Show A W AN V R DOCKY GRAZIANO the dead av end kid from brooklyn is now middleweight champion of the world rocky Is not what bod would call a lovable or a likeable character packed with intelli genco and charm but he is still the middle middleweight we ight champion of the toughest division we have the tha only active division wa NO U have left ills his pro profession fessio n la is prize lighting fighting which is the lowest form of making a graziano Graz lano living and the toughest but it is still his profession and it is a pro that demands certain important qualities before you reach tile tho top As we understand the case bra was barred in new york by the district attorneys office with eddla eddie eagan of the boxing commission forced into a position lie he was never too keen about grazi anos main offense was a matter of politics too many were looking for headlines this is a normal situation As wo we have said before graziano Graz lano Is not a likeable or a lovable character but lie has proved that lie ho ran can fight lie wear I 1 a tie he and his bis manners leave much to be desired but he can nail you and hurt you and that happens to bo be ins his trade the main answer is that right now graziano Graz lano is the middleweight champion of the world I 1 here is no one even close to joe louis in tho the heavyweights heavy weights there is no one even cl close io gus lesnevitch or ray ady robinson in their class they are three robinson crushes on a desert island but outside oi of tony zale graz ano still has lamotta and cerdan left and one or two others ile he happens to be in alic land flowing with milk and lioney honey and I 1 believe lie he has earned ills his place to make ake one of the big killings of his game he proved both his ability and his gameness against zale chehad to hurdle the handicap of their first fight where he was accused of taking a quick powder he was being beaten again when he came from behind to win lie he hadbo had to show double courage here hans successor in lining up baseballs all time stars you run across abne one spot that has only one guardsman back of the bat you have mickey cochrane bill dickey gabby cabby hartnett johnny kling and back in the tha dim past a great catcher remembered as buck ewing a master in the box we have cy young walter johnson christy mathew sod aon old pete alexander carl hubbell rube waddell lefty grove and others at firof first we have george sisilee i lou gehrig hal chase and bill terry at second there arc ale eddie collins pie traynor art devlin and bill bradley in the lie outfield we have ty cobb babe ruth kuth tris speaker joe jackson and joe but at shortstop we come to a big shuffling bowlegged wonder by the name of honus wagner wagner has been so far in front of all other shortstops short stops as an alli around star fielder hitter and base runner that no one else has hag been offered in comparison such names as herman lierman long hughey jennings travis jackson dave bancroft and marty marion have been given their share of acclaim but norie none 0 ot t these has been even close to wagner the flying dutchman led his league seven years lie was a hitter lie ile could ste steal alfrom from 45 to 65 55 bases a season according to john mcgraw and ed barroll two of baseballs smartest hans Is s tho the greatest ballplayer of all time who comes second As both put it wagner was waa a great shortstop short stopa i great third baseman a star outfielder a good cherone cat ono of the greatest I 1 of an all hitters and base runners wagner still stands alone at short but who is the second choice who belongs closer tp pitts burghs brilliant star our guess is lou boudreau of cleveland boudreau has had to tb carry the extra burden bur denof of fiand handling ling a losing ball club in this respect he has done everything you ou could ask with indifferent material year after year lie he has been a brilliant infielder and this season he his has been among the leaders of the american league at bat for some odd reason outside of wagner few shortstops short stops are hitters boudreau wagner but he is at least clos cl efto a grip on the no 2 spot at the agile art of short stopping helas he was born bom in 1917 and entered baseball in 1938 with the three eye league after two season at t thu th U of before the yer basup was up cleveland grabbed him lie he has been hitting around 1 |