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Show J 1 GAMTZAND Famous Baseball Duels IT HARDLY seems possible th.it In in less than two months several thousands of ballplayers will be neaded for the sun again, south or west. In the meanwhile, the hot stove league is getting hotter now that I. ft football is packed away where it belongs. And one stove league feature has been the argument involving in-volving Tris Speaker Speak-er and Joe Di-Maggio. Di-Maggio. Here's one leading example: "Dear Sir: The other night we sat Grantland R.ce arQund and aner 'he inevitable late-hour discussion of he comparative abilites of Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey, naturally natural-ly the chitchat switched to the all-time all-time baseball team. One man averred that there should be a place tor Joe DiMaggio. That he is such a great star that it seem ridiculous to bar him. "It was pointed out that currently, cur-rently, and for the last 20 years or more, the all-time outfield ias been made up of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Tris Speaker, and which of those three could a fellow toss out in favor of DiMaggio, Di-Maggio, no matter how great Joe is. It was said we could throw out Speaker, that .ild rris had been only a great flycatcher fly-catcher and that he didn't really rank with Cobb and Ruth and DiMaggio. When I got home, I got out the record book to look up Tris' records and I am convinced that DiMaggio is forever locked out of the all-time , outfield. Surely, no one questions the rights of Cobb and Ruth and, after a bit of study, no one can query the right of Speaker to the center field spot, either. "Now look. In the 12 seasons, embracing 1907 through 1928, all Tris did was average 344 at the dish, in 2,789 games and after 10,-208 10,-208 times at bat, during which he got 3,515 hits. Only Cobb, Rabbit Maranville and Hans Wagner went . to bat more than 10,000 times. The only others in the history of the games who hit safely more than 3.000 times are such stars as Cap Anson, Cobb, Eddie Collins, Nap Lajoie, Wagner and Paul Waner. I Even Ruth didn't make that ! category. "The only others to top his 'ifetime batting record were Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Dan Delahanty, Billy Hamilton and Willie Heeler. Ruth is two points back. Think of the other greats who couldn't bang .344 In their careers, and Tris did it for 22 years! "He's in the book for hitting 50 or more doubles in five different years, showing his amaz'ng speed, and a knack of taking the extra base that DiMaggio has. He leads in the matter of two base hits, with 793. Aside from those figures. Speaker also shares the record for most assists from the outfield in one season 35. He once was guilty of perpetrating a pair of unassisted double plays in a season, and his mark of four triples in his three World Series stands alone. "I'm sorry that DiMaggio can't make it, but the book won't yield. Speaker was good. It says so. Caswell Adams.", Speaker vs. DiMaggio The Speaker-DiMoggio duel is 5 tough one to analyze. In addition o being hard and timely hitters, oth were great outfielders. On the defensive side alone, they viere better than Cobb and Rutti. fioth h.-fd better arms than Cobb and both were faster than the Bpbe. Speaker had a better chance to show his all-around outfield ibility than DiMaggio. Me played in the day of the dead ur pi least deader ball. This gave nim a chance for a nuch longpi range. Spenkcr was a star at going bacl ''ur a bnll and so is Dil'.l nio. Buth rot ild also come in. rS'.ieakt-T .us a na.ner at fielding ground balle. ;crhnps the best in baseball. No one would be more dancrout n a pinch than DiMaiu has I 'rcn -with men on bases, wailing 'o ;e iriven home. I doubt that ;Ji.In:;it'. an ever reach Speaker's all-li -ne batting mark of .314. Few have '.-ver passed this set of tiures. Connie Mack has the idea ; that there should be new base-; base-; ball rankings every 20 years since so many things change. This is a good idea. DiMaggio then would certainly head the new order dating back to 1920 or 1925. Or possibly beginning with 1930, when Cobb r.nd Speaker were through when Eabe was fading when Wagner and Collins and Lajoie had all finished |