Evening star., 1938-04-13
bR|LL|ANCE MARKS.
ROG'SLONCC CAREER.
Master Batter, Winner as
Pilot Is Victim of Own
Disturbing Candor.
Bv GRANTLAND RICE

the Cardinals. He went long way
IN the majors His name was Roger;
Hornsby and they reckoned him one
of the greatest hitters that ever lived
But no matter how far a fellow goes
in the big show, the chances are that
If he hangs around long enough, the
minor leagues will know him again
Hornsby, at the end of a long hau
through the big towns, goes back tc
the minors as coach and pinch hitter
for the Baltimore Orioles.
Well, nobody ever had a dizzier ride
from peak to peak in baseball thar
the kid from Fort Worth. Leading
hitter in the National League. Ons
of the games great second basemen-
fact frequently overlooked because
OF his power at the plate. Manager
OF the Cardinals. Pennant winner anc
conqueror of the Yankees in the worlc
series in his first year.
Then his abrupt arrival in New
York-and his equally abrupt de.
parture for Boston. Manager of thu
Braves-and then hitting the roae
again, this time to Chicago. First the
star and then the manager of the
Cuhs-and on the road again.
Back where he started in the bis
show, as an inflelder with the Cardi.
nals. Then to the Browns-and out
once more-;-and then the obscurity
OF the semi-pro ranks, taking his turr
at the plate under the arc lights ir
the bush towns
And now fresh start in the minors
where he will act as adviser to Buck,
Grouse, the manager of the Orioles
and, occasionally, step up there ano
take swing at the ball in the clutch
Good Breaks-and Bad.
Rog has had lot of good breaks
and a lot of bad ones. Some of tn,
bad ones have been of his own making
brought on by his disturbing candor
Every question addressed to Hornsby
gets a direct answer. He says exactl,
what he thinks and in terms unmis.
taxable. And sometimes his words
have Jared loose the back teeth O,
those whom they most affected.
sometimes wrong intent was reac
into his words. There was a period
When. despite his undoubted greatness
as ballplayer, managers didn't want
him because of his undeserved reputa.
ton as tunnel worker.
I am sure Rog never deliberately
tunneled under a manager in his life
But I am equally sure that, if he
thought manager for whom he was
playing wasn't using what he thought
were sound tactics and wasn't getting
all he could out of his players, he
would say so if somebody asked him
He never was what the ball players
call a clubhouse lawyer, stirring ul
discomfort on a club. He didn't &c
around airing his opinions freely
But If anybody asked him what he
thought, he didn't pull his punches
Nor would cautionary word dropped
by his hearers have the slightest effect
upon him. Somebody had asked him
question, hadn't he? All right.
That was his answer. Go ahead and
print it. Those who didn't like it
could lump it,
Some OF those who didn't like some
OF his answers were the men he was
working for at the moment. And very
shortly thereafter he wasn't working
for them any more. But for all of
that, he never learned to put a curb
on his frankness. Nor could anybody
awe him
Defies Baseball Bigwigs.
At one time and another, and gen.
orally with the right on his side, it
must be said, he defied all the big
wigs of baseball. He spoke his mind
on his method of running a ball club
his notion OF how world series should
be conducted and on the always
touchy-to others, but never to him
subject of betting on the horse races
The worst break he ever had was
no doing of his. That was the death
of Phil Ball. who owned the Browns
and engaged Hornsby as his manager
Here was one man who understood
him perfectly, who spoke his language,
had the same blunt disregard for any
opinion that was in conflict with his
own and was equally impervious to
what anybody thought of the things
he said and did.
They grew to know each other very
we'll shortly after they first met. Ball
was a real baseball enthusiast. A sue
cessful business man and possessed of
a huge income, he found sport and
relaxation-and tion-in his
ownership of the Browns.
The fact that the Browns cost him
about 100000 year didn't bother
him in the least. That was his way
OF amusing himself and he could af-
ford it. But he did want winner and
in his effort to get one he bought and
sold players, hired and fired managers.
Still he couldn't win a pennant and
he reached point where he was sure
that all that was the matter with his
club was the manager He believed
that with the acquisition of Hornsby
his troubles were over He had the
ball players all along, or 50 he thought.
And now he had a manager who could
win with them.
Balls Death Tragedy for Rog.
To Balls CONSERVATION, the day
Hornsby signed his contract, he put
down the pen and looked Ball in the
eye and said:
Nov we've got to get some ball
players. You know this is a lousy
club, don't you?"
Balls first reaction was to fly in a
rage. His second, to glow with salts
faction because he had manager who
would talk to him like that. He stuck
out his hand.
Il can see where we are going to
get along great" he said.
Balls death, short time afterward,
was real tragedy for Hornsby. There
is small doubt that if Ball had lived
Hornsby would have been managing
the Browns still and the chances are
that by this time he would have had
a winner. Because Ball had the money
to spend and the willingness to spend
it, and, understanding Hornsby as he
did, he would have stuck to him
through thick and thin.
Il