Show I Sigh for SaB Saih g gHe's Hes He's on n the Spot By GRANTLAND T RICE Ic NEW YORK YORK Before Before Bill landed in St. St Louis Cardinals' Cardinals owner Fred was in a soft spot By that I mean he could make mistakes and the cost was light It will be different now He hap hap- happens happens happens pens to be up against one of the smartest showmen one of the most aggressive club owners since Lar Lar- Larry Larry Larry ry MacPhail left for Maryland Owner got rid of Eddie Dyer and Marty Marion k two popular and also two able man man- managers managers managers agers who w h o hap hap- happened happened happened to have an anu t unusually u nus u a 11 y large number of friends t and a n d supporters The Cardinals be be- belong belong belong long to Fred Grantland and he had this right But the great majority of experts do not believe any manager could have done better than these two I know last spring at St. St Petersburg where the Cardinals were in train train- training training training ing fifth place was the spot as as- assigned assigned assigned signed to the club by those who traveled with the various teams that came along Marty Marion wound up in the third spot so he couldn't have been too bad The National League race was a two-club two race last sum sum- mer It should be a two-club two affair this next ne t summer And theres there's a good chance that someone else or maybe more than one will beat out the Cardinals and edge them fur fur- further further further ther down the list than third place A manager could do a afine afine afine fine job and this could still hap hap- pen Fred has always been overenthusiastic over his squad which is OK for everybody except his manager A manager doesn't care to be picked as a second-place second finisher with a second-division second ball club The Cardinals have been working with too many men who were around nine or ten years ago Even Stan the best ball ball- ballplayer ballplayer ballplayer player in the game is no kid Stan Stanis is 31 years old and this will be his season eason with the Cardinals Country Slaughter another fine ballplayer has been around even longer The Cardinals are no kid outfit The Brownie Case There are no sure things in sport or anywhere else But one of the surer things is that Bill Veech and Rogers Hornsby will start churning things up in St. St Louis Both are smart baseball men Hornsby not only knows good and and- bad baseball players but he 1 how to handle them He is beyond any question the best in instructor in- in instructor instructor baseball has ever eve known Ive I've talked to too many weak hitters that he improved They'll tell you how good he is This is isone isone isone one of baseballs baseball's weak spots spots lack lack k of good instructors They are a avital avital vital part of a winning squad Bill Dickey proved with Yogi Yog i Berra what a good teacher can do Hornsby has proved it on many oc oc- oc- oc He will prove it again Bill is also a realist Fred isn't is more morea a dreamer dreamer dreamer-an an optimist who can see a pennant winner in what actually might be a second sec sec- second second ond division outfit Fred expects ex ex- expects expects far more than any McGraw Mack or McCarthy could ever give him It is still a question as to how ho howell w well St. St Louis is going to support two ball clubs The Browns have hav e been nothing to support So out out- outside outside outside side of one or two seasons in th the thelast thelast e last four decades St. St Louis ha has s only had one ball club worth while This was the Cardinals It will be bed b e different d ferent next summer If not next nex t summer it will be entirely differ differ- different different different ent by 1953 No one can expect too to o much from and Hornsby in inthe inthe the first year of operation But give them a little time 0 Best Conditioned Athletes A note from One Tyrus Raymond Raymon d do Cobb of Royston Ga and Menlo o Park Cal announces he is work work- working working working ing his way back to the good old of d Pink of Condition again Maybe not quite the same as 1905 he says but as close as I Ican Ican can get Which reminds us that Ty was wa s 65 years old on December 18 1 8 and also that he was by all odds od odin in his prime the greatest condi conditioned conditioned conditioned athlete that any sport ha has 9 ever shown How can I prove this I cant But here are just a few v facts and figures Cobb batted for Detroit in 1905 working work work- working working ing in 41 ball games In 1927 Cobb was 41 years old This was his season under th Big Tent Yet that season far be be- beyond beyond beyond yond the age of veterans stagger stagger- staggering staggering staggering ing around today Cobb played 13 games batted batted and stole 22 2 2 bases He finished a great career caree r in 1928 with games base base- hits stolen bases and a gran grand d time all-time year 24 batting mark of o f If you dont don't think that record d called for practically perfect con con- condition condition condition try it out some time Even Eve Evenin n in his league big-league season at atthe a athe t the age of 42 Ty batted which isn't considered puny today Cobb knew how to train better bette r than any ballplayer I ever knew |