New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-06
DETERMINATION
SECRET OF COBB's
GREAT SUCCESS
Sisler, Speaker and Jack.
son Lack One Great and
Necessary Asset.
BY FRANK O'NEILL.

We're the youngest baseball entap,-
asst in these United States 10 be asL.S
"Who is the greatest ball player n,.
in the game" the answer prob,alv
would be made without a seconds h.,t'
fancy, "Ty Cobb"
There are few who would find f,sn
with such an answer, for richly ind..S
has the furious Georgian earned n,
fame He has risen 70 the heieh:,
through sheer determination. He 10
the natural ability 10 begin with. bo,
more than that, he had the will 20 sue.
coed. Like thousands OF other s,sr
who flash in the baseball armament r.,
a while and then disappear into n,
mists. Cobb might have steered a mid.
die course, but then there would hay.
been no Ty Cobb.
That relentless determination IA.
stilled INTO such man as George Sis.
Ter, that great little player Of n,
Browns; loaned 10 Iris Seaker. "a.
walloping Texan of the Indians; or "a
Shoeless Joe Jackson, Cobb might h,y,
the battle of his life to hold his plse.
in the sun. All these men have II
least as much natural ability, and su,.
Ter stands forth as the most yer.ati!.
player in the major leagues to-day.
Lacking in Ambition.
Sisler, as all baseball enthusiast,
know, is not only a first baseman O,
great ability, but an exceptional out.
fielder and high-gr pitcher. Ssl.,
is hitting around the go mark and /,
running the bases cleyerly. For Al
his natural talent the Brownie is no,
up to the mark that should be his. n.
seems to be content TO get along, hold.
ing his place in the lineup withou,
any trouble, but not eager TO be h.
really great star he might be.
Baseball men declare that Sisler "a,
90 down 20 first base even faster tina,
Cobb, yet he does not get so many il.
field hits as the Georgia Peach. he
as feet in dashing 10 second and ca,
slide as cunningly, but he does not
steal so many bases. The reason i
this: Cobb fights for everything; Ssle.
does not. When Ty gets a little roller
to the infeld he strains every energy
to make the bag. The felders knoT
that he will do it and they are always
in a hurry. When Ty steals second o,
any other base the ielders know tina.
he will come in with spikes glistening
willing to risk anything TO make tina.
bag
Sisler does not follow this course.
He is more apt to ease up If he thinks
he cannot make a base. His slide is
not so vicious. His daring is not 50
great. He wishes 10 rise in mis- pro-
fession. That is beyond question. bu,
he is willing TO take the easier way
while Cobb plays neck or nothing.
Consider the case Of iris Speaker
II is safe to say that the erstwhil,
Bostonian is a better outhelder thar
Cobb. He is a harder hitter than the
Georgian, still he has not yet led Ty
over the line in the race for the bat.
ting honors. That some intangible
something which is lacking in Sisler %
lacking in Speaker. Iris does not tsa
the full advantage OF the slow roller h
hits. for he is a slugger at heart, and
cannot endure these weak-topp.i
strokes. He loses that all-imporisni
fraction Of a second in starting ons
drive. and truly he who hesitates loses
many a hit.
Case of Thorpe.
Yet ambition is not the only neces.
sity. There is Jim Thorpe, now in the
American Association. Jim was the
greatest all around athlete in the world
some four years ago. He was one OF
the greatest football players in al
time. When he came up 10 the Ma
tional League he was determined 70
make good. Yet his weakness with the
Dat sent him back to the minors. A
dozen times this spring in Marlin jim
voiced his ambitions TO succeed IN IN.
big leagues He practised long and
faithfully, listened TO the advice Of
John J. McGraw with careful attention
and tried to put into execution the
methods advised. He simply could not
do it. He has advanced TO q point nos
where he is a fair minor Lacquer. Ht
may come up again in season or so
Thorpe's greatest handicap was a ls''
start.
Harry n. Hampstead was talking o.
the Federal League not long ago and
ne said: THE greatest harm worked
by the Feds was to the players. The
knowledge that q man could jump "a
the outlaws made him confident and
lazy. He did not put his whole hesrt
into the work and he lost his form:
~ could name half dozen such play
ers who lost their ambition when the
Feds were throwing their money TO ne
wind and taking any and all players
who would sign their contracts 1t u
a fact that just as soon as man
loses the interest in his work his valus
to that work ceases. So IL was with
the players. and there sre some men
who are just humping along in ms
league who might still De stars If they
had kept hard at work"