Show G RICE CARL ARL HUBBELL brought out a n neat point the other day It was Carls jCarl's liCarI's idea that too many good ballplayers ballplayers ballplayers ball- ball players were left in the minors too long and often were facing baseballs baseball's I middle age before the they y yr were given a abig abig r- r big league chance Well We'll give you a leading example t along this line The t name is Roaring Rip a 6 Sewell of the Pirates Pirates Pirates Pi Pi- rates now the leady leading leading lead lead- y ing pitcher in both leagues I n IC Carl arl i Hubbell Rip Sewell was born in ln Decatur Ala 35 years ago For the first eight years of his wanderings sewell ewell pitched for Nashville Nashville Nashville Nash Nash- ville Raleigh Toronto Beaumont Detroit Seattle Toledo Louisville and Buffalo Rip was 30 years old before he reported to Pittsburgh at atan atan atan an age of baseball servitude when most pitchers are supposed to be over the hill Or at least facing in that general direction In spite Of bf f this late start Alabama Rip turned in 57 victories in four years for Pittsburgh up through 1942 A year ago at the age of 34 Sewell won 17 games for the Pirates Winning Winning Winning Win Win- Win Win- ning 17 games for the Pirates last season was no kindergarten work Late last winter in company with Frank Graham and Lou Little we listened to Frank Frisch give out his sobbing notes The Fordham Flash that winter afternoon was in a low and melancholy melancholy melancholy melan melan- choly state He was especially shy on pitchers He admitted that Rip Sewell was smart and game but at the age of 35 after so many pitching years he wasn't to be compared to such men as Mort l Cooper Pollet Vander Vander Vander Van- Van der Meer l Riddle and many others But the snows of winter have given given given en away away to the blazing heat of late August And who is in front of the parade A fellow by the name of Rip Sewell i the first pitcher in either league to win his game the first pitcher in either league to make it eight in ina ina ina a row As Mort Cooper of the Cardinals told me me Rip Rip is one of the smartest smartest smartest smart smart- est pitchers I ever saw He can drive a nail with his control contro The Mystery What we cant can't understand is why pitchers such as Carl Hubbell and Rip Sewell were allowed to dr drift t around year after year before they were finally given a big league chance Carl Hubbell was a first class pitcher and a promising prospect in in 1923 and it was 1928 before the Giants finally decided he might have something packed away in that left arm The same is true of Rip Sewell There are any number of ballplayers ballplay ballplay- ers today in minor leagues who are much better than any number of big leaguers One answer is that after the war there should be a new distribution of big league cities To this list you youcan youcan can ean add such places as Los Angeles Baltimore San Francisco and Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo falo all major sporting centers The major league situation was set up many years ago before centers centers centers cen cen- of population and sporting interest Interest Interest In in- terest took a big switch If U the present setup is continued there is almost certain to be a third major league There can be a large number of changes in the general sporting situation situation situation situ situ- after this war is over Left Let Handed Golfers In this summer mid-summer season it is easy enough to start an argument Especially camp arguments The latest one that has broken out or rather has been renewed is whether the right hander or the left hander has a better average in sport There are more right handers than left handers so the former get the jump lump when it comes to quantity The quality side can stand a brief debate Different games have different an an- For example no left bander hander that I can recall has ever won von a National Open or a National Amateur Amateur Amateur Ama Ama- golf championship There are and have been good goodleft goodleft goodleft left handed banded golfers But no Bobby Jones Walter Hagen Gene Byron Nelson or Ben Hogan No one has been able to explain this p peculiar culiar side of golf It just happens that way You would think that once in a while at least a left handed golfer would slip in and nip off a big title It hasn't happened yet Baseball is entirely different Here the proud southpaw can hold his own in either hitting or pitching Championship tennis has known a few fine left handers Heading the list i is s Norman Brookes of Australia Then there was Murray Left handers in tennis nevertheless less have had a much better average average aver aver- age than left handers in golf goU In the course of the last 20 years or so we have probably heard a thousand different reasons wh why left handers banders cant can't win major champion ships Few of them make any sense I t t |