Evening star., 1942-08-03
South Has Fine Array
OF Big Stars in Cobb,
Jones, Ruth, Cans
Pennsylvania, New York,
California, Oklahoma
Famous for Aces
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

Special Correspondent Of The Star.
Dropping in at almost any USO
canteen you'll find pride of city,
pride Of State and pride of section
always are strong among the many
thousands of soldiers and sailors who
drop in for something to eat or a
place to loaf and argue on of hours.
These men come from every part
Of our national map. They are great
kids-keen, alert, intelligent In the
mainland they like to argue. Above
all, they like to argue about some
form OF sport-baseball football,
boxing, golf-and where each one
is dead sure his part of the country
Is well on top, no matter what the
game.
Many Of these arguments can be
answered. Some of them are tough.
Here Is one Of the toughest we have
received, from a group OF soldiers
and sailors
WED like to have you tell us
which State has the lead in turning
out the most famous of our sporting
stars. We mean only those who
can be rated far above the others
the real outstanding ones, men or
women, those whose names are
known nearly everywhere.
Stars Of Last 40 Years.
Naming only the outstanding stars
Of the last 40 years is no simple
assignment.
Here is one roundup, taken sport
by sport:
Baseball-Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth,
Hans Wagner.
Football-Jim Thorpe, back; Pudge
Hefielfinger, lineman.
GoN-Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen.
Tennis-Bill Tilden.
Boxing Jack Dempsey, Gene
Tunney, Joe Cans. Joe Louis, Jim
Jefferies, Sam Langford.
This latter roundup can lead to
q multitude of disputes. Corbett?
Fitzsimmons? Benny Leonard?
There can be more arguments
about the others, too-especially
football. But Jim Thorpe remains
our standout as the greatest of all
backs-ball carrier, line breaker,
punter, dropkicker, defensive star,
durability. And Heffelfinger, who
was a star guard in 1889 and still
a star guard in 1922, stands alone
on line play.
Roster Of Aces by States.
This is a plunge over the preci-
pice into the fogs. But here it goes:
7. Georgia-Ty Cobb, Bobby Jones.
2. Maryland-Babe Ruth, Joe
Cans.
3. Pennsylvania - Bill Tilden,
Christy Mathewson.
4. California-Jim Jeffries, Cor
nelius Warmerdam.
S. Oklahoma-Jim Thorpe, Dizzy
Dean. -t
6. New York-Gene Tunney, Wal
ter Hagen. Lou Gehrig.
This Is at least starter. Colo
RADIO can open her count with Jack
Dempsey. Alabama or Michigan
can start nominees with Joe Louis.
Massachusetts, has a famous entry
in John Lawrence Sullivan, the
grand old tub from Boston"
There can be another argument
as to which names were better
known around the world. when each
was in his prime-Babe Ruth-Jack
Dempsey-Bobby Jone@Bill T1lden
walter Hagen?
Jones Had World Rating.
These were the five tops. The
Babe had the disadvantage OF star
ring in a game that isn't so well
known outside of America. The
fight game is known everywhere and
they play both golf and tennis on
every part of the old map.
Tilden and Hagen have covered
more terrain than any Of the others,
having starred from Boston or San
Francisco to Australia.
Hagen has played over North and
South America, most of Europe,
Japan, Australia, India and Africa.
He has been sports leading globe
trotter, although Joe Kirkwood and
Gene SaraZen have been alongside.
IlC 1aIlC dAlu AldAlC vi ooD1y
Jones when he completed his 1880
grand slam at least matched the
globe spun popularity of any rival.
His amazing mop-up In the four
major championships sent his name
spinning from one continent to an
other. For he already had been a
leading feature for more than a
dozen years and his 1880 roundup
was the climax to run of victories.
Bobby's personality. plus his anna
teur rating, played star parts in this
build-up. And I doubt that any
other competitor ever caught and
held the admiration and affection of
the crowd as the winning Georgian
did from 1920 through 1890.
North American Newspaper Alliance)