The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-16
TANKS HAVE DUO OF FINE ROCKIES Henry Cullop Will Make Wally Pipp Step
 Fast

There will be competition for Wally Pipp when the New York Yankee bri- gade goes into spring camp in 1925, and incidentally there may be some competition, too, for Babe Ruth as the home-run king of the Yankees and the rest of the world.
 Henry Cullop is the newcomer who shies his glove into the ring and issues the challenge. He has been schooling for year to go after Pipp's job and as a side line practicing at Ruth's spe- cialty. His record in 1924 indicates he should be about ripe.
 Cullop is a reformed pitcher-made over into a first baseman on New York's orders. The Yankees obtained rights to his services in the fall of 1923 and left him at Omaha with in- structions that he be played regularly at first base. In his previous seasons he had pitched, played the outfield and taken an occasional turn, at first base The extras were given him because he could hit, and a pitcher who can hit is a sort of tenth man on a minor league ball club.
 Cullop, who has just turned 24 years of age, halls from St. Louis, where he was uOIA oCLOUCI 4OS 1OOOy anu 10 o right-handed hitter and thrower. He got his baseball start in 1920 with the Madison club of the South Dakota league, as a pitcher, but developed such hitting ability that he was called on to put in time when not pitching as an outfielder. He batted .341 his first year out.
 Since the first year Cullop has been pastiming in the Western league. start ing as a pitcher, taking up outfielding and then moving in to first base as a regular thing. His first year in the Western (1921 with Tulsa) he devoted to pitching and batted but .227. He moved to Des Moines in 1922 and struck his stride, batting .295. The Omaha club obtained his services for 1923 and that year he fell off in his batting to .2SO. He looked good enough for the Yankees to deal for, however, and he orders to play first base regularly. ,
 In the 1924 season with Omaha he played 121 games at first base and was in a score or so more contests in emer- gency as outfielder and pitcher. He batted 1922 and his extra base hits included 40 home runs, eight triples and 46 doubles. It was the first sea son of his experience that he had not been called on to pitch in turn as we'll as do full job in other positions and settled at one job pretty we'll he gave a better line on what he could do.
 In 1922 he pitched in 40 games or more. The year before he was in more than 20 and in 1923 in only one less game as pitcher. His first year out (with Madison in 192O) he pitched more than 80 complete games, besides playing 40 in the outfield. He is a big fellow and could stand it even then though not out of his teens. He stands a full six feet and weighs 106 pounds
 Referring to that hint of competition for both Pipp and Ruth, the thought in mind was that Lou Gehrig, the col legian who did some firstbasing for the Yankees in 1923, and last year waS with Hartford, where he played the outfield, will be back with the Yankee. in 1925, seeking job either in the out field or at first base. Gehrig is 2 home-run hitter like his new team-matt Cullop. With Hartford in 1924 he led tile Eastern league in extra base wal lops, with 37 homers among them Gthrig also is a 200-pounder. There will be some big guns roaring when both Cullop and Geliig unlimber.