The Detroit times., 1912-01-23
BIG DITCH FILLED WITH
WATER STARTED 7. COBB
ON HIS LEAGUE CAREER
Caught a Long Fly on the Brink
Of Creek and Fell In, But
Chung To the Ball
ACT WON FATHER OVER
Story Of the Famous Drench
Rivals That of the
Renowned Achilles
BY RALPH |. YoNkER.

in vain for a ducking that would rival
in importance that OF the famous
Achilles and his renowned souse that
made him impervious to the weapons
OF his enemies. There have been his
toric sCSises of many kinds but even
the Salem witches duckings and the
one George Washington might have
gotten II the artist had slipped when
he stood George up SO proudly In the
front OF the craft that crossed the
Delaware have TO move back peg
now, for there is drenching that
gave the world It's greatest baseball
player
Here is the story:
When Ty was a youngster, so his
mother told q friend, when he was
guest of the Cobb family in Georgia,
he used to be set at work on his faith
er's cotton plantation. with his broth
er Paul, now playing with the Lincoln
club, in the Western league. His
father disliked 10 have him play base
ball.
With the shrewdness that has char
acterized him all his life. Ty used to
employ a Negro TO do his work in the
cotton field. while he and his brother
hookeyed off TO the ball grounds and
there INDUCED In their favorite sport
Now II seems that one day Tvs
father was driving past the grounds
on which his son, entirely unknown TO
him. was playing. II was evidently
the ninth inning with two gone, man
on second. and q whale at bat, Tor the
crowd was frenZied
Allured by the cheering, the elder
Cobb drove into the park just In time
10 see the ball slammed away out 10
center field The man on second tore
for home and the batter beat 1t around
the paths, while the ball scared on
and on straight for a big ditch filled
with AQUA pura far out In center.
And-away out there In the garden
was-Ty. a.beating IL for the ball. IL
dropped Ty's glove shot up into the
air on the very edge OF the ditch.
Ball met glove. Splash, Gurgle. Bulb
bles. Head and shoulders appeared
above the surface of the water. and
then Tvs gloved hand shot out above
his head still holding the ball.
That night, so the story goes, IL was
decided that II Tyrus could do stunts
like that he had better play ball than
work on the plantation
Bris Lord the steady left-fielder OF
the Athletics, is an example OF play
or who can be taught TO bat. Bris
has always been a fair hitter. but the
ears that he has been in the 300
class have been few.
Lord batted a scant 254 in 1910.
but his average was pulled down by
batting slump while with Cleveland.
In the middle OF the season Lord was
traded TO the Mackmen, and his bat
ting Immediately improved. In the
games he played with the Athletics
in 1910, Lord batted close TO the 800
mark
Last season saw Bris do the best
batting of his career He was care.
fully tutored by Mack down south
last spring. and Connie broke him OF
the habit of hitting bad balls. He al
so coached Bris into place hitter,
and the stout man from Upland can
now whale the ball to any field.
So we'll did Lord improve in batting
last season that he was credited with
an official percentage OF $40 in 1874
ganes. an exceedingly clever show.
ing. There is no reason why Bris
should not continue TO be a 300 hit
ter
On the defense Lord has always
ranked as topnotcher He is no
greyhound for speed. but covers about
az much ground as any left fielder
lie is an expert Judge of a fy ball
and starts for the ball at the crack
OF the bat He is particularly effec-
i've in gathering in long drives over
his head. As a thrower Lord has no
superior in the major leagues. His
sensational throwing has frequently
broken up rallies OF the Athletics RI
walls.
Lord made his major league debut
with the Athletics in 1905. He played
two seasons in Philadelphia, but in
the spring of 1907 was sent to New
Orleans where he played two years
Cleye Gland obtained him in the
spring OF 1909, and he stayed with
the Maps until the middle of the sea-
son of 1910. when he was traded TO
the Athletics.
Lord has the unusual record of help
ing the Athletics win three pennants
and two world championships during
connection with the Mackmen of
less than five seasons.
From an ordinary outfelder he is
now regarded as one OF the stars of
the American league.
over in Chicago they think they
have new one on Ping" Bodie butt
Of many jokes. Here's what they say
about IL
Ping" Bodle, Sox slugger. apparent.
ly thinks more OF his job as a major
Lacquer than OF being a solicitor for
brewery. At least he has severed
his connection with an amber-fuid
dispensary on the coast and it is the
result OF a joke which Callahan per.
petrated. Since the close of the sea
son the fence buster has been boom.
ing, a special brew at Frisco and
Cal. hearing OF this, got busy imme
diately.
A letter which indicated that Gala
han was more or less peeved over the
following OF such a vocation was sent
10 Bodie. The Sox manager told tho
slugger in a few words that he could
not consume quantities OF beer dur
ing the winter months and expect "a
nIay nm N sfapdard IN tho sunVn or