The Birmingham age-herald. [volume], December 31, 1924, Page 10, Image 10

About The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950

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Preps And Colleges Again Don Attire Of
——- <?>-- : ~ ' "Z
Basketball Court In Magic City
Panthers Tackle Clubbers
At B. A. C. Saturday Night
---— %
Cage Game Reigns Supreme In All Circles After
Lay-Off During Holidays
Basketball again reigns supereme in
- the Magic City, as the athletes of prep
and college, drafiting back for their
scholastic duties, are answering the
call of the court.
The Panthers of Sunshine Slopes
will don the thin attire Friday for a
single practice session before tackling
the strong quintet of the Birmingham
Athletic club in the feature opening en
counter of the new year next Saturday
bight at the club.
Howard college Bulldogs will gather
for their ibitial practice engagement
Friday and prepare for an arduous
campaign being mappi 1 out by Toby
Stubbs, coach and star of the squad.
Phillips, Woodlawn and Ensley, mem
bers of the city triumvirate, went forth
on the court last Monday afternoon for
their initial workouts following the holi
days, and some intensive drills are ex
pected to result for the trio.
Simpson And University
Simpson school starts work imme
diately following their holiday vacation,
while the University High Gamecocks
will hold their first practice session of
*he season at the B. A. C. Wednesday
•fj^rnoon.
.he Sunday school Leaguers get back
o action after a week’s lay-off on
riday night and will make the local
Y” but with their activities during
the week in preparation for the sched
uled encounters. The city league again
gets into competition next W’ednesday
night, this loop taking two weeks rest
for the Christmas holidays.
The B. A. C. Blues did not have a
letup and continued at a fast pace
through the holiday season, opening
their heavy cage schedule with a big
conflict with the Baylor Bears last Fri
day night, winning by a neat margin.
Then Coach Ervin embarked Monday
on a two-day trip into Georgia, playing
Camp Banning and Albany “Y" on suc
cessive nights. Following their return
Wednesday, the Clubbers will be worked
right on, getting into shape for the bat
tle with the Panthers of Birmingham
Southern a few dafs later, Saturday
night.
Greatest Season
The activities on the court are really
taking renewed form, and before a fort
night Birmingham’s greatest basketball
season will be well under way.
The local high school will have a
great season.
Simpson, with two veterans of their
championship quintet back, will have
one of the strongest machines in the
Magic City, and have a fine chance to
repeat, despite their defeat by Dora
OT PROTEGE
IN FINAL BOUND
Jacobs Meets Shields For
Boys’ Tennis Singles
Title
NEW YORK, Dec. SO—Edward Ja
cobs of Baltimore, 14-year-old protege
of William Tilden, will seek the na
tional boys’ singles championship to
row when he opposes Frank Shields of
Silver Beach, N. Y., in the final round
of this division of the indoor tourna
ment at the seventh regiment armory.
Jacobs, who boasts a juvenile brand
of Tilden's famous “cannoball’ ’service,
won his way to the finals today by over
whelming John Rau, Lawrence, N. Y.,
6-0, 6-0. The Baltimore youth, as a
result, will be a favorite to take the
measure of his opponent in the finals,
Shields, who won the other semi-final
nrfatch today from E. H. McCauliff,
Fordham, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
The battle for the junior singles
crown resolved itself to rivalry be
tween the New York and Boston dis
tricts with two survivors of each sec
tion in the semi-finals to-iorrow. Ken
neth Appel of East Orange, N. J., and
Mercersburg academy, the defending
champion, will oppose H. L. Johnson of
Newton academy, Waban, Mass., in the
first semi-final while Horace Orzer of
Stuvesant High school will meet Mal
colm T. Hill, Newton academy, last
year's boy’s title holder, in the other
match. ...
This quartet also are doubles semi
finalists. Hill and Johnson, . 1923
champions, advanced to the semi-finals
today by defeating Wood Ivins, Hobo
ken, N. J., and John Millen, Newton*
Mass., high school, 6-1, 7-5. Orser and
Appel advanced by disposing of Robert
Crum, Newark, and Winthrop Lens,
Princeton, 6-1, 6-2.
