The Washington times., 1929-08-22
Halls
HAASAS
STAR
BY Babe Ruth


ST. LOUIS, Aug. 22.-It has
always seemed funny to me
that the public is so quick to
see the greatness of certain
players and so>slow to Aappre-
ciate the real value Of certain
others.
Perhaps it's because one man has
that thing they call color" and the
other one hasn't it--but time after
time in the years I've been in base
ball I've seen two players come UP
side by side. with one hailed almost
Immediately as a star and the other
one passed up by the public without
comment. And the fellow who was
passed up has been, IN the opinion
of other ball players at least. lust
as good as the fellow who got the
cheers Of the crowd.
Take for instance Earl Averill at
Cleveland. Earl hadn't been in the
league two weeks before the fans
were talking about his play and
singing his praises all over the cir
cult. Yet / can name you another
center fielder in the league VINO Is
every bit as good as Earl and 1
think better, who was two years
gaining recognition. That's Earl
Combs of the Yankees.
When Combs came up he sort
Of kept~in the shadows. saying
nothing and saving wood. He
WAS a star from the start--yet
it took three or four years for
the fans really to appreciate
him. and right now l don't be-
lieNe most people really appre-
ciate his real work.
You hear a lot about AL Simmons
of the AS and Al is a real star-to
my mind one of the greatest out
fielders of all time ana the greatest
natural hitter in baseball today. But
working along side Simmons day
after day is another Kid who is right
there too. That is Mule Haas.
You don't hear any one raving
about Mule or talking about his
greatness-but take it from an old
ball player, the kid has everything.
He can hit, he can throw. he's fast
and he's a sure fielder. Just an
other ball player who goes about his
job SO quietly that most people don't
appreciate how good a man he is.
There are a lot of other chaps of
the same type in the game. Take
Mel OFT, of the Giants. Mel was
around couple of years before the
fans in the stands began to appre-
ciate his value. Yet ball players
over at the stadium one day two
AL l.;
Watch that kid Ott,'' Bill said
You don't hear much about him
| but you will. He's one of the best
kid ball players that has come along
in a great while, believe me. He'll
be a star Babe-in fact. he's one
| right now, but folks don't know
1t yet"
| A lot of fellows play right through
their baseball career without ever
getting the credit they ought to
have. George Burns. of the Giants.
did that and so did Ross Young
Bing Miller. of the AS has never
got thu credit he should as a ball
player.\ Sam Rice, of the Senators.
is another one.
Sam, over q long period of
! years, has been one of the
greatest Outfielders in the league,
yet no one eve raves much
about his work or gives him
any great amount of credit.
The same thing goes for Joe
Judge.
Fans in the stands looked on Tony
Lazzeri as a sort of an experiment
long after the ball players them.
selves had come to recognize Tony
as one of the greatest second base
men in the game. 1t all goes TO
show that baseball is a funny game
and that sometimes real class
doesn't stand out the way it should.
/ Just because you don't hear lot
and read lot about a certain play.
er doesn't mean that he hasn't
plenty of class. The league is full
of Combs, of Otis, of Haas, of Rices
and Judges and fellows like that
who don't get into the headlin, j,
much, but who rate mighty with
the fellows who play with and
against them.
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