Imperial Valley press., 1938-03-14
BY HENRY McLEMORE

- Inc InOu9Nl struck lie, as 1
watched him walk off down the
street 10 go fishing. that if Mickey
Cochrane can make his Detroit
Tigers as tough as his own head
the New York Yankees won't be in
/ the world series next fall.
Less than year ago it as 100 to
! that Mickey Cochrane's fishing
days were over. with the possible
exception of a little trolling as
Charon rOwej him across the river
StyX. Because less than year ago
Mickey lay more dead than alive
in a hospital his head crushed by
one of Pitcher Bump Hadleys
hardest. highest. and fastest ones.
But. since then he has seen a few
bali games taken a leisurely trip
through Europe. and right now is
hard at work whipping the Tigers
into shape for another American
league campaign. He honestly looks
better than at any time in his life.
His weight is right to the charge,
he is as brown as an old pair Of
shoes. and he moves with the quick
sureness of the perfectly conditioned
athlete
But he is through playing base
! ball. He has caught his last curve.
swung at his last knuckler. ran his
/ last base. He doesn't trust his re-
! flexes any more. They came up
slow last summer when he faced
Hadley CI saw the ball coming,
| but I froze right up and cOufin't
move out Of the way and he
figures they wouldn't be any better
now.
"A triple fracture of the skull
isn't calculated TO sharpen you up
any" Mickey told me.
I think Mickey has a young man
named York to thank for making
him do the wise thing retire.
Mickey's wiz to win is so strong
that if he thought bit OF classy
atching could bring the Tigers home
in frCnt he'd probably risk his head
all over again. But in York the
Tigers have a chappie who can do
a bit OF classy catching, plus bit
! of ver-the-fenre is a home run
/ hitting York sci an an-time record
! for hCmers-in one month last year
/ and Cochrane figures he'll do even
/ better this season.
His hitting is no fluke," Cochrane
said. Not Bit You may not
know it, but he IS a better natural
hitter than Hank Greenberg. And
that's saying something"
Somewhere, sometime, while I was
on the west coast read story that
said Cochrane banned to use him
self at third base, a spot that needs
filling, I asked him about this.
7 don't Know wnere any writer
cooked that one up. I haven't play
ed third since I left school, and as
badly as we need a third baseman,
we don't need one badly enough
10 get me out there. Wouldn't I be
a pip at third? That's no place for
an old man like myself"
Billy Rogell probably will do the
/ third -basing, which leaves the
i pitching staff as Cochrane's only
! real concern. As usual. the chief
/ interrogation point is that peren-
/ NAL student. "Schoolboy" Rowe
Detroit can't give the Yanks a rur
less the "Schoolboy's" shoulder all
ment stays as cured as it seems tc
be right now. Last year this time
Rowe's arm seemed as sound a.
could be. Yet he pitched less thar
Cne game all season. Right now i
gives him no trouble whatsoever
but Cochrane holds his breath ey
cry time the big fellow winds vi
and lets one 60.
To win IN the American, team
has To have pitchers who can whil
the Yankees. Rowe is one OF thos
rare souls who can. Bridges can
In fact, Bridges hasn't licked tn
Yanks more than five times in a.
his years in the big leagues. Auke
is another who has trouble wit
the men of New York.
The more one talks TO Cochran
the more one comes TO feel tha
everything rides on Rowe