NOT TO APPROVE BOUT
BOSTON, Dec. 30.—The state box
ing commission ruled today it would not
approve the bout between^ Sully Mont
gomery, Centre college football star,
and Jim Maloney of South Boston. A
bout between these heavyweights a week
ago ended in the third round with a
referee’s decision that Montgomery had
fouled Maloney.
SANBORN’S
REPAIRS-WELDING
MACHINE CUT GEARS
MACHMESHOP
BYRON DOZIER, M. D.
Special atten
tion given to
Diseases and
Surgery of tha
Eye, Ear, Nose
and Throat,
and t! > fitting
of glasses. Con
sultation and
exam ination
"re?.
Office
2020 y2
First Ave.
I
I
High just prior to the holidays. They
have a good bunch of basketeers In
Byrd, Vinceflt, Burns, Mills and Sud
dith. , „
University High, with Mike Grabin
and Bubsy McNally back, are counted
to go strong, and are doped to have a
good searon. Besides Grabin and Mc
Nally, the Gamecocks have three other
letter men in Wood, McCoy and Burt.
Phillips, with Jaffe, Anderson and
Sanford around which to build their
cage combination, will have the strong
est basketball outfit which has been
sent forth from the Crimson stronghold
since 1921, when the local contingent
romped through to the state title.
Woodlatvn And Ensley ,
Woodlawn and Ensley, despite the
fact that the former has only one let
ter man, Mitchell Burns, back and the
latter did not have a basketball combine
last season, will have excellent teams
and will give considerable trouble to
those aspiring for district and state
honors.
The collegiate quintets will be much
stronger than a season back, and will
make the cage season in Birmingham
much more interesting. There will be
three major quintets, the two colleges
and the B. A. C., rather than one, dur
ing the coming season.
Howard's prospects are good, with a
fine sprinkling of veteran talent, cen
tered around Toby Stubbs and Polly
Scokel, and will likely go strong.
Panthers Take Interest
Renewed interest Is being taken in
basketball at Birmingham-Southern
college, and Coach Drew is working a
likely-looking squad hard in order to
whip together a good combination.
Skeebie Caldwell and Ben Englebert, as
forwards; Kimbrough and Teague,
centers, and McDorman and Hall,
guards, are all fine prospects, and have
had considerable experience, with the
exception of Hall, who is being heralded
as one of the Magic City's coming back
guards. He is rangy, and made good
in football last season in his first year
out for the team.
The B. A. C. Blues, following a vic
tory over Baylor in the opener and a
successful holiday trip, are all set for
a great season, and this major quintet
should furnish greater thrills for
basketball followers In the Magic City
than for several years.
Ervin has a galaxy of star in Hil
burn, Anderson and Mandy, forwards;
Hub and Fred Hahn, centers; Leake,
Ferguson, Duke and Montgomery,
guards, with several others who are
going to spring forth into the limelight.
miS NAMED
JOCKEY LEADER
Succeeds Late Major Au
gust Belmont As
Chairmarf
NEW YORK, Dec. 30.—Frank K.
Sturgis of New York was elected chair
man of the Jockey club, to succeed the
late Major August Belmont, at a meet
ing of the club stewards held today.
Harry K. Knapp resigned as treas
urer and was elected vice chairman
to succeed Mr. Sturgis. John E. Cow
din was elected secretary-treasurer.
William Woodward, Joseph E. Wid
ener and Joseph E. Davis were named
a standing committee by the chair.
Payne Whitney was elected to the board
of stewards to fill the vacancy left
there by the death of Mr. Belmont.
There were present Frank K. Sturgis,
William Woodward, Joseph E. Wid
ener, Joseph E. Davis and John E.
Cowdin.
Oldest Mehmberu
Mr. Sturgis is one of the oldest mem
bers of the jockey club, and has been
active in its administration from the
first. For many years he was treasurer
of the organization, and has been n
popular choice as chairman of the
breeding bureau. He bred carriage
horses at Clipston Grange, his estate at
Lenox, Mass., and drove four-in-hand
teams of his own breeding in the period
when coaching was fashionable.
lie has been president of the New
York Coaching club. In the early days
of the National Horse Show associa
tion, he was a director and took an
active part in the conduct of the shows
at Madison Square Garden, when the
exhibitions drew the finest horse flesh
in the United States.
