Greenberg Trades Uniforms

Last week, in his 1,049th game with the Detroit Tigers, 30-year-old Hank Greenberg smashed out two home runs, drove in a third run to lick the New York Yankees 7-to-4, then turned in his uniform. Next morning, in an old corset factory in downtown Detroit, Henry Greenberg, baseball's highest-paid player ($55,000 a year), was inducted into the U.S. Army along with 300 other Detroit draftees.

Not since ailing Lou Gehrig bowed out of the New York Yankees two years ago had baseball lost such an outstanding player. In eight years with the Tigers, Greenberg was twice (1935 and 1940) voted the American League's Most Valuable Player, led the league in runs-batted-in four times, and once, in 1938, came within two runs of tying Babe Ruth's alltime home-run record of 60.

Like Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg learned his baseball on the sidewalks of New York, first attracted big-league scouts while fence-busting for a New York high-school team. Big and gawky (6 ft. 4 in.), he was turned down by the late, great John McGraw because he was "too awk ward." But, like Gehrig, Greenberg was industrious, persevering, went on to be come one of the best first basemen in the game. After seven years at first base, Greenberg ungrudgingly agreed to shift to the outfield last year "for the good of the team" -- to make room in the daily lineup for alternate Catcher Rudy York, a mighty batter. Greenberg's metamorphosis from star first baseman to star outfielder within six months was one of the outstanding baseball feats of 1940.

Last week, at a farewell banquet for Detroit's Big Guy, Manager Del Baker moaned: "Nobody can take his place."

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