The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-06-06
[)E.N|ESC()|N
MADE STAR
TEAM
BY Babe Ruth

CLEVELAND, June 6.-Out
through the Western end Of
the league they We started the
same old howl again about
New York, and the Yankees in
particular, buying the pen
nant. |"
There seems to be general idea,
too. that something should be done
about the Yankees. "A lot or fans
seem to think that Colonel RUPERT
should split his club into small
pieces and scatter the men around
among the seven other clubs Of the
league.
That's q laugh to me.
If the Yankees are good enough
to continue to win pennants. it's up
to them to win them. Splitting up
the club ID lust one OF those wild
suggestions that come when folks
cant think of anything else. It's
easy enough to suggest-but sup
pose the Yankees were playing for
Cleveland for instances.
Would the Cleveland manage
n,ent break them up and sell
them Just because they were too
good? Would Chicago, ar de-
trOit fans. II they happened to
be q Detroit club, be willing to
see them sold to help the rest
OF the league? Certainly not.
You hear fans saying that the
Yankees will win the pennant for
the next ten years. That's bunk.
They won't do it. The law OF aver.
ages is against them, and the law
Of averages liz one law that always
runs true TO FORM. realize that
I'm quoting Miller Higgins on that
particular tiing-but 1t happens
that Hug and / have about the
same idea on that subject. The
Yankees won't win for the next ten
wears Or the next five. won't even
nredict that they would win next
vear--or this year either, until the
pernant Is clinehed. Baseball IL too
uncertain for any wholesale predict
ing like that.
So far as the Yankees buying the
pennant is concerned, that's a story
that's unfair TO Miller Huggtns. IL
we are a great team-then you've
got to hand 1t TO Hug. Hes the
man who developed the club. II
was Miller higgins that brought
that gang together--and not Colonel
Ruppert's check book.
He dug Lou Gehrig out Of COL
Iege and signed him for a dime
carfare. He picked Mark Hoe
mig off the minor league lots,
and then stuck with him when
everyone else said Mark was
bust. The smart fellows laughed
at Hug, but Hug stuck with
Mark.
He brought Stanley Coveleskie
ont of the discard, when no other
club in either league would give
him a lob. He took Urban Shocker
when everyone else said he was
through.
He picked up George Plpgras four
wears ago and nursed him along and
kent after him long after the rest
of the managers had said PipSras
would never make big Lacquer.
II that's what you call buying pen
nantS then I'm all wrong.
Looking over the club roster you |
will see that Bengough, Johnson, |
Shealy, Pipgras, Moore, Thomas, |
Gehrig, Lazzeri, koenig. Gazella,
Campbell. Paschal and Combs have |
never even played with any other !
hjy league club. Hug brought them |
right M from the Sandlots and de-
veloped them himself. Collins and
Robertson had been tried by an
other big league club and turned
back to the minors. Higgins got
them from there-and took them
because he figured they would make
good even If they had been turned
down by other big leaguers. Fhat
hardly what you would call buying
a pennant either.
OF the twenty-five men on the |
Yankee roster there are only four
that were actually purchased from
any other club. These are Pennock, |
Hoyt, Dugan and myself. There
isn't another club in either league |
that hasn't more men than that |
obtained by purchase. That's why |
l say that the old story about buy
ing pennants is unfair to Miller |
Higgins. The sooner fans forget |
about it, the more Higgins will get |
the credit that he really deserves.
| don't know what may happen
on this western trip. Maybe we
will win most of our games. Maybe
we IL start taking 1t on the cnln. L
haven't any doubt but that Wen
have slump before the season
ends. But this one you can mark
down. Well win them IL we can
and If the Yankees don't win the
pennant it will be because they
weren't good enough not because
split up.
Copyright, 1928. by the Christy
Walsh Syndicate)