The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-08-27

Isn't II true - an in9uirins tcader de.
ten years OF longer are nearly always
stars ! mean. a player II only average
caliber rarely lasts over -four or five
yeArs.' Beyond any sort NJ debate.
Take the run OF those now In the game
who have served ten years or longer.
Tn. list includes Ty Cobb, Hary Wagner.
Hal Chase. Walter Johnson, Chief Ben
der. Johnny EVers, Jack Coombs. sam
crawford, Frank Schultz and Larry
Doyle,
tions, these have ali stood forth as shin
ing iuminaries. Leaving out quantity,
they shave surpassed In quality M we'll,
Which II 10 say. that quantity ana
quality go together In baseball, Just az
they naturally do In many other branches
Of existence.
duality Plus Quantity.
There have been very few great bats
men In the game who did not serve at
least ten. years. Anson. lajoie. Dele
hanty, Keller. Cobb. B%routhers. Conner,
etc, etc. all knew long spans Of play
The same goes for pitchers MatheNson.
Johnson, Plank. Coomhs. Render. Wsd
dell, Brown and Walsh were long term
stars They proved that quality and
quantity 60 together In the main.
Once In II rare while n star rises,
shines n wear or two and then fades out
But this Is not often So. Russ Ford was
one example and Bill James. OF Boston
was another, Al MamnuS looks rs II he
might he a third.
George Stone Of the Browns led the
American lea one sea son with n mark
OF 1858. only to fade out and slip back
to the minors within two years. But
this In n rare occurrence. Any hall play
or who can lead the league nj bat In
generally good for "A ten-yeer term, Cobb,
Injoic and Speaker have done about all
OF the American league leading for the
last Fifteen years. League lepdcfs IN tn,
National for u long term have included
Hans Wagner. Sherwood Mngco, Jake
Dsubort and Hal Chase. These hnv,
either served ten years or more, or the,
will before the bush ever calls them
home.
Two Examples,
The two greatest machines Of modern
baseball times were the kubs and Mack
men, Few Of their entries were short
term stars. on the Cubs, Evers, Schultz
Brown, s~heckard, Holman and Tinker
| were all tcn-yeRr men.
The Mnekmcn finished second In 1905
md reached the top In 1910, seven years
ago. Yet from that old machine Collins
Baker, Barry, MclnnI-, Render, Cooml'
| and Flank were all ready To take Ia,
field again The wear,
These statistics are sufficient proc
that quantity In baseball generally goe,
with quality and that the star ~ a bis
rule has also the standing 10 20 the Ions
rOute.
Jim Thorpe has come hnck TO th'
Giants. Which means n Of two things
Either the New York manager In no
convinced Thorpe does not possess th'
possibilities suspected In 1913 OF he II
not satisfied with les outfield utRlt,
strength.
Perhaps the latter In the case. WIN.
holt has douo wosdcrml work In the few
! games he has played as n Giant BuI
Jack Murray has shown no reason VIII,
he should have been rcsurrected from
obscurlty, One or more Of New York,
regular outfielders may he called for wal
Al any time. Davey Roher,aon'- sum
mons may ONE any day kaun L. no
only eligible. hut highly desirable. W. II
n little giant physically and has No de.
pendents
4 touch ~ pathoh has threaded jim
Thorpe'- professional baseball career. IN,
famous indian In the nearest approach
10 physical perfection This country hA
known In n generation. There was y,
form NJ sport or competition TO vhitl
he turned his hand at which he did no
shine.
put Thorpe did not take baseball ~
flously untll he decided To follow II nj
= profession. Consequently. he had no