The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-10-27
Ty Cobb May Not| Be "Through" As Baseball Player
By JAMES J. coRBETT.


 Admirers of Ty Cobb, who feel that his flop to .33o swatting mark in 1920 means the beginning of the end of hls batting reign, may find solace in historic facts.
 It may be recalled that the finale in 1919 found the mighty Iris Speaker with a macing mark of only 296-the first time in his big league career that the mag netic leader of the Indians has stuffed under the 300 mark. All of which caused his friends to wag their heads dolefully and say:
 Speakers through as hitter. That .296 figure shows that his batting eye has dimmed. He won't be much help to the team in batting in 1920 because. in addition to fading batting eye, he'll have managerial troubles besetting him"
 But behold!
 The very same Speaker-only a year older, a little grayer and burdened with piloting chores-who hit only .296 in l919-breezed under the October 1920 wire with mark of 1884.
 From 1896 until 1906 Larry Lajoie never failed to achieve a batting average be- yond 300 Once he arose to .422. But in 1907 the great Frenchman slipped back and ended the year with .299 Those who thought he was "all through then were absolutely sure of it year later when Lajoie turned in .2S9 as a result of 
 his 1908 work.
 But the following year Lajoie came back--and with great hurrah.
 He hit for 1924 in 1909, went to 1884 in 19l0 finishing less than a point behind the clubbing champion-Ty Cobb-and Ill the three years that followed he rapped the horsehide for 365. .36S and 1885.
 So it can be seen in Lajoie's case that for five seasons after he was classed as a ''has been'' he continued as terror to opposing pitchers and for those five years always hit for the remarkaoie grand average of .355. Another instance is found in perusng the record of Capt. Adrian Anson. The old war horse hit better than 300 from i 1876, when he broke into the National League, until 1890, when he finished the 1 year with the splandid mark of .3E.
 But in 1891 Anson skidded to .294 and 1 fell to PTS in 1892. Was he ''all in?' The i bulk of fandom thought so. But Anson performed a wonderful comeback by hir- ting .S23 in lS93 going to 366 the follow ing year and hammering for .SSS in ls9o. He went below 300 in 1896. but in lS9'- his last year in baseball-Anson. playins in liz games. banged the ball for 3OS.
 Cobb, unlike the others. never has slipped below 900 But for Cobb to hit l only about 33O this year seems like a | calamity to many. They think that II means the marvellous player is slipping and that he'll slip faster in 1921. l But here's a prediction: l Cobb will exceed in 1921 every marx ! that he made in the season just closed. And it wouldn't be at all surprising 10 see him fighting it out with Slsier 1 Speaker and the others for the batting | throne he so long occupied. 1 For in 1921 it is unlikely that Cobb VII he troubled with the after-effects of ln- | fluenza-as he was in 192o-nor does il seem probable that he will be compelled I to slow up his movements on the pal 1 field to humor an ankle that ailed nearis all year-but which ails no more. | Watch Cobb in 1921
 Copyright, 1920, by King Features Syn dicate, IncD