Show Q CE BASEBALL owners managers I D players and writers often otten can be ba wrong So can baseball fans who fans who dont don't like to admit it It Here is a letter from an ardent Ozark country rooter Why dont don't you fellows admit that thai all nil the great ball players of ot modern mod ern time come from the Ozark country where they can run and throw I mean L Arkansas Missouri z Oklahoma and Texas Tex Tex- as I mean such fellows as Dean Hubbell Pepper r Martin Warneke and others Also this Cardinal ball club that whipped the eastern p p. p Martin ers ers- ers and and the eastern Red Sox last year We have the legs and arms In this rugged country country country coun coun- try that the East doesn't have In mingling and hanging around with the Cardinals one of our favorite favorite favorite fa fa- fa- fa ball clubs we began bega a slight check In a vague way we also had the Idea that this running fast-running hard- hard throwing Dg hustling team was a product product product prod prod- of ot the cottonwood trail the country country coun try where men have arms and legs and take desperate chances But we ran across a different answer in checking with the worlds world's champions cham cham- For example there example there was Enos Bradsher Country Slaughter a ball player as typical of Cardinal strength as any man you yon can find finda a a ball player with a great arm armand armand armand and a pair of flying fast legs Country Slaughter should have been a typical But we discovered that Slaughter came from Roxboro N. N C C. and he got his start In the South Atlantic league with Columbus Ga Well what about George John Whitey Kurowski as good a third baseman as you'll meet today Whitey Kurowski came from Reading Pa playing with Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth Ports Ports- mouth in the Middle Atlantic league where he hit only Come From Everywhere Marty Marion Marlon certainly must be bea a member of the cottonwood trail But we find that Marty came from Richburg S. S C. C before moving to Rochester for his baseball tion Marty was with Rochester three thre years before they decided he could handle an infield rap But what about Stanley Frank Mu- Mu sial the nd ball ballplayer ballplayer ballplayer player in the game reports from Donora Pa and almost his entire early career was along the Atlantic seaboard until he came to the Cardinals six years years' ago Terry Moore came up from Memphis Memphis Memphis Mem Mem- Howie Howle Pollet Pallet from New Orleans Or Or- leans worked In the East Johnny Beazley is from Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Ten Ten- the city being Nashville The Ozark landscape certainly has hassent hassent hassent sent in its share of great ball players play play- ers More than Its share It Is surprising how many fans think of these running hard hard- hard throwing hard-fighting hard Cardinals as asa asa asa a rather rough bunch from the Ozark landscape But Bot this Cardinal camp is one of the quietest and most orderly I have seen They are all well-dressed well well-behaved well rather voiced soft-voiced and a always ways friendly Lon an Ozark Boy BoyI I still miss my old tobacco chew ing pal Lon Warneke who could wash down a big hunk of tobacco with a bottle of beer Lon from Mt Ida Ark held the around all tobacco-chewing tobacco championship He has n no successor on the Cardinals today The Cardinals Cardinals' manager Eddie Dyer Is probably be best t described as the exact opposite of Leo Durocher his hottest rival another great manager man man- ager Dyer Is a graduate of Rice institute in Texas one of the leading leading leading lead lead- ing institutions of learning In this country The rumor Is that he was wasa a Phi Beta Kappa He was also a football star one of the best In Texas Texas Tex Tex- as In his time He Is a quiet soft- soft spoken Texan who has few arguments arguments arguments ments with umpires or anyone else But dont don't forget that he knows his trade As a minor league manager in the Cardinal farm system he be kept sending along ballplayers who made good Dyer had retired from baseball to to work In the oil business with his two brothers In Houston Tex when Sam Breadon sent for him to fill fin In for Billy Southworth As easy going as s Dyer seems tobe tobe to tobe be there is nothing soft about him You dont don't get to be the best blocking back in Texas football if U youre you're on the soft side Dyer Dye has the respect and affection of h his s squad My team wants to play winning baseball he told me I dont don't have to watch their hours They love the game and lik like to win They keep in shape I dont don't want anyone around I have to watch Just give me men like Terry Moore Marty Marlon Marion Stan Country Slaughter Whitey KurowskI Red Munger l Howie Pollet and a few more like these and and I dont don't dont have to worry Whatever happens I know they are giving the team per per cent of all they have That seemed to be quite enough in 1946 1940 Ask the e Red Sox j |