The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-03-22
BABE RUTH
SAYS:
BY BABE RUTH
ST. PETERSBURG. Fla,

TINE Athletics were Scnedued 10
play in st. Petersburg the
other day and rain spoiled the game.
So a lot of them, including Connie
Mack. came over TO our hotel for
a few hours and we all got TO
punching the bag the way players
viii I was especially interested in
something Connie said. Babe" he
told me. you can talk all you
please. this is o. young players year.
II we win the pennant it will be be
cause some young fellows came
along TO help us. II you fellows
win it will be because some of your
rockies came through with a bang.
II a dark horse gets the most from
young ball players, they'll win It"
hadn't thought much about the race
from that angle but I can see where Con-
ME Is right. Take the AS for instance.
Connie has about the same old team to
shove In there again this year. but some
of those old fellows have begun TO slip.
some Of the pitchers are weaker and
there's a bad SPOT at second base and
short. II Connie is TO win the pennant
he'll have to get great reserve work from
McNair and williams. his two young in
nrIders and hen have TO get some pitch
lnE out Of young Mahaffey.
& n
'Wem have at least two new men
playing regularly this season in
Cooke and Chapman. And # the
Yankees are in the pennant race
well have to have help, too, from
some kid pitcher, who right now
isn't known beyond his own home
town. I don't know who it will be.
There are four or FIVE pretty good
looking pitchers in our camp right
now and it might be any one Of
them. But one thing you can bet
on. If the Yankees win next fall,
you'll be hearing a lot Of nice things
said about some young fellow who
right now has never seen his name
in a big league paper.
Go right on down the line. The Tigers
are counting a lot on Funk. ROgeli and
Hogsett: the White Sox are depending a
things from yOung Rick Terrell and the
Indians are counting much on Terrell and
couple Of kid inhelders. Connie was
right. It's a Young ball pisyer's year,
and the team that wins. all other things
being equal. will be the team that has the
best luck with its Young fellows.
IT'S a funny thing about rookie
Il players. Somehow they seem to
me to be much younger than they
we're when 1 broke in. Maybe it's
because I'm much older myself
but as I look back or. it all the
rockies in my days were grown-up,
hard-boiled men who had been
knocking around in the minor
leagues for a number of seasons
before they ever got a big league
chance.
Nowadays. the rookie classes are made
up Of kids from colleges and schools. kids
from right of the sandlots and the country
diamonds. Fifteen years ago the average
age of young ball players. up for a big
league tryout. was % or % years. To-
day the average age IS about 20 or p
years and I guess there isn't a single big
league team IN the country but has from
one 10 a half dozen kids under 20 years
old.
In the old DAVIS managers used to figure
that no hid could play big league ball
unless he was at least % or IS. and thew
wouldn't give Younger PLAYER a tumble.
Today they don't paw so much attention
TO age. In the last two years 1 imagine
heeu nj
break Into the league box scores than
there was in fifteen years Of baseball be
fore that.
And it's a good thing for the team
and for the player. I never did
believe much in the old idea of de
vsloping kids in the minors. I be-
Eeve the system is to bring the kids
into the big leagues young. teach
them the tricks of the business, and
then turn them back to the minors
for a couple of years to practice the
things they've been taught.
But I'm getting away from .rhs, :
started to write about.
THAT is that this looks like a
l. young players year And the
Yankees and the Athletics or any
one OF the other veteran teams will
be in for trouble if some club comes
aloEg with three or four good young
players to fill in the weak holes of
last year.
Connie Mack predicts n dark horse
trouble maker in our league this year. He
thinks 1t will be the White Sox. don't
Know about that. Bat do figure that at
least three of the clubs will be better of
this year than last and al least two of
then ought 70 he right on the heels of the
As and the Yankees through most of the
season.
tCUpvrisht 1880. By The Christy Walsh
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