Mr. Cowdin, who becomes secretary
treasurer was an amateur rider of dar
ing and a polo enthusiast in his younger
days. He has served as n steward at
various meetings for the past few years
and has represented the jockey club at
the Jamaica course, spring and fall. He
has a wide acquaintance among fol
lowers of the turf. Payne Whitney is
prominent among the younger genera
tion of turf enthusiasts. He is a large
stockholder in Belmont park. The an
nual meeting of the jockey club will
be held on January 8.
FLOWERSMAY
FIGHT DELANEY
NEW YORK, Dec. 30—Tiger Flow
ers, Atlanta negro middleweight, who
boxes Joe Ixihman of Toledo here New
Year’s afternoon, may oppose Jack De
laney, Bridgeport, Conn., battler, who
conquered Paul Berlenbach, in a match
at Madison Square Garden January 10.
Negotiations for the contest were said
to be nearly completed.
s WE DEN TO ERECT
SPORTING PALACE
STOCKHOLM, Dec. 30.—Another re
sult of the great wave of interest in
Swedish athletics is the decision to
construct n huge sporting palace at
the Sterik bridge, in the heart of Stock
holm to be opened for use in 1920. The
building will be one of the largest and
best equipped of its kind in Europe.
It will contain facilities for all sorts
of indoor sports and for many games
usually played out of doors, such as
tennis.
Five Daily Trains to Atlanta
Leave Birmingham 6:60 a. m., 10.30
a. m., 2:30 p. m., 3:30 p. m.,'11:50 p. m.
Southern Railway System
Change Of Sweaters Almost Fatal
—By B. G. Seielstad
THE OLD
‘‘LUCKY"
MAROON
SWEATER
DEMPSEY
DUG UP THE
OLD RED
SWEATER
AFTER THE
F1RPO FIGHT
C-0
By ROBERT BOYD
Great battles of the prize ring have
been won and lost through aome su
perstition entertained by the fighters.
Nearly every gladiator of the roped
enclosure has some lucky charm or
good omen that he thinks bring him
good fortune and victory when his
own ability often fails him.
It has often been said that the col
ored fighters are much mores supersti
tious than their white brethren. This
has not been proved, as the pale-faced
fighter of the ring has trusted to lucky
omens down through the ages of
pugilism. They have labored under the
impression, and still do, that cham
pionships change hands through the
medium of an omen more than anything
Some champions of the ring in their
attempt to appear immaculate cast aside
this little characteristic of superstition
only to get a rude awakening to the fact
that their superstition overwhelms
them.
A soiled cap, a pair of baby shoes,
an old wornout pair of elkskin shoes,
a bathrobe; these are only a few of
the tallsmen that have been flaunted
in the eyes of enemy fighters in the
hope that Providence and luck would
be at their sides in the heat of battle.
Fighters are not the only category
of men who are superstitious. Sea
captains, generals from Alexander down
to Commander Foch, they have all
cherished omens that th'y would not
be without.
Jack Dempsey, the redoubtable “Ma
nassa Mauler,” violated__the supersti
tious code in his memorial and sensa
tional battle with I.uis Firpo, the Wild
Bull of the Pampas, at the Polo
grounds during the summer of 1923.
Dempsey had won most of his battles
with comparative ease. But always there
was a solid maroon coat sweater
stretched over his shoulders when he
entered the roped enclosure for his bat
tle. This torn and tattered sweater had
seen service during the early and harder
days of his career. It was tattered like
the flag of Old Ironsides.
It was as mpeh a part of his ring
wardrobe as his fighting shoes and
was conspicuous in all his encounters.
He had won his fight so handily that
he decided to cast his old maroon
sweater away, and the night he entered
the ring at the Polo grounds with Firpo
he was attired like a Beau Brummell
of the prize ring—a dude. White satin
trunks and a gorgeous white sweater.
What happened is today puglistic his
tory. Dempsey came within one second
of losing his heavyweight title. This
settled the white sweater and trunks.
They were bad omens, for when Jack
went through the ropes his title nearly,
nearly went with him.
When Tom Webster, the English
cartoonist, sailed for home a few days
later he had the white sweater and
trunks as souvenirs.
Jack dug up the old sweater, brushed
it up and when he enters the ring in
the future look for this tattered old _
remnant of his early days, his best
omen.
