Show I T SAT at the recent West East-West All All- kid game with my friend Joe McCarthy McCarthy McCarthy Mc Mc- Carthy manager of the Yankees Here we watched the picked teams from the East and West representing represent represent- ting t- t ing 28 cities and states at 17 years or younger And it was here that I saw the soft spot of this sport Baseball is rated our national I game There are arc more kids who would rather play baseball than any other sport Baseball is our greatest game Certainly for our kids And yet baseball has drawn less support from all concerned than any other game The big leagues both presidents and andall andall all owners good friend Judge Landis have almost completely ignored the young 4 ball players from 13 to 17 The high schools and colleges Grantland Rice have bave been even worse Our young football players have havethe havethe havethe the best of coaching in high school They move to the best coaching in college play They are finished products products products prod prod- when they reach the pros Our young golfers have the finest coaching and instruction that anyone anyone anyone any any- one could demand All their faults are ore corrected on the way up The same is true of our basketball players and our track men The same is true of our swimmers They have the best of the coaching coaching and and the best of breaks Why They bring money into the box offices Baseball Any sport that brings in money gets prompt attention Those that dont don't are ignored Football gets first recognition from rom high schools on up through college college col col- lege tege on into pro ranks Why Many college football teams play to financial ups clean-ups that run from rom to Baseball cant can't even touch these figures So why bother with base- base call Back Gack to the Kids Kids' Game Here is the pick of the country's kids dds ids playing baseball at the Polo Grounds They were young strong last fast and packed with spirit But anyone could see the instruction they ha had missed which young football players young golfers young tennis players or young basketball players would have received On more than one occasion Joe McCarthy one of the smartest managers managers managers man man- agers baseball has ever known one of the games game's closest students students- would point out various faults It might be a catcher catcher it it might be bean bean bean an infielder infielder it it might be a hitter bitter Id like to have that kid around just a while Joe would say Id like ike to tell him just a few things before his fault becomes a habit Bobby Jones Walter Hagen Gene Francis Ouimet Chick Evans Evans Evans Ev Ev- Ev- Ev ans these and many others were great golfers before they were 21 Golf gave them their chance Football has been piled up with stars who were 19 or 20 Baseball has known only a few who were big leaguers at this age The answer is that only a few connected connected connected con con- with baseball have made any effort to see that young ball players play play- ers from 14 to 16 16 ever get the right instruction Wish Egan of Detroit is one of the few who has done a fine job along these lines Egan has h s developed developed developed devel devel- more than a few young stars George Weiss of the Yankees is an an- other There are just a few more But in the main baseball doesn't look ook after its own and own and its own are the Jie kids who should be the stars of the he future who never get the chance or who drift into other games Minor league managers tell me they get these kids full foil of faults and haven't the time to bother about it The naturals can take care of themselves So they come from the minors to the majors and are either s sent nt back or hang around for two or three years to be taught all over If baseball drew the same type of instruction or coaching that football basketball golf and tennis get get from from the best in the business there business there would be a jump of at least 30 per cent in baseball efficiency between the ages of 19 and 21 But unfortunately inthis in inthis inthis this country too often the dollar doUar comes first The answer I get is this this Let Let baseball start to pay its way and you'll see a big difference It will get the same overemphasis from coaches and others that football does now flow Pitching Prodigy One of the most outstanding possibilities possibilities possibilities pos pos- at the Kids Game was Frank Azzarello of New Orleans He Heis Heis Heis is just 17 a 17 a great prospect prospect-a a left hander bander who fought 12 innings with Dick Callahan last spring and fanned 18 batters Frank lo lost his game 1 to 0 in the In addition to his brilliant pitching pitching pitching pitch pitch- ing Azzarello is also a star outfielder outfield er with a Legion batting average oi ol Azzarello is just one of the great kids who played in this g me There were at least a dozen others 1 rf |