The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-03-29
Henry P Edwards Surprises Critics By Naming Dickey,
Cronin, Rofe To His All Time American League Team
Claims DiMaggiO,
Teller Have Yet
To Prove Selves
Another of the series from
the baseball training camps.

the baseball training camps.
BY HARRY GRAYSON,
NEA Service Sports Editor
st. Petersburg, Fla, March 29.-
Joe DiMaggio is the greatest bal
player active today and Bob FelleI
the finest pitcher, yet neither Is
named by Henry P. Edwards as q
member of his all-time American
League team.
Edwards selections are worth
printing not only because of the
selector but because of three OF the
four current lumiharies he picks
Bill Dickey and Red Rolfe of the
Yankee and Joe Cronin Of the Rec
Sox.
Edwads, now So, was a veteran
writer of baseball when the Amer
lean League was organized in 1900
He was one of the founders of the
Baseball Writers Association OF
America. He is row manager Of the
American League Service Bureau.
The other athletes listed by Ed
wards are those generally nominal
ed for all-time honors - Walter
johnson, Rube Waddell, Bob Grove
and Big Ed Walsh in the box; Lou
Gehrig at first; Napoleon Lajoie al
second, and Babe Ruth, Iris Speak
er and Ty Cobb in the outf1eld.
SAYS DICKEY is VERY
MUCH UNDER-RATED
The war correspondents were
cutting up the Yankees analyz-
ing them . when Edwards dug
into the all-time business.
Someone remarked the world
champions did not hit their stride
of the last four years until Joe Di-
Maggie came along. Another traced
their success to pitching. Another
suoke of the second basing COM
bination defense.
"And how about Bill Dickey?'
cut in Edwards. There's the mos
under-publicized and most accom-
plished catcher I've seem"
Old Henry Immediately hearc
about Mickey Cochrane, Ray Schalh
Bill Carrigan and Steve ONeill, bu1
had all the answers.
I'm addition to being q splendid
receiver, able to get everything
possible out of pitchers, owner o.
strong and accurate throwing arm
and possessing the ability to blocl
runners at the plate, Dickey is {
dangerous long distance batter" h
said.
CARRIGAN WAS GREAT
AT. BLOCKING RUNNERS
"Cochrane had a higher battin!
average and was faster on his feet
Schalk, light in weight, was a won
derful handler of pitchers, an ex
ceptional tagger of runners, an ex
cellent thrower, and full of energy.
"Carrigan did everything nearly
as well as Dickey and Cochrane ane
inaugurated the blocking of runner!
in the American League. O'Neill fol,
lowed him as a blocker and became
a strong batter.
But Dickey is the daddy of them
ALL"
There were some complaints last
fall when Rolfe was given the cal
over Ken Keltner as the American
Leagues all-star third baseman, but
Edwards goes much farther in fav-
oring the carrot-top.
"All-round ability" he smiled
admitting he was tempted to GO
back to the early days and point
out Jimmy Collins of the Red Sox
or Bill Bradley of Cleveland.
NO ONE COULD COMPARE
WITH HONUS WAGNER
Edwards confessed the American
League, with all its margin over the
National in recent years, never has
had a shortstop measuring up to
the standard of Honus Wagner.
"The American League has had
amazing fielders in theshortfleld
in Cronin, Roger Peckinpaugh,
DOME Bush, Everett Scott, Ray
Chapma nand Frank Crosetti,"
Edwards pointed out in rating
Cronin first and Chapman, victim
of pitched ball which caused his
death, second.
"At his peak" he asserted, "Cron-
in was the steadier fielder, although
not as fast as Chapman"
Edwards found it hardest to split
out Larry Lajoie and Eddie Collins
at second.
Joe DiMaggio and Bob Teller?
Well, Henry Edwards, like all
other competent baseball men OF
vast experience, wants to see more
of Rapid Robert. And Jolting Joe
has long way to go to match
the records and durability of Ruth,
Speaker and Cobb.
wYA NANY NINE A nTTS