Evening star., 1924-11-02
BY II. G. SALSINGER.

Tf COBB was the greatest ball
player in history. He achieved
that distinction not because he was
the fastest base-runner, nor the best
oase-stealer, nor the fleetest fielder.
nor the greatest hitter. He became
oase oali's greatest player because
ne had the best base ball brain ever
developed. the efastest-thinking brain
IN the realm of base. ball.
because he had the ability to con-
ceive a situation and take full ad-
vantage of it before his opponents
awakened to it. He was a keener
student OF the game than they and
ne Understood the game better than
tneS. What Is more, he understood
.nem-the other players-better than
they understood themselves. He
knew their strength and their weak
ness. He knew their virtues and
.mei' IAults. as far as playing ball
was concerned. He was the greatest
player because he thought ahead ~
tnem at all times The play directly
IN mont OF him was not his aim. but
.ne play that was to come after.
Inc play OF the moment, until he
scored, was merely the foundation
Tor the play that was to come.
, lie was not the greatest fielder. for
dozen men in base ball lowered
over him as out1eiders He was NOT
the greatest place hitter. for wee
Wlhie keeier was q bit better in
placing hits. He was not the prea,
est slugser. for a few dozen men
nave been able to hit q ball harder
tnan Cobb ever could. He was not
the fastest man in the game, for sew
er1i others were just as fast. few
even faster.
Net the BsAy. Dat the Head.
The difference between Cobb and
all the other stars of base bail did
not rest In the body. but in the head
ne thought quicker than. any one
else and he knew how to put his me-
chantcal skill to more /adyantsxes
than any Of the others.
They said that he made many Of
his hits because he Mas so fast. He
hurried the play and compelled in
neioefs 10 mako fumbles and bad
throws by overhurrying.
Cobb had speed, yes. But base
oalfs dozen other men Just as fast
did not make infielders hurry 40 thew
fombied and threw badly, enabling
the runner to beat the play the way
Cobb did.
One Of the greatest sprinters of all
time was Bernie Wefers. Base bali
men who saw him run decided he
would star in professional base ball
because Of his speed. So they tried
70 make ball player out of Wefers.
Ihey failed. Wefers was fast. He
WAS faster than any man of his time.
But he did not know what to do with
his sbeed. In base ball, having speed
and knowing how to apply it t.are
different things. Cobb knew better
how to apply 1t than other men Just
as fast. Cobb could have been
trained to run straightHway and
would have made remarkable
sprfnter. But the biggest asset as
. sprintef In him would have been
his break from the mark. He would
have had the jump on all compet-
ftors.
Did the Unexpected.
In base running his brainwork
was as conspicuous rs his speed. He
started before they expected him to
start. He went when they did not
expect him to 20 ana he made no
attempt to advance when he was ex-
pected to. He always crossed them
up.
Nearing q bag, Cobb's next move
always was figured out. He knew
exactly what he wanted to do More
than that, he was certain Of what
the other fellow would do. That
made It easy for him to act. He
knew how to escape the fielder.
Cobb was not the hitter that the
slu9ee4s Of the old school were, not
in the strict sense Of the word. He
was never q natural hitter they
were. But Cobb made more hits
than the men naturally fitted for hit
ting, again because Of his BRAIN He
thought faster than the pitcher. As
he knew the workings Of an infielder
or m outhelder. SO did Cobb know
the system OF the pitcher he was op-
posing. He batted accordingly.
SolsAttAc BasA Ball.
He did not use mystic powers. He
had NO occult gifts. He simply re-
duced base ball to = scientific basis
and figured It out accordingly.
CoeA's plays may appear mystifying.
but In that they resemble con-
jurof's tftokG The feAts Of ma
gieaaA are astounding and beyond
comprehension until they are ex-
planned. Then they become extreme
v simple, Cobb,'s play was alwsys jss