Show 0 R CE S SEVEN EVEN American league cities cities' club owners and managers ar art are already wondering how they are goto go go- to o keep the Yankees from an- an mo o 0 common canter next seasonS season I S S they haven't found the an Maybe there isn't isn any answer I There is certainly no solace at hand in suggesting that the Yankees I are growing old I 3 The vital sta statistics t show that a ball balli ballplayers ballplayer's i S players player's prime is I somewhere between 26 and 30 It is here tS he has the combination s tion lion of youth and experience linked together For example example ex ex- I ample Ty Cobb was wasS S 26 when he had his I w greatest season in 1911 when 1911 when he bat bat- Grantland Rice ted I How does this concern the Yankees 1 I Well WeIl Di DiMaggio is 27 Gordon is I 26 Killer Keller is 25 Henrich is 25 Rizzuto is 23 Sturm is 25 and Bonham Russo Donald and Breuer are all under lUIder 29 Its It's true that William Malcolm Dickey better known as Arkansas Bill is 34 3 But Dickey always in condition is good for 80 or 90 games and Buddy Rosar Dickeys Dickey's understudy under stud study is on only I 27 Red Rolfe RoUe is 33 Ruffing and Gomez are no longer in the kid class But Priddy j is only 22 22 and there is some first first- class talent coming up from Newark and Kansas City The Yankees in the main arc are still a young oung team team team-a a team that thatis thatis is in its active prime And there i is still Joe McCarthy l at the head with his team blending ln influence No I wonder the other American league clubs are in a sadly barred baffled frame I of mind I For while the Yankees have been mauling all National league rivals with considerable gusto they also have been mauling their own league just as lustily i I Great 2nd n Basemen Joe Gordons Gordon's performance in the thelast thelast thelast I last World series will more than hold its place when the Hot Stove league opens its winter session In Gordons Gordon's case It might be remembered remembered remembered re re- that he is still a young oung fellow with 8 to 10 seasons left in his wiry system and this is too soon to compare him with the masters of the past In this masters master list you'll find Nap Lajoie Eddie Collins Frank Frisch Rogers Hornsby and Hornsby-and and these four are enough Lajoie the most graceful of all ball players was also a normal hitter hiller Eddie Collins was faster than titan the big Frenchman and in hi addition ad ado addition was a or hitter Hornsby was the best hitter of the lot with a consecutive year four I mark above Bill Hanna lIanna one of I Ithe the wisest of or all the baseball ex ex- always ranked Hornsby and Ed Delehanty as the two greatest right handed hitters of or all time time not not even barring Wagner and Lajoie Frank Franl Frisch was another great second I baseman fast aggressive smart ant an and dangerous at bat I It would be foolish to start ranking ranking Gordon in his fourth big league I season with these veterans starred for 15 or 20 years each ID I'D I Isay say in behalf behal of Gordon however that on the defense he can make plays I dont don't believe any other sec secand second second ond and baseman could match About 3rd Basemen In any event there are no third basemen now around who even can be compared with the best of or other years Jimmy years Jimmy Collins of Boston oston Bill ilI Bradley rull e of or Cleveland Buck Weaver of the White Sox to mention only three Collins a fine artist was also a a. a normal hitter hitter almost almost as graceful graceful grace grace- ful at third as Lajoie was at second Buck Weaver is Ty Cobbs Cobb's all all- time pick and Buck isn't far Car away from the top Red Rolfe RoUe in better health health might have been a closer challenger Efficiency lcy can also be costly at times For example there are the Ya ees They have needed Just 36 games to win their last eight World series competitions If U they had been somewhat less efficient and had needed the full ruIl seven-game seven quota to win their titles these eight World series contests would have required 56 games This means 20 possible extra games ames blown off the docket or a matter of some which is quite a chunk of cash that combined ability and honesty have cost various club own own- ers erSt third-strike third entanglement entanglement entanglement l Mickey ey Owens Owen's glement in the fourth game of the series undoubtedly cost both ball clubs over I ItI was standing close by at the moment It Joe DiMaggio tells me hoping for my time at bat I can testify that that curve of Casey's broke with unusual speed and sharp sharp- ness Tommy Henrich is a coolheaded cool cool- headed quick eyes hitter Tommy is a hard one to fool tool But he must have missed that sharp hook by at least a foot Standing where J was as close by it is easy to understand why y that third strike got cot away |