The Washington times., 1928-05-22
BY Babe Ruth

NEW YORK CITY, May %.
I've been sticking around
the big leagues long time,
and I've seen a lot Of ball
players come and 60. But
I've never before known a
season where SO many young
players made good on 80 many
different team ais this year.
don't know IL you've noticed it
or not. but look ovr the American
League box scores and you'n Tina
that there isn't d team in the league
that hasn't at least one rookie who
has made good as a regular this
year.
Athletics, Orwell; Cleveland, Lind
and Langford; Boston. Morris; st.
Louis. Kress and Brannon; Detroit,
EasterIing; Chicago, Cissen and
Moore; washington. ellis and West.
Nor Is that all. There arc lot
OF others like Durocher, OF the Yal.
KEGS. Grant. OF the Cleveland club,
and players of that type, who,
while they don't rate as regulars.
are players who have made good
and will stick. A lot Of those kids
viii have lot to say about the
pennant race, too.
Kr. u and Branuon between
them have turned the Browns
from q broken ball club into Q
real fighting outfit that win
make plenty OF trouble. Orwell,
= Ieft-hander. has given Connie
Mack that additional starting
pitcher that he needs.
Morris. the Red Sox kid pitcher.
has won more ball games for his
club than any other pitcher on the
| staff--and is largely responsible Tor
| the squirt the Red Sox have taken
since they started their long home
stay. Lind and Langfcrd filled y
well at weak spots for Cleveland
and the result has been shown I'D
the Cleveland victories already this
season.
In other words this is young
| fellows year, and the standing or
the clubs at the finish of the season
will depend a lot ON these same
kids who three months ago were.
unknown rockies waiting for their
big league chance.
You known it's unusual when
ten or twelve kids come along to
make good and win regular jobs
| in the same year. The average ball
| club, taking fifteen or twenty
rockies to training camp, Is fortu-.
nate to develop one real ball player
out of the lot. Spring after spring
| you will see ball clubs go South
1 N,.T -
| yet start the season with the same
old men because not single rookie
was able to make good.
Time was when the veteran
baIIplayers looked on rockies as
a sort of necessary evil. They
didn't like them. They wouldn't
help them and they did every.
thing possible to make the
rockies life unhappy. Times
have changed. Today the vet
Grams are always glad to see
some good young ballplayer
realize that they can't 90 on
forever, and they realize too
that one or two young BALI
players may spell the difference
between a pennant and world
series check and third or fourth
place.
The first few weeks of play has
| convinced me that the American
League is lot better balanced this
year than last. The competition is
| a lot keener-and its a lot tougher
to win ball games. The newcomers
are the boys responsible and while
from q Yankee standpoint, it's tough
to have to fight for victories, vet
from the standpoint Of the league
it's a great thing.
Towns like st, Louis and Clevs'
land and Boston-towns that have
been down in the second division
for year after year ought to feel
pretty good now. They've got win.
ming ball clubs. Not clubs that will
win pennants--but clubs that win
make fight of it from start TO
finish. They. owe a lot of thanks
to the rockies. who came up this
season. They're the boys who have
patched up the holes and made
oOod climbs ont nP a~A~