Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-12
V FINDING THE KEY TO THE STRANGLER,S LC
RADBOURNE GREA TEST
IN BASEBALL-RNVTN
Veteran In National Came Believes One. Time BrEo,,
Providence Hwler Outstines Cobb, Wagner and
Speaker as Best Player That Euer Liued
BY GRANTLAND RICE

THE class In Passionate Oratory
- might just as we'll form and decide
this momontous question: "who is the
greatest ballplayer that ever lived?"
Over the full run Of the course our
nominations are as follows:
Firstly Cobb
Second-Honus Wagner.
Third-Tris Speaker.
Cobb, because he led his league twelve
out of fourteen years; because he was
the greatest run getter baseball ever
has known; because as an attacking
machine he never has had an equal be-
cause he was first, brainy, daring and
sensational. ..
Wagner ranks second because he was
another mighty hitter and one of the
greatest infielders OF the game. ..
Speaker, the greatest fielding out
fielder that ever lived and n rare bats
man, mighty as well have third places
as any one else.
The Full Course
DUT our observation has been limited.
ID 1t has covered a scant two decades.
And over the full route Arthur Irwin.
the eminent veteran, says we are all
wrong.
Arthur has managed to give just
forty three years Of his life to baseball.
In this time he has been player, man
ager, coach, scout, business manager
and six or seven other things at one
spot or another.
He is still actively interested in base
ball. and yet he was battling away with
'Hoss' Radbourne some thirty nine or
forty years ago as q member or the
winning Providence club.
So. when It comes to the full and
complete route, with forty three
year horizon to face, Arthur has most
Of us stopped abruptly.
Tho Irwinian Selection
GIVE seen them all, from Anson to
i Babe Ruth" said Irwin. "and
from Pete Browning to Ping Bodic.
at has been long parade Of many
stars, for lot Of baseball can be played
in forty three years.
I've seen many great ones, but the
greatest ballplayer that ever lived was
Charley Radbourne. or providence,
Why? Because as pitcher he once
pitched thirty eight consecutive games,
Because he won eighteen straight
games, working almost every day. lie
Hulhutu lHlb Wy Nlhhlub
games in nine days.
because as a pitcher he had more
stuff on the ball than any one ever
saw, and with this the greatest judg
ment and the fastest brain. a
Because he was far and away the
best hitter on hard hitting club-onc
OF the greatest hitters ever saw.
Because he was the best catcher on
the club, the best infielder on the cluu
and the best outhelder on the club.
''IIc is the only man ] ever saw who
could star at all nine positions and in
addition drive in more runs than any
one else on the team"
Stopped Cold
THIS array stops us cold. Ruth, for
l. one example. is great hitter. q
great pitcher. good outfelder and II
good first baseman. But he isn't O
catcher, shortstop or third baseman.
The same goes for Sisler, one OF the
best Of the all around stars. But Sis
Ter cant quite measure up to the di
mensions Of "Ole Hoss" Radbourne
"Radbourne could throw a ball 10,
yards" says Irwin, (which is close tc
the worlds record. He had the great.
est arm | ever saw"
It's a matter of opinion, after all
But since the game of Radbourne's day
was bit different from the game o.
today. in a pitching way at least. !,
may be that the momcntous problem
will never be entirely unravelcd.
Thirty years from now they will bt
digging up another to prove that Rad.
bourne, Cobb, Speaker and Ruth wer,
merely semi pros. And so it goes.
Doubling Up
TUST as St. Louis Is the only city
u that has ever given the game two
league battling leaders for the same year
so Chicago aud Boston enter for other
records.
George A. MorcIand figures that in
over forty five years Of baseball Chi