Show G I P CE Famous Baseball Duels IT TT T HARDLY seems possible that in Inless less than two months several thousands of ballplayers will be beheaded beheaded beheaded headed for the sun again agnin south or west w L In the meanwhile the hot stove league is getting hotter now that football is packed away where it be be- bes v s longs And one stove league fea fea- feature feature feature ture has been the 1 argument involving j Tris Speaker and Joe DiMaggio D DiM i M a g g i o 0 Heres Here's one leading I 3 example r Dear Sir I The other night Grantland Rice we sat around and the inevitable late-hour late discussion of the comparative comparative comparative abilities of Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey naturally the chitchat switched to the time all-time baseball team One man averred that there should be a place for Joe DiMaggio That he is such a great star that it seems ridiculous to bar him It was pointed out that cur cur- currently currently currently and for the last ast 20 years or more the time all-time outfield had been made up of Ty Cobb Babe Ruth and Tris Speaker and which of those three could a ct fellow toss out in favor of DiMaggio no matter how great Toe oe is It was said we throw out Speaker that old Tris had only been a great flycatcher fly fly- flycatcher flycatcher catcher and that he didn't really rank with Cobb and Ruth and DiMaggio When I I got home I got out the record book to look up Tris' Tris records and I was convinced that DiMaggio is forever locked out of the all all- time outfield Surely no one ques ques- questions questions questions the rights of Cobb and Ruth and after a bit of study no one can query the right of Sneaker to the center field spot either Now look In the 22 seasons embracing 1907 through 1928 all Tris did was average at the dish in the 2789 games and after times at bat during which he got hits Only Cobb Rab Rab- Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit bit Maranville and Hans Wagner went to bat more than times The only others in the history of the games who hit safely more than times are such stars as asCap as asCap s sCap Cap Anson Cobb Eddie Collins CoBins Nap Lajoie Wagner and Paul Waner Even Ruth didn't make that category The only others to top his lifetime batting record were vere Cobb Rogers Hornsby ornsby Dan routhers Ed Delahanty Billy Hamilton and Willie Keeler Ruth Huth uth is two points back Think of the other greats who couldn't bang hi in in their careers and Tris did it for 22 years Hes in the book for hitting 50 or more doubles in five different years showing his amazing speed and a knack of taking the extra base that DiMaggio has He leads in the matter of two base hits with Aside from those figures Speaker also shares the record for formost formost formost most assists from the outfield in one season season 35 He once was guilty of perpetrating a pair of un un- unassisted unassisted un- un unassisted assisted double plays in a season and his mark of four triples s in his three World Series stands alone Caswell Adams i Speaker vs DiMaggio The Speaker Speaker-DiMaggio Speaker DiMaggio duel is a tough one to analyze a n a l I y z i e. e In addition to being hard and timely hitters both were great outfielders On the defensive side alone they I were better than Cobb and Ruth Both had better arms than Cobb and both were faster than the Babe t I Speaker Speak r had a better chance nce to show t show his around all-around outfield ability than DiMaggio Ia glo He lie played in the day of the dead or at least deader ball This gave him him a chance for or a much longer range Speaker was a star at going back for a and Mall and so is DiMaggio Both could also come in Speaker was wasa wasI I a master ma mater ter at fielding ground balls perhaps the best in baseball No one would be more dangerous in a pinch than DiMaggio has been with with men on bases waiting to be drivel drive 1 home I doubt that Di- Di DiMa Ma Mad Ju io can ever reach Speakers Speaker's all ne all tine batting mark of Few have ha ve i ever passed this set of figures in b Connie onnie Mack lack has the Idea that than there should be new base base- baseball ball batt rankings every 20 years since sinco sin eo so many things change This is a good idea i 1 DiMaggio faggio then would certainly head the new order order dating dating back to 1920 1920 or 1925 Or possibly begin begin- beginning ning fling I with 1930 when Cobb and andI I Speaker were through when through when the Babe was fading when fading when Wagner and Collins and had all II finisher I |