Imperial Valley press., 1922-08-12
By HENRY Z. FARRELL
United Press Sports Editor

NEW YORK Aug. 12.-Ty Cobb not
only was about the greatest of all ball
PLAYERS but he darn near is now.
The high tension wire of the Detroit
Tigers has more years on his shoulders
and more service stripes on his arm
than any other active player in base
ball and he has no idea of quitting.
In his eighteenth year of campaign
ing down the hard major league pike,
he is threatening to take his old place
of batting king with mark better
than 400.
That his remaining ambition.
Cobb s eve is still as sharp as Is
years ago. He still has the instinct of
camping in the right place for the cen
terfield drives and his hands still
holds them. Age is showing only in his
work on the bases.
MY old legs aren't as good as they
used to be- Cobb said during the re-
cent visit of the Tigers to New York.
II DON t steal bases like 1 used to. Not
because / have lost too much speed, but
because base stealing is no longer a
big factor in winning.
with the lively ball and the epe-
demic of hitting, there is no need in
risking injury by going down to sec
ond for close play when you have
just as much chance to score by wait
ing on a double or a triple behind you.
/ think if l wanted to take the chance
and found the need pressing, I could
get out and lead the league again in
base running.
Cobb today is the most inspiring
leader on the field. Speaker has lost
much of his old fire. but the Georgia
Peach is always ON the talk, either on
the coaching line or in front of the
dugout. He has filled his team with
fight and he has lost some of the ultra
critical tendencies that made his
friends fear from his job last summer.
The Tigers have a young shortstop,
Emory Rigney, who looks like one of
the best prospects in baseball. Rigney|
is also lucky young man.
The Tigers bought him several years
ago from the Texas League and sent
him back for seasoning. Strings were
kept ON him but they became so tangled
in number of transfers that Com
missioner Landis had to declare him
a free agent.
When Detroit went to sign him
again, Frank Navin had to pay him
$500 to sign another contract.
Detroit also has in Herman Pillette,
the leading pitcher of the team, al
youngster right out of Horatio Alger s
fiction.
The Portland Pacific Coast League
club had pitcher last year, Sylvester
johnson, who had done so well that
the scouts of all the major leagues were
making offers of large cash.
The Tigers came along with bid ofl
$4,000 and the deal was made. When
the time came for delivery, the Port
land management thought perhaps they
had done so well in the transaction
that they should throw, in a little extra
material.
Pillette, long, ungainly looking
rookie, had been sitting on the bench
so long that they tired of him and
thought little of his prospects. Hel
was thrown in with johnson on the
deal and sent to Detroit.
Cobb didn t think much of him and
didn t give him chance until John
son hurt his wrist and became prac-
tically useless for the season. Pillette
was thrown into fill bad hole and hel
delivered sensationally.
He is not only the Leading pitcher on
the club but promises to develop into
one Of the best in the league.
Cobb was asked recently what he
would take for Rillette and he an
swered:
"Do YOU think any club would goI
higher than sl50,00of"