Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-03-14

MI. shelley remarked, can spring
be far behind?" Well, 1.-THE hounds
Of spring are ON winters traces"
and the hour Of the sunland march
Is here again. Not 50 much to con-
dition ball clubs, but to play from IS
to 50 exhibition games before the
season opens-exhibition trips that
cover thousand Of miles; one-night
jumps; different types Of playing
fields, In shape or out Of shape; and
changing weather conditions that
arc none too helpful.
Talk to the ball players about this.
They'll tell you. Especially the old
timers who are working to get
fading arms and fading legs ready
for the long haul on ahead. They
are none too keen about the cold
winds and the rains Of late March
and early April that insist upon ap-
pearing year after year above the
deep southern belt.
Another Angle
When you face a daily competitive
schedule of 154 games, one of the
main handicaps ahead is staleness.
The big drive usually comes in
August and early September. But in
too many cases ball players and
ball clubs are worn down at that
time. They have been hammering
away at exhibition or championship
games since early March.
81 know" Babe Ruth told me, Il
could have had a much better rec
ord for the pennant season if hadn't
been forced to play in so many
exhibition games. In my time had
to play in over 900 exhibition con-
tests, largely on the way north. That
means four full seasons, where you
were supposed to give all you had.
know l always did. I believe 20
games are all any club should play
before the big show opens"
John McGraw told me the same
thing some time before he died.
Twenty games are just about
enough" he said, "before you open
any big league schedule. That still
means more than ITO ball games In
stretch"
His Giants played many more
games than this because of the ex-
hibition money involved. McGraw
was thinking at the time of condi-
tioning a ball club for a pennant
race-to have team ready for the
stretch run. Not in terms of spring
training cash.
McGraw, who liked fight and fire,
knew the curse of staleness. This
is what long exhibition schedule is
likely to bring on.
Ty Cobb's Example
Ty Cobb thinks along the same
lines. In talking to Ty a day or two
ago the citizen of Menlo Park said,
1.-The best thing ball player can do
is keep in shape through the winter,
either by hunting or playing golf.
l know it never took me over two
weeks to be ready for big league
season. l nearly always reported
late for l never believed in those
long exhibition seasons from early
March up to opening day. A good
ball player doesn't rest" occasion
ally, but earnestly wants to win ev-
cry game. Forty or more exhibition
games are entirely too many.
"a ball players main job should
be to keep his legs in condition. You
can do that only by working them
by walking and running. They used
to tell me I'd wear my legs out. But
at least tried to travel at top speed
and l managed to last "a years. If
1 hadn't practically lived on my legs
all the year around would have
dropped out long before I did,"
Best Pitchers
In discussing the greatest pitchers
of all time Cobb still believes that
Ed Walsh heads the list for any
five-year stretch.
"Big Eds five top years were re-
markable," Ty says. 81 recall one
year when he won - games and
saved at least 10 or IL others. He
worked in 66 games that season.
Even = Walsh could not keep mp
this pace any too long, 50 he had
no chance to keep going with such
pitchers rs johnson, Mathewson, Al
exander and others," he added.
81 don't see how anyone could
name a greater all-time pitcher than
Walter johnson. The Big Train
had more speed than any pitcher
who ever threw a ball. He didn't
have to be as smart as Matty or
Alexander" Cobb continued.
"Jehnssa was pitching for weak
hitting, loW-seoring club and often
had b fitch shutegts to win. Walter
pitchea nero tAan . hundred shut
euts h ~ tine. I asa't NsW NV
many I - Q games ~ Isst-bat there
wsrs pssaly q ths0. wlfh better
scesing s1ab I beAeve JsAnssa WsaA
lave wsa - sanss . ssssse."