Show I Shooting at Cobbs Cobb's pHERE HERE Is a certain mark In THERE JL 1 baseball and thero there are only two ballplayers now h hanging a n g gin I n g around who have even a faint wisp of a chance to equal or beat It The mark Is Ig Ty Cobbs Cobb's lifetime lifetime life life- time batting average of Here is one of the greatest records that sport has ever known The is high enough But when you figure this represents 24 years of play against t the h e t top a p tr pitchers from almost almost al nl- al- al most three decades dec ades the picture c takes on added JM 4 greatness The two players referred to are Ted r- r Williams of the Red Sox and Stan Stani j 1 i- i 4 Mus I a 1 0 of f the Cardinals Neither TY COBB conn will ever last for any 24 years But each ench has at least a long shot outside outside outside out out- side chance of meeting the 67 challenge by hitting from to for the remainder of ot of what would v have to b bj b. a miracle career You might be interested in selecting selecting selecting select select- ing the leaders from past cam cam- Here they are areTy areTy are arc Ty Cobb Cobb 21 years Rogers Hornsby 19 19 years Joe Jackson Jackson lO 10 years Billy Hamilton 11 years Dan Brouthers Ed Delehanty Willie Wlllie Keeler Tris Tria Speaker Babe I Ruth Harry Heilmann Bill Terry I and George follow in order I from to Lou Gehrig finIshed finished finished fin fin- at two points under Babe Ruths Ruth's Ted Williams today is slightly I over and Stan lifetime life lUe- time record to date is Ted Williams is 30 years old and should have at least seven or eight good years left The war cut into his chance for any longtime mark and it also hit him just as he was approaching his peak penk His average average average aver aver- age was when he gave three years to the service is only 28 years old and should have 10 seasons season left His Ilis mark is Both Williams and could launch their wiry frames on batting splurges and finish close But it would take tako miracle hitting One Ole thing to their advantage Is they dont don't have to hit against such pitchers a Johnson Young Joss Walsh Wood Donovan etc Joe DiMaggio is out of the race Joe is now 34 years old He has been around as an active pro since 1932 when he was with San Francisco Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco and that was 16 years ago He can have only a few big years left and his lifetime average is only around So only the Red Sox and the Cardinal aces have any chance to mingle with the Cobbs and the the Joe Jacksons and the Billy Hamiltons above Two Greatest Records Ty Cobb set more records than thanin an in adding machine can handle in a al l day idy y But there are two that are almost almot unbelievable The first of nis Incredible performances has already been named that named that of finishing fin fin- n. n with a lifetime average- average taking in 24 years years years-of of Here are two leading examples Hans Wagner and Nap Lajoie are still remembered as two of the tile greatest hitters of all time I saw both Wagner and Lajoie in the years of their prime Both were masters of the ash Yet after 2 21 years Lajoie's time all mark was and Wagners Wagner's was Heres Here's another angle After 16 or 17 years both Lajoie and Wagner began to fade away from their twin peaks But after Cobb had completed 20 years his batting average average- for forthe forthe forthe the last four years were and the the last mark was in Cobbs Cobb's cam cam- At the end of 20 years Cobbs Cobb's mark was around Cobbs Cobb's other high mark was just justa a a. a amazing Hans Wagner led th thE National league in batting through eight seasons Hornsby led his league seven times But from 1907 through 1919 Ty Cobb led the American league in 12 out of or 13 years He led nine consecutive years was finally stopped by Tris Speaker in 1916 and then cam back nn to the front In 1917 1918 and In 1922 Just 1 r years after he reported reported re- re ported to Detroit Cobb made his final challenge He batted that year but George Sisters Sister's was more than the veteran could match Check back and you'll find few few ballplayers still stUl around after seventeen seventeen sev sev- enteen major league years To find one good enough to pass Is something else again I There are a few records that thai will not note e e broken that anyone now living will ever know about One is Babe Ruths Ruth's output of home runs The other is Cy Youngs Young's pitching p record ot oi big league victories The other two belong to Ty Cobb for 24 years lead ing the Ule American league in 12 out of 13 consecutive seasons |