb stole close to His base running was even more Important than his steals going from first to home on a Today a slugger who doesn't get at least 20 or 25 home runs Is a I recall a conversation many years ago between Cobb and Ring I wanted to take a full and go after home I could have had my Cobb don't Ring said Lardner was a great Cobb over the Babe or anyone In the next two days in St. Cobb got three home runs the first game and two in the as I recall Five home runs in Is Cobb wired back to hitting and Ring like you better that Cobb employed a greater combination of brains and skill than any ballplayer that ever Ty Cobb's life was baseball for over 24 active The Babe loved baseball just as much as Cobb but he had other The Third Big League Will there be a new third big And if will it be on the Pacific or a new league involving Los San The West Coast knows it Isn't ready in a ball-park way to handle a big league at this But here is the Pacific Coast idea as It Is given to me by one of the prominent club want to be a new third league- as soon as But things must take place before we are We locate young stars and either have to sell them or see them If we knew we could keep these players such men as the two Ted Joe Gordon and many others we could then build much bigger We need parks from to have been asked if wo could afford to pay a DiMaggio or a Williams or a Feller from to Not of But given new parks we could easily afford to pay those amounts and even The Heavyweight Cap The last high-grade heavyweight that happened to come along was Joe That was some 16 years back in 1935 when he knocked out Primo King and Max Louis wasn't the champion but he was the best heavyweight In the |