Show 0 CA AND ANI R CE TT IT T MUST be understood in advance A that it is the minor leagues and the colleges that make the major major major ma ma- jor leagues what they are And youcan you youcan youcan can include the sand lots who furnish furnish furnish fur fur- nish their full supply of stars The big leagues stand and wait But it is the case of Lou recently turned back by the Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago Cubs Cub s that proves again the number of brilliants brilliant minor league stars ti who can shine in their own domain x y but are only dim yS in the wind wh when e n they move into faster Y company fis Y Lou N is no outstanding Lou I tion He is merely one of many For example I recall from my earlier years the case of Three-Finger Three Jack Hulseman of Shreveport who could hit in the Southern league lead that circuit more than once and yet finished around in the majors And Hulseman was a great hitter hitter but but only in the minors A day or two ago I had a fan session with Lt Bill Dickey late of I Ithe the Yankees and Duster Mails one of the best pitchers of his day 20 20 some odds odd years ago I could name you 30 the Duster said Do you recall Paul Strand Paul hit over with Salt Lake What a hitter Paul was a minor league hitter But a big league hitter Ill give you another Do you remember remember re re- re- re member Ike Boone the Alabama I football and baseball star T There ere w sv was s a great football and baseball player Ike came to the Missions on the west coast in a tough league with a bad right arm He really had only one arm he could use A Flo Flop in Big Bib r Time But in his first 27 games that season Ike batted He was ter ter- ter- ter rifle We all said that with two good arms hed he'd hit He was big game strong a natural athlete and a natural hitter But in the big leagues with at least one or two clubs he was a steady hitter And there was Jolley with the Red Sox Sox 6 6 feet 3 3 pounds one of the greatest minor league hitters bitters I ever saw He had everything In the big leagues he hit maybe There was Bevo LeBourveau of the Phillies and Giants terrific Giants terrific in inthe inthe inthe the minors minors but but a flop in the big time I could name you 20 great minor league hitters who couldn't hit the size of their hats in the majors And this includes the great Russian Rus Rus- sian who sian who can hit everything everything everything every every- thing in the minors and nothing inthe in inthe inthe the majors One trouble with the minors Dickey said Is this this the the pitchers pitch pitch- ers or the catchers often fail to discover discover discover dis dis- dis- dis cover the batters' batters weakness Well We'll take Lou He can murder a certain type of pitch He cant can't even foul a fast one inside But dont don't ever give him a fast one outside Hell He'll murder it At least that's what I hear All I know is that after being being being be be- ing with the Yankees in the Ameri Ameri- eri- eri can league so many years I 1 know just about what every fellow likes to swing at and at-and and also what he DOESN'T like to swing at And what a difference that makes As a side remark Id I'd like to add that Bill Dickey knew more about American league hitters than any catcher in the history of baseball He knew everything they liked liked and and everything they didn't like Greatest Hitter There was one exception His name is Ted Williams of the Red Sox There is the greatest hitter I 1 ever saw Dickey went on Hed He'd never swing at a ball two inches off the plate Williams could wait for fora a fast ball or a fast curve until it ws almost in my glove Then if he liked it hed he'd even hook it to left Ted had the swiftest reactions Ive I've ever seen He e could make up his mind what to do in at least leasta a tenth of a second I tried to cross him every way I knew but I never could Ill I'll say that Ted Wil- Wil vic ii-vic is ic the UK greatest hitter I ever saw in in b baseball and d I know how bow good Babe Ruth Lou Gehrig and Joe Di Maggio were But Williams was something out of this world If we hadn't run into this war I believe believe be be- lieve Williams would have finished as the greatest hitter of all time It might be added here that Lt Bill Dickey the Arkansas quail shot never makes any wild sta state state- te- te ments He only calls them as he sees them Nothing else counts with him Most lost Thrilling Fight When it comes to the most thrilling thrilling thrilling thrill thrill- ing prize fight I always pick the Dempsey Firpo volcanic eruption I that lasted only a trifle more than four minutes Where Dempsey wa was hammered to the floor or at least to his knees with Firpo's first right- right hand where hand where Dempsey kept Firpo on the floor most of the round round- where Firpo hammered Dempsey through the ropes where ropes where everything happened in such a hurry that noone noone no noone one could follow the swiftly shifting I scenario of raw action |