The Washington times., 1929-08-27
GOOD ME n
If OR ALL
;.PLACES.
By Babe Ruth

{a A~~S ~~~SA~
NEW YORK, Aug. 27.-You
know it's not until a fellow
starts going over "the rec
ords" trying to pick an ALI
America team that you begin
to realize just how many very
good ball players there are in
the big leagues. Or what
little difference there really
is between the average ball
player and the star.
Just half stride in speed will do
It, Just an additional split second
on getting away with a throw; just
few points in a batting verage-
that's all that separates the great
player from the mob.
haven't picked my All-Ameri' a
team yet for 1929 and the more
study the records and averages the
tougher the job looks. There are
30 many fellows who rate nip and
tuck at their positions. Take Sec
ond base for instance. How Is a
man going to choose between Tony
Lazzeri, of the Yankees; Charley
Gehringer, of the Tigers; Rogers
Hornsby, of the Cubs; Hughey Critz,
of the Reds. and three or four
others who might be mentioned?
They're all outstanding second base
: men-they're all entitled to recogni-
tion-and they'll have their sup
porters in the teams that the fans
pick throughout the country.
It's a funny thing about that
All.America team. When l
first started picking them about
eight years ago, ] went into the
thing as a sort of lark. 1t was
a novelty. But the longer the
thing goes on the more popu.
uIarity 1t has and today / figure
picking the All. America team is
one of the most important things
l have to do each season. And
each year it gets tougher. too,
for it seems to me that each
year the crop Of new, players
who come up are a little better j
than the fellows of the year
before.
The boys were talking about the
team in the clubhouse the other
day and Sam Byrd, remarked: We'll.
this year, Babe, suppose most of
your team, will be made up of Chi
Gago Cub and Athletic players. They
@eem@tn be the stand out.
Maybe those two clubs will have
Q majority of the mem and maybe
they won't. You know the fact
that a team wins a pennant doesn't
mean. necessarily. that that team
,~e l1o 01sin
positions. What it takes to win
pennant is balauce-and tail-end
team is apt to have a few individ-
ual performers who can do their
particular job better than any man
on the pehnant winner. In other
words it isn't so much unusual
strength that wins pennants as it
is having club that is without
particular weakness.
There's a lot of difference between
picking a team where the men
are the best at their position in the
league. and picking a team of men
who have been most valuable to
their club. A fellow like Jimmy
Dykes for instance, is a mighty
valuable man to his club, yet
Jimmy doesn't rate as the best
second baseman or the best third
basemans or the best first .baseman
in baseball by a long ways.
Anyhow what i started out
to say is that the farther this
AltAmerica selection goes the
tougher it gets and the keener
the competition for places: When
Istarted picking the team there
were fellows lille Cobb and
Speaker and Schalk and Sewell
and tHOrnsby who were stand
outs You couldn't keep them
off They were as natural as
anything.
Today there aren't so many OF
those 'naturals'' left. There are
two or three, sure enough-two or
three fellows who will put on any
mans team. and who rate with the
stars Of all time. But where you've
got three men like that, you've
got six others to pick who are nip
and tuck. And it's right there
where the tough part comes.
When you've got Foxes. Terrys,
sGehrigs for first base: Lazzeris,
Hornsbys Gehringers for second;
Kamms, Lindstroms, Traynors and
whitneys and Frischs for third
we'll it's tough. But my All-Amer:
jca team for 1929 will be, good even