The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-03-22


One hour with Rogers Hornsby
would, change all that!
Hornsby doesn't just talk base
ball. He burns baseball into you.
The old war horse is fierce about
it.
I put in one hour with Hornsby
in his hotel suite after he just had
returned from a hard workout. He
started with his pitchers, taking
pencil and roster and explaining in
detail why his 1884 staff is much
better than last years.
"Take Blaeholder and Hadley.
Each won Is games last year. That
proves they're pretty good pitch
ers, doesn't it? But look at the
games they lost! Hadley 20, and
Blaeholder 10. Can you show me
any other record in the league like
that?
"The games they lost show that
st. Louis really had but two start
ing pitchers. And, with such a sit.
uation, how they came to win 80
ball games between them, working
as hard as they did, is undoubted
proof that they're the best in the
league.
This year it's going to be a lot
different. We have seven pitchers
who can start games, and I mean
they can finish most of them, too"
Hornsby squinted at the roster
and marked the names of Andrews,
Coffman, Gray, McAfee-then he
paused and looked over the others
-Newsome, Baecht, Wells, Weav.
er, Walkup, Knott, Mcdonald
"WelI, our seventh starting
pitcher is there"-and he made
broad check-"let 'em guess who"
1t could not be argued that
Horribly had show the staff had
been improved. The talk then went
directly to the subject of runs,
matter about which the Browns
have been grossly negligent in the
last few years.
Young Alan Strange, the short
stop bought from Hollywood, is the
center of Hornsby's hopes, both on
the left side Of the diamond, where
the Browns have been weak, and
at the plate.
He hit 1924 in the Coast league
and he's young man who likes
to play ball. To succeed in this
game you've got to play in the day
league. You know what mean"
Hornsby was not long in releas-
ing Jim Levey, who started at short
for the Brown last year. The in
ference that Levey did not keep his
mind on baseball was not pressed.
Then we've got more hitting
strength and reserve strength in
the outfield. You know West,
Campbell and CAIRNS. And Camp
bell is improving. But when we
took Puccinelli and Pepper from
Rochester we got just what I've
wanted since taking over the club
last year.
IT know them from the Cardi-
nails chain store. And when those
two players realize they're getting
a chance with real outfit like the
Browns I expect them to show
more than they ever did"
Hornsby almost had the case
won. Forty-five minutes had pass
ed and he had proved not only that
the Browns were a ball team, but
eAAoS IAOy WCiC III LIl0 american
League. But wait
"And what have we got to beat %
he asked himself as we started for
the elevator. 1.-THE Red Sox spent a
lot Of money, but it looks to me
IKE all they got was Grove. The
Whit Sox? Take awaS Simmons
and they are no better ball club
than we are.
cleveland hasn't got such a hot
ball team, but that short park
ought to help Averill this year.
You know the race in the Am
erican League has been among
three teams, the Yanks, AS and
Senators. The Yanks haven't help
ed their weak pitching staff any, as
l see it. That evens them up with
the second division contenders.
Mack has some good young ball
players, but he hasn't got as good
pitching as we have. The Senators
didn't look like great team to me