The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-03-17
TALKING
ITOVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

CT. PETERSBURG, Fla, March
y 17.-Some notes Of more or less
vital interest picked up in the base
ball nurseries down here by your
travelling correspondent:
The best looking younFster Of the new
season is Frank Crosetti, the Yankee
infslder. Ball PLAYERS say he can do
everything with a baseball hut fry an
egr with IL. He ean field throw and
hit. Usually you are not expected TO do
much more.
Babe Herman and Dan Howlev aren't ex-
actly strangers Howlev was coaching for
Detroit when the Babe came TO the Tigers
as rookie outhelder. Now Howiev. as
MANAGER Of the Cincinnati Reds is count
cellar. He slwavs was a good hitter.
avs Howlev. and I've seen lot worse
fielders.
How Cincinnati. practically a bankrupt
ban club. can AFFORD to take over Her
man whose salary demands Of $4,000
cost him his Job with the comparatively
affluent Brooklyns is something Of a
mystery. Possibly the answer Is that a
certain amount Of cash figured in the
deal and the cash represents the diff
ference between what Cincinnati can nav
and what the Babe demands. At any
rate. that's what I hear. if YOU are in
terested and even if you afnt.
TINE other Babe-Mr. Ruth-ap-
Il pears to be singularly happy
with his new contract of $4,000,
which represents salary slash Of
$1,000, the first slash the great man
ever has experienced. He was
around the hotel lobby today BEAM
ing like q harvest moon.
I'm still getting as much dough
as Hoover" he said, land all I have
to worry about is my hitting"
Just nv way Of making 1t official. Pen
ner Martin let's It he known that he
stole all those bases on the Athletic
pitchers and not on Mickey Cochrane.
Grove and Earnshaw didn't seem 10
know I was in the ball mark when
got on base" saws the Pepper. Maybe
they we're too discouraged to care.
When The Braves were PLAYING the o Gs5df'
twice and missed. Come on, out there
+. H..
things EASY Show the customers some
thing" Whereupon the Pepper hit the
next pitch out Of the park for nome run,
The Rabbit. incidentally. is a chastened
soul this spring. After Ave years of
abstinence. Meanwhile did nose dive
off the water wagon last fall. 1t cost
him bonus and fine amounting all
told to $1,000. He is still feeling the
effects of the disciplinary hangover.
II
THEY tell me the most money
4 Walter Johnson ever made as
a pitcher with Washington was
S12,500 and that more than once
he kicked back part of his salary
to help the club get along. Today
he gets $4,000 as manager, which
is about a third as much as he
would be getting if he were in his
prime as fast baller.
watched Harry Heilmann. the veteran
outielder, work out with the Reds the
other day. He is down TO weight and
hitting the ball hard. Howlev expects
TO play him regularly and predicts that
in hitting--which is an optimistic pre-
diction considering that Heilmann has
long since seen his best afternoons.
Hcilmann was the last of that DYNASTY
Of great sluggers in the Detroit outfeld.
DYNASTY which produced among others
Crawford. Veach and Cobb. In recent years
Detroit has had no smuggling outhelders. IN
fact the dynasty expired with the de
narture of Cobb. The SIGNIFICANCE. If any.
is that with Cobb setting the pace, the
others found it easier to follow. The
presence of one great hitter on ball club
usually has an insprational effect on the
entire Lineup. Ruth with the Yankees
and Simmons with the AS are two modern
examples.
I asked Helmann what pitcher used
to give him the most trouble in the
American League. There can be only
one answer to that question:" he re-
piled. johnson. Anybody that ever hit
against johnson must say that. If he
saws anything else he is kidding you or
himself"