Phoenix tribune., 1921-02-26

were laughing at Colonels Rupert
and Houston of the Yankees because
they paid $15O,OOO for him.
The Babe is one of those youngsters
who runs to fat If he does not keep
active physically all the time he picks
up weight rapidly, and no fat man
ever will hit hundred home runs in
a season. So the early start of the
Babe for the south is sign that he
will get an early start.
All this talk of Babe Ruth is con-
nection with the coming season is be-
cause Babe Ruth is something like
, seventy-five per cent of baseball. He
will continue to be this while he con-
tinues to bust them over the fences.
Nobody can deny that the achieve
ment of the Babe last season created
more talk and drew more money than
the pennant races and the worlds
series.
While there have been few trades
this winter and few purchases of play
ers, there have been many changes in
the managers of the big league teams.
The temperamental Ty Cobb will man
age the Detroit Tigers; Wild Bill
Donovan, former manager of the Yam
KEGS, will manage the Philadelphia
Nationals; Fred Mitchell, former man
ager of the Cubs, will run the Boston
Braves; Hughey Jennings will act as
field manager of the Giants; Hugh
Duffy will manage the Red Sox and
Johnny Evers of the X. of c. over
seas, and the stormy petrol of base
ball, will manage the Chicago Cubs.
This should mean shake-ups and
changes of strategy in the teams con-
cerned. The experiment of placing
Cobb in charge of the Detroit Tigers
is one that will be watched with in
terest. The Georgia Peach is a mar
velous baseball player but a hot-tem-
pered person. Also, when he was a
player he refused to report to the
training camp until he got ready.
This year Captain Tyrus Raymond
Cobb will have to lead his own COM
pany south.
On one basis of figuring this ought
to fatten Cobb's batting average. The
later he starts for the training camp,
the later he begins to hit his real bat
ting stride. He was very late last sea-
son. Starting out with the rest of the
team, it would seem that Cobb should
break all of his records this season.
The pennant winners of last year
have been breathing defiance all win
ter. Wilbert Robinson of Brooklyn,
who won the National league pennant,
is certain that he can put few
patches in his machine and win again.
Iris Speaker of the Cleveland Indians,
worlds champions, also is highly op-
timistic.
1t is premature to start measuring
teams for pennants, but the chances
of both the New York teams look
fairly bright just before the curtain is
raised. The Yanks are banking on
Ruth to break his record, and they
have made several pretty good deals.
The New York Giants would look like
a cinch in the National league if they
had put through the deal for Roger
Hornsby of the st. Louis Cardinals.
To show that the price of baseball
players has gone up, the Giants Of
fered 100000 for Hornsby, which is
just twice the price the Yankees paid
for Ruth
This is the biggest offer made yet,
and it is all the more remarkable
when one considers that, while Horns
by is a valuable baseball player, he is
not Babe Ruth. He is great. in
fielder, though, and maybe the Giants
will get him yet There was a time
when 100000 would have bought an
entire big league team with the fran
chise thrown in, but baseball stock
has gone up, and there seems to be
no reason to believe that it will come
down in hurry.
We are entitled to your patronage