Show Sigh for liah s Hes He's on the Spot I Bv By GRANTLAND RICE I NEW YORK YORK Before Before Bill landed in St. St Louis Cardinals' Cardinals owner Fred was in a soft spot By that I mean he could make mistakes and the cost was light It will be different now He happens happens happens hap hap- pens to be up against one of the smartest showmen one of the most aggressive club owners since Larry Larry Larry Lar Lar- ry MacPhail left for Maryland Owner got rid of Eddie Dyer and Marty Marion two popular and q also two able managers managers managers man man- agers who happened happened happened hap hap- to have an unusually 1 a rg e ey y number o of friends a and n d supporters s The Cardinals belong belong belong be be- long to Fred and he had this Grantland Rice right But the great majority of ot experts do not believe any manager could have done better than these two I know last spring at St. St Petersburg where the Cardinals were in training training training train train- ing fifth place was the spot assigned assigned assigned as as- signed to the club by those who traveled with the various teams that came along Marty Marion wound up in the third spot so he couldn't have been too bad The National League race was a two-club two race last sum sum- mer It should be a two-club two affair this next summer And theres there's a good chance that someone else or maybe more than one will beat out the Cardinals and edge them further further further fur fur- ther down the list than third place A manager could do a afine afine afine fine job and this could still hap hap- pen Fred has always been overenthusiastic over his squad which is OK for everybody except his manager A manager doesn't care to be picked as a second-place second finisher with a second-division second ball club The Cardinals have been working with too many men who were around nine or ten years ago Even Stan the best ballplayer ballplayer ballplayer ball ball- player In the game is no kid Stan Stanis is 31 years old and this will be his season with the Cardinals Country Slaughter another fine ballplayer has been around even longer The Cardinals are no kid outfit The Brownie nie Case There are no sure things In sport or anywhere else But one of the surer things is that Bill and Rogers Hornsby will start churning things up in St. St Louis Both are smart baseball men Hornsby not only knows good and bad baseball players but he knows how to handle them He is beyond any question the best instructor instructor in in- baseball has ever known Ive I've talked to too many weak hitters that he Improved They'll tell you how good he Is This Isone isone Is Is' Isone one of baseballs baseball's weak spots spots lack lack of good instructors They are a m avital vital part of a winning squad Bill Dickey proved with Yogi Berra what a good teacher can do Hornsby has proved it on many oc oc- cas ions He will prove it again Bill Is also a realist Fred Isn't Is more morea mores a s dreamer dreamer dreamer-an an optimist who can see a pennant winner In what actually might be a second second sec sea ond and division outfit Fred expects expects expects ex ex- ex- ex far more than any McGraw Mack or McCarthy could ever give him It is still a question as to how well St. St Louis is going to support two ball clubs The Browns have hava been nothing to support So outside outside out out- side of ot one or two seasons in thelast thelast thelast the the- last four decades St. St Louis has only had bad one ball club worth while This was the Cardinals It will be be- different next summer If not next summer it will be entirely different different different differ differ- ent by 1953 No one can expect too toe much from and Hornsby in the first year of operation But give them a little time Best Conditioned Athletes A note from One Tyrus Raymond Cobb of ot Royston Ga and Menlo Menlo- Park Cal Cat announces he is working working working work- work ing his way ba back ck to the good old olet Pink of Condition again Maybe not quite the same a as 1905 he says but as close as I II III I can get Which reminds us that Ty was 65 years old on December 15 IS and also that he was by all odds odds-i in his prime the greatest conditioned conditioned condi condl- athlete that any sport has has' ever shown How can I prove this 1 cant But nut here are just a few facts and figures Cobb batted for Detroit in 1905 workIng working working work work- ing in 41 ball games In 1927 Cobb was 41 years old This was his season under the Big Tent Yet that season far beyond beyond be be- yond the age of veterans staggering stagger stagger-f ing around today Cobb played j games batted and stole 22 bases He finished a great career in 1928 with games base base- basel base hits stolen bases and a grand grand k time all-time year 24 batting mark of ot If It you dont don't think that record I called for practically perfect condition condition con con- try it out some time Even Evenin Eveaj In his league big-league season at ti tithe the age of 42 Ty batted which isn't considered puny today Cobb knew how to train better than any ballplayer I ever knew knewl I |