APRIL 11, 1954

“The .300 hitter has become a vanishing American”

The cover featured such all-time greats as Stan Musial, Hank Sauer and Roy Campanella (the sixth Black man to play in the majors), but our story was about how they weren’t measuring up, compared with Ty Cobb. Ted Williams blamed a recent innovation—night games: “Night air is heavier,” he said. “The ball doesn’t travel as far.”