Evening star., 1929-01-04
CUB BOSS ADM|RES
STARS GAMENESS
Fears No Trouble With Any
Player "Who Will Break
Leg to Win"
BY GEORGE MORIARTY.

Big League Umpire.
THOUGH it is only Midwinter
n in the Mississippi Valley, the
"A base ball fans of Chicago and
its vicinity have unanimously
selected the top rung Of the
National League ladder as the landing
place for the Cubs of 1929.
The followers of Joe Mccarthy are
enthusiastic over the fve-player deal
of 100000 proportions which tied
Rogers Hornsby to the Cubs apron
strings. And why shouldn't they exult
a little? 1t is a lucky club that can
reach out and grab star of the Horns
bv tvpe when he is most needed.
While Rogers is looking forward
eagerly to the coming season, is 1t fa1r
to nut the uncertain problem of pen
nant possibilities entirely upon his will
ing shoulders? The Cubs of 1929, plus
Hornsby, appear 20 per cent stronger,
but that means nothing If few vital
members of the cast are deStlneo 10
have an off season. Such twist OF
the fates would place Hornsby In an
embarrassing light.
Legs Are Sound.
For potential playing strength, the
ACQUISITION of Hornsby easily outbal-
ances the playing skill of the departed
Chicago players. Stepping on his thlr-
tv-second milestone, Hornsby is still an
outstanding star. He doesn't steal
many bases, but that is minor lack
in these days of dynamitlng the pail
on the other hand, Rogers 1allure 10
pilfer bases has preserved MS legs ano
is an insurance against INJURY. ana
chalk up this virtue HornSoy Is sei-
dom missing from the lineup:
PoCers is a greater right-handed
hotteT than Lajoie or Wagner, who
were the whoopees of their day with
the willow. The new Cub keystoner
o,Ithit his predecessor, Mcguire, by lUo
noints. and that is a tremendous ao-
vantage in close games. Hornsby MT
304 and any bleacherite will tell you
that figure pushes runs over the plate'
Incidentally, it makes HornSby ire
nuent "freouenter of the paths" him.
eelf. waiting to be knocked ins
Ant to Improve Others.
The Cubs should derive other bene-
fits through Hornsbys presence. Snort
stop Tommy Thevenow was regarded
as a sensation Of the Carolnals IN
1926. when he had Hornsby for a
partner. Likewise, ShortStop Eng'Isn
NAV reach the peak with the great
Hornsby on his lett next Sumner.
And don't forget to regard Hornsby
as a batting instructor de luxe. There
fore. Hack Wilson may feel the pres
ence of his famous teammate, and
slash the apple at handsomer figure
than ever before. The same pSychol-
ogy may act on Cuyler and Stephen
son and the mediocre Cub batters
may hit beyond normal tendencies
when the star clubbers are in MUIR
derous moods.
Mccarthy has unlimited confidence
In his star second baseman.; The pilot
toid it ali In a nutshell last Fall when
he was asked about the possibility OF
friction In case he acquired HornSby.
''There's can't possibly be any trou-
BILE with a player who will break leg
to win a ball game, and that's Horns
by's spirit" remarked the Cubs man
ager.
Has Great Spirit.
In a chat I had with Hornsby dur
ing. the world series last Fall his base
ball personality came to the surface.
"I know had an off season in the
managing business" he smiled, but
why should worry when gave all I
had?"
And here is the Hornsby slogan:
"Luck may move obstacles, but energy
and hustling push them away" And
what a hustler he is! 1t looks as If he
will save many a gray hair for Joe Nc
Carthy.
Barring injuries. the Cubs have a
chance to get away from the 1929 bar
rier with a rush, or even a gallop. No
other National League club could afford
to put over a similar deal to acquire
Hornsby. Chicago looks like Hornsby's S
stopping place.
He had played with st. Louis, New
York and Boston in the last three
years. a unique record for one of the
games greatest stars. Undoubtedly
Hornsby now realizes that he must click
nightly to please the fans.