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OldTimers of Sports World Holding Own Against Sprouts Hickok Poll Reveals That Eight of Leading 70 Three Years Ago Still Doing Fine FineBy By OSCAR FRALEY FRALEYUnited United PressSports Writer WriterNEW NEW YORK N Y June 5 Theres goldplated evidence at hand today that the oldtimers of the athletic world are hanging in there grimly against a game as ¬ sault by the sprouts of sports sportsGo Go back three years which is a long time in the muscle marts and youll dis ¬ cover that the 40 top athletes still are do ¬ ing fine thank you in the cheers and checks department departmentThe The basis for this lesson is the monthly Hickok poll to determine the outstanding pro athlete which winds up annually vot ¬ ing the years best in a runoff among monthly winners winnersYou You wont find a Johnnycomelately among the four monthly winners to date dateThe The honors have gon to such golfing graybeaf ds as Ben Hogan and Lloyd Man gram a punch grandpappy named Kid Gavilan and Gordie Howe the youthful veteran of the hockey rinks All of them have been around more than long enough to succumb to the shakes but havent haventLets Lets go back to the Hickok top 10 of 1950 and youll get a better perspective of the pitch pitchRizzuto Rizzuto Winner That Year The winner that year was an economy sized package named Phil Rizzuto The New York Yankees are threatening to give the American League a fiveyear hitch A most irritating factor is that same midget marvel despite the gray flecks in his chang ¬ ing coiffure coiffureSecond Second at that time was another mighty mite who helped make the saying that good things come in small packages That would be Hogan cast in chilled steel and irrigated with ice water Yep hes still the man to beat and name your own Nassau NassauThird Third that year was Ezzard Charles At last reports he was angling to fight again for the heavyweight title and nobody looked better able to play boffo with Rocky Marciano MarcianoJim Jim Konstanty was fourth and still tosses tough pitchers for the Phillies George Mikan was basketballs best and still is Stan Musial ranked sixth and hes better than ever while Willie Shoemaker was up there too at that time and today Is booting more of those babies home than anybody else elseOf Of that top 10 only jockey Joe Culmone and Lou The Toe Groza seem to have fallen from grace Yet even they arent selling pencils pencilsIn In the intervening years only a few new ¬ comers have shown the true touch of great ¬ ness Young fellows like Marciano Mickey Mantle Julius Boros Tony DeSpirito Robin Roberts and Bobby Shantz Most of them still have to prove they werent one shot wonders But the Hogans Rizzutos Musials Shoe ¬ makers and Mikans still are robustly with us And from the way they are going the pappy guys just aint ready to call it a day
