Show I ly I II I G I II I II IF IF F THERE was a matter of of a I million dollars at stake and y you u as manager had to pick the gr greatest great great- at- at est one-game one pitcher for a particular lar contest what contest what hurler would you select Years ago I asked Connie Mack this question and he had a aready aready aready ready answer His pick was Charles Albert Bender the Chippewa Chief the wiry Indian who was not only a aI I great pitcher but always at his best when the blue chips were on m the line I Weve had some pretty fair pitchers pitch pitch- ers on the Athletics in our time Connie said I II 1 I mean Rube Waddell Waddell Waddell Wad- Wad dell dell Lefty Grove Eddie Plank Herb k Pennock George GeorgeI f I I Earnshaw and i many many others Some of these undoubtedly undoubted undoubted- I ly had more stuff than Chief Bender y x I had hafI But Bender F was always at his P peak oak in a game you Phad had to win On that Grantland Rice one day you knew he would be at his best best and and the million million million mil mil- lion dollars would only key him up not not let him down I know there have been better pitchers over a season or through many years But in a pinch where the pressure was heavy where the stake was high Bender was a hard hardman hardman hardman man to beat And he would be just justas as cool and as relaxed for a million as he would be for a dime After this talk I put the same problem up to Frank Frisch one of the smartest men baseball has ever everI I produced one of its greatest com competitors peti tors Picks Dizzy Dean Bender was a little before my day Frank said Under the conditions conditions conditions con con- you have named I think my pick would be Dizzy Dean Dizzy Dizzy Dizzy Diz Diz- zy was not only a great pitcher buthe but buthe buthe he also loved he spotlight Also the pressure His biggest thrill was in meeting Carl Hubbell But competing competing competing ing against any star pitcher delighted delighted delighted de de- de- de lighted Dean And dont don't forget that Dizzy had everything a great pitcher pitch pitch- needs fine er blazing speed a curve ball change ball change of pace pace good good control control and and above all unbeatable confidence in Dizzy Dean With a million dollars at stake Dizzy would have been unbeatable at least as close to unbeatable under under under un un- I der such conditions as anyone I ever saw For he would have revelled at such a chance Even a billion dollars would never have bothered Ole Diz That's what I mean by naming such a pitcher Remember this is not a matter of naming the games game's greatest pitcher pitch pitch- er through a season or through many years It is the matter of naming the pitcher you would select under the heaviest sort of pressure for one vitally important game Christy Mathewson in his prime belongs in this class Few people today remember the Matty who pitched three successive shutouts a against the Athletics in the 1905 World Series The million dollars would never have bothered Matty Tatty He lost the Giant-Cub Giant play playoff off of in 1908 probably 1908 probably the most important single game ever played played but but how many know he tackled this game with an arm so sore and tired that he could barely lift it when he began warming up For that season Matty had won 37 games and saved 12 others Great Old Alex Ill I'll give you another tough million million million mil mil- lion dollar competitor in in or out of condition His name is Grover Cleveland Alexander Here was as great a combination of heart head and arm as I have ever seen As Asa a rookie in 1911 he won won 28 games Alex was another who took new inspiration from a tough spot even evenin evenin evenin in his fading years ears when he was in inno inno inno no shape to handle the job But he still handled it as Tony Lazzeri of the Yankees remembers in the 1926 World series when Alex fanned him rim with the bases full And there is Ed Walsh of the White Sox the Sox the pitcher Ty Cobb names as the greatest of all time for a period of five years Walsh was wasa wasu a u 40 game winner winner and and at his best bestin in a hot spot So here we have named such blue chip stars as Bender Bend Bend- er Dean Mathewson Alexander and Walsh And there is always Carl Hubbell These big dough doughI I entries were sure to be at their I best for one big game one game one vital vita contest I I have another nomination who belongs in this listing Walter Johnson John j jI son winner of games with a I weak-hitting weak Washington club I Odd Ring Styles I I We were talking with Dumb Dan Morgan who has only been mixed I I up with the ri ring g game for a trifle more than 50 years about various various' ring styles Dumb Dan brought uRLee up uR Lee Oma possibly the best heavyweight heavy heavyweight weight on the home front 1 Oma Orna is an odd one to the present pres I ent generation Morgan said with i his way of dropping bh hands walking by an opponent as ns if taking I II a stroll looking over one shoulder I as ns he goes by and then suddenly turning and ond leading the attack I |