Jabez White, a flashy lightweight of 4
a few years back from England, never
climbed through the ropes . except he
tied a pair of his baby’s shoes on the
ropes over his corner. One night he
was outboxing Jimmy Britt, the Pa- '**
cific coast favorite, out in California.
He was winning.
“Spidder” Kelly, Britt’s trainer,
slipped over during the heat of the bat
tle and with a knife cut the little tot’s
shoes from the top rope.
This unnerved the Britisher and he
turned around in despair. The tide of
battle from that moment on flooded in
favor of the native son and he was
awarded the decision.
4
HE TOOK. /*»
CHANCE WITH
THIS ONE
■JABEZ white
"the ENGLISH
LIGHTWEIGHT
believed IN
A PAIR OF '
SHOES
1
From Youth To Manhood,
Walker Fights Sickness
Gets Glimpse Of Golf, Becomes Caddy, And
Then Starts Playing On Links
(Copyright. 1924, In United State*. Canada and
Great Britain by North American Newapaper
Alliance. All rlghta reserved.)
Edltor'a Note—Thia la the aecond of a aerlea of
articlea In which Cyril Walker tella how he
fought hla way to golf aupreraacy agalnat handi
caps which would have beaten most of us.
By CYRIL WALKER,
1924 American Open Golf Champion.
It is of more than passing interest
that the two most important golf titles
in this country should at present be
held by men who have had to overcome
physical shortcomings before they could
succeed—the national amateur by
Bobby Jones and the national open by
myself.
In the case of Jones, his weaknesses
were conquered while he was still but
a lad and in his early teens he had
reached a condition of good health
that has remained permanents. In my
case, however, although a feeble child
hood was succeeded by a period of
comparative robustness, this matter did
not last. The time came when fresh
ailments developed that made my
earlier misfortunes seem trivial. These
persisted until a short time before I
won the championship.
As a baby, I was undersized and
lacking in vigor. Then when I was
2 years old I had an accident that
threatened to end my life.
Has Bad Accident.
Riding my hobby horse in my par
ents’ home in a suburb of Manchester,
Kngland, I backed against a big, stone
basin in which my mother was mixing
boiling hot starch, while her attention
was directed elsewhere, anu I fell into
the mixture. The scalds which I re
ceived left marks which are still on my
body. I was long in the most critical
condition, it being doubtful whether I
would live or die. For two years I
was, so to speak, “on my back,” un
able to take part in childish pastimes.
Inclined to be small in stature, 1 was,
I believe, additionally handicapped in
my growth by this accident. So when
I finally began to take part in the
neighborhood games 1 was not so ro
bust as my playmates. I had always
with me my mother’s injunction to "be
careful” of myself.
My spine had been affected, too, and
I was highly nervous, a condition of
which I have not yet thoroughly rid
myself.
Nevertheless I played a little foot
ball and cricket as the years passed.
I was ambitious to do more, but my
activity was circumscribed by my con
dition and my parents’ watchfulness.
Then, in my eleventh year, an event
occurred that was to affect the whole
course of my life
Through A Fence.
We played our cricket and football
games in open ground adjacent to the
school I attended. Beyond the foot
ball field was the nine-hole course of
the Clayton Golf club. Sometimes a
football would be kicked over the high
fence that surrounded the course and
it would be necessary to retrieve it.
One day the gate was opened to me so
that I could recover a ball and T got
my first glimpse of the then, for me,
mysterious Scotch sport.
My curiosity was piqued. On a suc
ceeding Saturday I \ >nt with a chum
to peek through the aforementioned
fence and get a better idea of what
was ioing on upon the links.
As luck would have it there was a
shortage of caddies that day. Two
members came up to the first tee
faced with the prospect of haring to
carry their own clubs. Then they saw
us. " We were invited to climb over
the high fence and make ourselves
useful. We responded with alacrity.
Before the day was ended I had been
permanently stung by the golfing bug.
The sixpence I earned, added to oth
ers that came later, was used to ac
quire a cheap lofter, a club that ap
prikimates the masliie of today. Sub
sequently I acquired a brassie, also of
poor quality but greatly to be trensured
in my undiscriminating mind.
More Vigorous
Thence ensued a period of complete
bliss for me. Practicing in the open
space at the school house and caddy
ing of evenings and on Saturday af the
Clayton club gave me the exercise I
needed—exercise, too, exactly suited to
me. Gradually I became more and
more vigorous.
