I'm currently reading Ty and the Babe by Tom Stanton and the following excerpt and quote by Ty Cobb jumped out at me and seems to be as relevant today as it was in 1924:
Cobb said to Grantland Rice while watching Ruth lift balls into the right field stands during batting practice. "Well the old game is gone. We have another game, a newer game now. In this game, power has replaced speed and skill. Baserunning is about dead. They've all just about quit stealing...Ruth has changed baseball. I guess more people would rather see Babe hit one over the fence than see me steal second. I feel bad about it because it isn't the game I like to see or play. The old game was one of skill - skill and speed and quick thinking. The game is all power...A lot of these kids, in place of learning the true science of hitting or base running, are trying to knock every pitch over the fence."
|