New-York tribune., 1920-12-19


- $4,000 for next years services-$l
s"7 drawing as one of the ranks the la
- IL did not seek the position" said
Cobb yesterday afternoon. Indeed. |
tried TO avoid it. ! very much should
q have preferred to lay aside all ambi
=" 'ion in the managerial line until such
- time as l felt myself Slipping. know
.s.eE have several years Of good baseball
ahead OF me and also know from the
playing standpoint it might be better
:or me TO be free from all worries of
- directing play on th, field.
But Mr.. Navin put the matter up to
So y. me in such a way that | felt / could
- not decline and be loyal to him. who
always has been one of my very best
friends. He thought the club needed
me as leader and that is why | &C
"a copied. Had he been unable to con-
g. vince me on this point l should never
have accepted
at is true that he practically told
Dlo to vvite my own ticket in the mat
= ter o. salary. But it wasn't the monev
~ that made me accept q position | did
20 not seek and which attempted to
avoid.
Hopes to Elevate Team
II am perfectly satisfied, az always
have been, with his treatment and will
- the best that is in Me to make the
. az Detroit Tigers a prominent factor in
ye.s he next pennant race. Every one who
has ever seen me play ball, am sure,
~ realizes | am earnest, to say the least.
am now earnest-nay determined
by some manner, in some way. to make
something OF the Tigers.
-. Il was not the best bail player in the
world when broke in with the Tigers.
, : .r-t tocl in,
49,. work hard for every advantage in the
81 long pull 10 the ladder. Eventually
~ vas able to establish myself. Critics
80 have been kind enough to say fought
my way TO the top: some have held, and
still maintain. deserve place at the
head OF the procession. ella i'm nothing
To-. myself except that | have always
= tried 70 be the pest player in the world
-. Nov that | have decided to take the
plunge intend TO be the best manager
'-' viii fight. and fight hard, TO make my
elf as successful leader as | have
been as player. In the mean time dc
no. intend to allow any chance mana
.orlal burdens 70 detract from my pla
Iris Speaker has risen to his grea'
"st heights as leader Of the Indians J.
-"Vniy opinion, what any ball player has
d.. -'' s"r dore believe can duplicate
Q not mean by this that | can better
even approach Babe Ruth's homc-run
'ccrd. lie is the slugger of all time.
i"- | think have been and can be
litc as valuable to my club as Babe
Ruth is to his.
-. Room for Improvement
Detroit has rot Tad ball club
sLre IL viii have better ball
.. There is room for Improvement
ana tncre will be Improvement. do
f9t say this cgotisticaliy ! have GER
In theories T~ade from close observa-
D.. ei7r curing long playing career I
e intend 10 put them ihto practice All
ask of the public is time TO vindi-
cate my principles. 1t took time fer
nle 80 arrive - The top OF the play
in9 p-ofession.'
: Though overshadowed the past sea-
s2n by the great and only Babe Ruth.
~ d thc Yankees, who almost douhled
a's own record output OF twenty-nine
home runs for 1919 by smashing tifty
cu- circuit swats beyond the barriers
IN 1920. Ty Cobb. through the drift OF
II" pase AiteeH years, stands head and
-p'u!'"ss aooEe the common pack
q" Sucn great authorities as 5ohn J. Mo
Graw, OF the Giants: l+ughie Jenrinrs
Az. Griffith ..nl Wii6ert Rob;nso'
INK hin. as the greatest Individual
psyer Of all time.
ear aIrer year, in the heyday OF his
9lory, Cobb led not only the American
-. eague but all major company. as well
aS ne champion Of practically every
49, tepartment OF the game. For nine con
secutive years he won the battiny
hampton *hip ofthc two najor leaeres pI,ne
7ad several tines Was forced to hit
1ooVc 400 by the Hreat Speaker and
ne now dlscrcdited Joe jackson 70
~, naintain his laurels The rise Of Conb
80 TO baseball fame vas sensational. as
veil as meteoric.
oh oil.
: emp mperamental, but never more 80 than
- 1hen ne came. bcardcss boy. 10 the
Tigers away back in 1905. He was nur-
-caasea from the Augusta club Of the
Sea5n Atlantic League for $3.50. In his
80 first year oot Coob bat.cd only .24O
{ tie wasn't played much, for he was
awfully awkward in the field and on the
/ base paths; every time he hit the ball
safely he would run until he vas put
out-lf there was q chance to put him
out.
-. Battles With Teammates
49, n the training season Of 1905 Cobbs
.. .sousnern blood .ad him in hot water
*itn practically every member OF the
'~ec'd Tigers. He had st fights with
neorge Schmidt, Eddie Sieyer, George
hullin and Sam Crawford He and
crawford we're or such bad terms they
did not speak for years. Cobb was 80
= spntractsole that Bib Armour. then
= = manager Of the Tigers, offered him to
Clark Griffith, leader Of the Yankees,
Tor Pitcher Billy Hogg. Cobb had .
bad reputation with the fraternity. ard
griffith overlooked the best bet OF his
z stenpest1ous career.
But toward the end Of 1906 Cobb
began 10 find himself lie began TO hit
With deadly accuracy. He was 80 fast
ne could beat out irheit taps that
~ ~. you'd have been sure death to any
=. other player. He learned the hook
- - Tide, and was a yeritablc terror TO op-
=. posing pitchers. Furthermore, Cobb
Vas az brainy player as ever wore
pixies, and because Of bis sensationa!
epeed ~as able 70 do things TO other
-. player would attempt. He always was
- pulling the unexpected. lie took ad-
Yautage Of every slip and bobble by
,he opposition.
Some once asked Billy Sullivan
os the White Sox, IN the old days tbe
real class Of the American League
catchers, how best to catch Cobb stcal-
lnz second.
There is only one way," SulliYau
smiled. when Cobb lights out for
second aim for third aud cut loose with
Ill Jou have. II the third basc1nan
hoide fbe bail and Tnakeg the play