Fergus County Democrat., 1914-05-26

Each member of the "half-and-half'
team, as they have been christened by
the fans here, before being manned
was first-class player, and several
OF the men can still put up a fail
game.
Ty Cobb is the greatest ball player
in the world, says Hugh Fullerton
Everyone says he is. Therefore Il
must be true.
Why is Ty Cobb the greatest? That
isn't riddle. Can you tell why he is
How can an outfielder, averaging only
two chances" game to catch flies
and make throws, be the greatest play
er?
What bunch of nerve and brain
that fellow is. He is tense, alert, on
his toes, moving with every pitched
ball, thinking. He has forgotten that
there Is crowd, forgotten everything
excepting baseball, and that he must
win. Not move escapes him. Ii
you want to enjoy the game do as |
did. Take field glass and watch
Cobb's face. You can tell by the way
he clenches his hands and the quick
spasm of the facial muscles what the
pitcher pitched and whether it was
right or wrong. You can tell by the
jump of his muscles when the ball is
pitched and by the sudden relaxation
whether it was strike or ball. If it is
nit, anywhere, any direction, drop the
glass and watch Cobb, for he is going
to the scene of action
That fellow tries to make play on
&c tnho ls
thrown in ball game. Here is one
of the things he did:
There was runner on second, one
out, and the score was close. A short
fly was hit toward left center. It was
not Cobb's ball. Nor did he claim it..
He came tearing toward where the
ball was falling. Bush was racing
backward toward the ball. Veach was
sprinting in to make the catch.
Suddenly Cobb yelled, II have it,"
The others hesitated Cobb himself
half stopped. The base runner at sec
ond saw the situation. 1t looked as if
the Tigers were all mixed up, and that
. the ball would fall safe. The runner
leaped toward third.
At the last instant Cobb hurled him
self forward, grabbed the ball just as
1t was nearing the ground, and, like a
flash, shot it to second base. The run
ner slid back desperately and escaped
being doubled by an eyelash. Cobb
had figured it out and claimed the
catch merely in the hope of leading
the runner into thinking the ball
would fall safe, and on the chance of
making a double play.
l have talked to Cobb a score of
times about how he does it. He does
not know. He just does it.
From now out Walter Johnson may
travel at the fastest known pitching
clip, but he has little or no chance to
equal the Joe Wood record of 1912.
That season the Red Sox premier
worked 80 games, winning 33 and los
ing only five., Johnson has dropped
three of his first five starts, and to
equal Woods mark he would be forced
to win 81 out of his next 33 games.
me robust hammering that Johnson
mas received is only an addition to
the queer upsets of this mildewed
spring. The Rex Sox, with a club bat
ting average of about .1SO, hit him
savagely, and the Mackmen hit him
even harder. Still, as we patter along
to press, no report has been received
that Griff had requested waivers or
that Walter had purchased a one-way
ticket back to Weiser, Idaho.
There died the other day Lewis
cameron. He was college football
and baseball player of renown, but
had his heart set on becoming a civil
engineer. To help him through his
studies. he became Southern Lacquer
"a good pitcher and clever outfield-
er as we'll. Still in the dawn of his
baseball career, and-so say the man.
ayers who knew him-a sure success
had he kept on, Cameron gave up the
diamond and embarked on his chosen
profession. He had an uphill climb.
Cameron is best remembered in the
south for the performance of feat
probably never eaualed. probably ney.
er to be done again. He was the only
man who went clean through a fence
ana caught ball outside park. That
record will probably stand forever.
This stunning deed took place at
birmingham, before that city had it's
present concrete park and modern
arena. The right field fence was close
up, and composed of ancient lumber
Cameron, playing right on days he
wasn't pitching, started after fly
oall-an easy chance in an open field
but almost a sure home run on that
handbox park Never stopping, never
hearing the warning cries of crowd
and players, Cameron smashed at ton
speed against the rickety old fence
and went thrugh it like bullet. He
tore a hNla hiu ononnb L..