The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-13
BY H. G. SALSINGER


 BY H. G. SALSINGER TNHE turning point in Ty Cobb's
 career came in 1907, the year that
 Hugie Jennings took charge of the Detroit team as manager. The De- troit team had enough power, but there had been lacking a leader to harness this power. Jennings proved to be that man.
 There never lived a keener judge of base ball talent than the redheaded Jennings. Few men have been his equal. He had heard about Cobb and he was eager to see him. After getting his first look at the youngster Jennings formed his judgment. He watched him closely week and then ignored him entirely.
 Cobb noticed the slight and spoke about the matter to a friendly news paper writer. The newspaper man told Jennings that Cobb was hurt because he was ignoring him. Incidentally he asked Jennings why he did not pay some attention to Cobb, since the boy showed q certain amount of promise. Jennings said he wouM take the matter up with Cobb. In the meantime he would assure the writer that he had in no way neglected Cobb. He had fully observed that young man and his mind was made up as far as he was con- cerned.
 Advance Of Jennings
 Jennings took Cobb aside the same evening.
 My boy" began Jennings, "you may think I've been overlooking you. haven't anything of the kind. I've been watching you closely and I want to tell you this: There isn't a thing about base ball that I can teach you. Anything I might say to you would simply hinder you in your development. The only thing for you to do is to go ahead and do as you please. You just use your own Judgment. You can teach yourself better and get along faster than by the aid of any man l know. Now just go ahead and work things out in your own way and do what you think is best, and I'll back you"
 The next morning Jennings met the newspaper man on his way to the training grounds.
 T think you'll see Cobb do a lot bet ter work from now on," observed the new manager.
 Do you think he has the making of good ball player?" asked the news paper man.
 Jennings took him by the arm and answered slowly:
 "Listen to me! H ehas the making of the greatest ball player that ever lived and that's exactly what he will be within the next three years Mark my word and play that as strong as you like. You can't go wrong"
 An Exclusive Story
 The newspaper man took Jennings word. He played his opinion in eight column lines. He did not go wrong,
 Jennings adhered to his decision. He let Cobb attend to his own development. He never gave him orders. He permit ted him to run wild"
 There has never been another player who was such a law unto himself as Cobb. No other manager would have handled him as Jennings did and it would have been impossible for Cobb to develop under another man the way he did under Jennings. Another man would have tried to make Cobb part of machine and Cobb could never have developed as one of whole; to de- veloIN he had to be one, all alone and apart from the whole. Jennings, great judge of playing talent, realized this. Also he realized that, permitted to be a law unto himself, Cobb would be far more valuable than Cobb as a spoke in wheel, figuratively speaking. He ] could let Cobb play his own game and