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Show ''Pi IK loiii;lient nportlng J"h '"r 'M belongs to the committee wlio miint m;ile the next nmri inntioris for baseball's Hull of Fame. There are now from twenty to thirty present and former stars who stand alon thn border bor-der line, where the dividing margin Is thinner than a razor ra-zor blade such men as Jimmy Collins, Col-lins, Roger Bresna-han, Bresna-han, Mel Ott, Bill Klem, Clark Griffith, Grif-fith, Frank Chance, Johnny Evers, Ed Walsh, Fred Clarke, Miller Hugglns, Lefty Crove, Carl Hubbell. Ruhe Wad- Granlland Rice dell on and on. Most of these players, numbering twenty or thirty, will have to wait for another year. All left deep impression im-pression on baseball fans and their mark in baseball history, but only a few can be chosen. Any Hall of Fame that becomes too crowded and has too many names, loses at least a part of its enduring value. But the long list of available names still left, proves again why baseball for over sixty years has contributed so much to the sporting side of American life. There are any number of old stars who won't even get a vote who won't even be mentioned and yat these are not so far away from top rank. Your correspondent has been covering and watching baseball for over forty years, yet the problem of selecting leaders from the long parade pa-rade of stars becomes a blur. "How," we keep muttering, "can anyone leave so-and-so out?" You might suggest that if a ballplayer ball-player isn't a standout, why should he be considered? But what are you going to do about so many standouts at least so many who have given so much skill and color to the game that they wind up in a photo finish? Ed Delehanty, Frank Frisch, Dizzy Dean, Mickey Cochrane, Coch-rane, Herb Pennock, Gabby Hart-nett, Hart-nett, once again it is on and on. Frank Chance For example, there's Frank Chance, named as "The Peerless Leader" of the old Cubs. Chance led his Cubs to four pennants and two world series from 1906 through 1910. His Cubs set an all-time, up-to-date winning record in 1906. The Cubs of Chance, the Giants of Mc-Graw Mc-Graw and the Athletics of Connie Mack were among the greatest of all ball clubs over a period of years. It was F.P.A., also known as Franklin Pierre Adams, who sounded sound-ed the best remembered tocsin of Chance and his Cubs. After more than thirty years, where our memory mem-ory may be vague, we recall these lines after the Cubs had slaughtered the Giants "These are the saddest of possible pos-sible words Tinker to Evers to Chance. Trio of bearcats and fleeter than birds Tinker and Evers and Chance. Pricking forever our gonfalon bubble, Forcing a Giant to hit into a double, Words that are heavy with nothing noth-ing but trouble Tinker to Evers to Chance." As I recall it, Charles Dryden was the first to call Chance "The Peerless Peer-less Leader." Later on Charley shortened this title to P. L. Chance was a great fighting field manager. He was a fine first baseman, a dangerous dan-gerous hitter. But above all a game, scrappy battler, fearing nothing, not even a flock of bean-balls. Gamest Players Which reminds me that the two gamest ballplayers I ever knew were Johnny Evers and Walter Mar-anville. Mar-anville. They played together for the Boston Braves of 1914 the overlooked over-looked team that whipped the famous fa-mous Athletics four straight games. Evers was as smart as he was game. "The Human Splinter" is a big part of our baseball history. He is now at his old home, Troy, N. Y., and if you get the chance drop him a hello. Pepper Martin was another who belonged in this class. By that I mean any one of the three mentioned men-tioned would break a leg or a back or a neck to win a ball game or even to get an extra base. Maybe you can name me a gamer ballplayer ball-player than Evers, Maranville or Martin. Maybe you can but 1 doubt it. They were the Three Musketeers of baseball who could take it no matter what it was take it and like it. Passing Marvel It is still my belief that Harry Gilmer, Alabama's crack rifleman, is the best college passer I ever saw, including Sammy Baugh. This might be taken as a rather large order. The Alabama kid. barely 18, weighing from 158 to 160 pounds, narrow-shouldered and thin chested, is the top artist of them all. Gilmer is not only a brilliant long and short passer, accurate t.' the inch, but he is the only passei 1 ever saw who can keep nailing a target 50 yards away. |