Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-04-24
COMBS LOOKS like
ANOTHER TY COBB
Louisville Papers Say Richmcnd
Boy Gives Evidence of Prov
ing Real Diamond Star

! ly these days to see what Earl
f! Combs did the day before. He is
proving the sensation of the
American Association and fans
are freely predicting that this
modest young Madison boy is
destined to prove another Ty
| Cobb or Babe Ruth in the great
national game. Read what the
sporting editor of the Louisville
Herald said of him Sunday after
Combs had starred in Saturdays
| game:
Is one of baseball's greatest
hitters to be developed in LOU
isville? Capt. Billy Neal, one of
the games greatest Judges Of
pastime talent, says Eyes"
Earl Combs is his name. He
is a Kentucky boy, born and
reared in Owsley county. He is
getting his first whirl at profes
sional baseball. His baseball eX-
perience has been limited to
town" and college ball. His
college is the Eastern Kentucky
State Normal School at Rich
mond. Yesterday, he played his
third league game of ball. He
played his first game Thursday.
He covered centerfield because.
Of AIerito Acosta. In this game.
Combs wobbled in the field, but,
he raped two clean hits in four
tries. In the second game, he
accepted his only fielding chance,
and belted triple to the flag
pole and single in four efforts.
Yesterday, in his third game, he,
handled his flyball chances per-
fectly, erred on one ground ball
and made fans forget his field.
ing, both good and bad, by wal
Looping two triples and two sin
giles in five trips to the hittery.
The team, as a whole, made
but five hits and Combs socked
four of them. He has faced
American Association pitching
thirteen times and has driven
the ball safely eight times for a
total Of fourteen bases and an
average of .6l5. What think you
Of this, fan and fanette, for a
youngster who knew positively
nothing about league baseball as
played in any kind of a league,
much less league of the Asso-
cations caliber? The best hit
tiers will strike out the oftenest
-batters like Babe Ruth, for in
stance-but Combs has not yet
failed to hit the bail. No one
could strike him out in the eX-
hibition and practice games down
South.
Combs made his first appear
ance as a Colonel in a game at
Pensacola, Fla, against Brook
lyn. The game was the second
OF the series. The Colonels had
not scored in the first game.
Combs was sent to bat for
Tommy Long at the start of the
fifth inning. Batting for the
first time as a Colonel and op-
posed by such a pitcher as Al
Mamaux, the youngster must
have been trife nervous, but
he took his chop at the ball and
it sailed far over the left-center
fence, giving the Colonels their
first run of the season and end
ing their chain of fourteen score
less innings. Combs is left
handed batter and lefthanderS
aren't supposed to hit over left
center fences, especially when
they are so far removed as the
one at Pensacola is from the
home plate. This blow empha-
sized his powerful hitting
strength.
The hitting of Combs, who is
known to the Colonels as the
prince Charming" and pitching
of Eddie Setback eclipsed all
other rays of the ball game.
Combs topped ball on his
first trip yesterday. His speed
, made the play at first close, but
he was out. Coming up for the
second time, he propelled the
ball at a merry clip to the left
| center fence for three bases.
Long had just punched his safe
, ty. In the fifth inning Combs
drove the ball to the right of
Shortstop Cooney. In the sew
enth he punched a deceptive sky
scraper which fooled Johnson in
left field, and Earl made three
bases on this blow. He singled
sharply 10 right in the ninth in
ming.
The Louisville Post Saturday
said: Earl Combs, the Rich
| mond boy. is still punching the