Nature and my earlier accident had
decreed that I never should be more
than a little man. At nineteen I reached
a weight of 128 pounds. That was
heaviness for me. In recent years I
have been considerably lighter than
that. I am. in fact, the smallest man
that ever held a national championship
in this country or Great Britain.
But if I was small, my health
finally had come to be good. It con
tinued so until I left England to come
to the United States.
As to the strange way in which I
happened to come to this country, more
later. For the present, let me say
that the change soon produced a bad
turn in my physical condition.
The climate had an unfavorable af
fect upon me. But, in addition, I was
temperamentally unfitted and my habit
opposed to the conditions I soon en
countered as professional at an Ameri
can Country club.
Quick Lunches Handicap.
The American custom of hurry was
my undoing. The pressure of my busi
ness proved too much for me. Bolted
lunches and crowded days undermined
my health. In time X developed
chronic intestinal inflammation.
This condition became so bad that
before entering a tournament it was
necessary for me to take medicines to
stop the abnormal processes which dis
tressed me and would othrewise have
forced me off the course. This was true
of the national open tournament at the
Inverness club, Toledo, O., in 1920, at
the .Columbia dub, Washington, D.
C., in 1921, at Skokie, Chicago, in 1922,
and at Inwood, Long Island, in 1923.
A JilUlAnnlliT_- _L ,1--A
Auuiiiouunv, my stomaca uroppea
down, and all through tlihi period I
was compelled to wear a tightly laced
belt.
Gets Worse.
My weight fell to 110 pounds, my
nerves were shot to pieces and my
stamina was decreased. I could play
well through the early rounds of a
tournament, but the final rounds al
ways caught ine fading away. I reached
a point where, upon addressing the
ball, I could hardly decide when to
take my club head back. I participated
in none but the most important events.
After the 1923 open, when I had de
cided that I could endure the situation
no longer, it was decided that my ton
sils were filling my system with poison.
This diagnosis, followed by an opera
tion, proved to be correct. I soon
showed a great improvement.
This was sir months before the na
tional open at Detroit. By the time it
rolled around 1 was in better condi
tion than at any time since coming
to the United States. But when I
stepped on the scales just before play
began I tipped the beam at only 110
pounds.
TRUSCOTTSUES
/ ST. LOUIS CLUB
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 30.—John B. Trus
cott filed suit today against the St.
Louis American League Baseball club
for $10,000. A foul ball struck him in
the right eye during a game between
St. Louis ami Boston here July 26,
last, he alleges, resulting in injuries
to his eye and nose, necessitating large
expenditures in doctor ud hospital bills.
Greatest Play
I Ever Saw
By OWEN BUSH
Manager Of Washington In 1923
In 1908 I was sold to Detroit by the
Indianapolis club, and on my way to
report to them stopped off to see a game
between * the Giants and Cubs, who
were battling for the National league
lead, and the winner of which would
play my new club in the world’s series.
Because Of that stoporer I witnessed
one of the most remarkable double pia>£
on record.
Chicago was leading by a score of 2
to 1 when Newj York came in for the
seventh inning and with Brown pitch
ing it looked as though the game was
won. Bresifahan, . he first batter up,
singled, tnd Donlin smashed a two
base hit to right, Bresnahan going to
third. The “break” had come and the
Cubs were in a panic.
Seymour poked a Texas leaguer to
right field, and Johnny Evers made his
wonderful play. He pretended to have
lost the direction of the ball, and stood
still until the last possible moment.
Donlin, seeing the ball falling safe,
dashed for third, intending to tear in
behind Bresnahan, and give New York
the lead.
Seeing his trick had worked, Johnny
caught the ball by an almost super
human leap, and, instead of throwing
the ball to Tinker, hurled it to the
plate, intending to prevent Brenahan
from scoring on the double play, which
he might have done. The latter was
driven back to third, and Kling, tearing
into the infield, took the throw, and
whipped it back to second base, com
pleting the double play.
For sheer audacity, quick thinking
and mechanical perfection that play
has never been equaled so far as I have
seen. Few men would have taken the
chance Evers did in letting the ball
appear to drop safe, and few combina
tions could have carried the play on
so speedily as Tinker and Kling did
after he had started it. ■
Yes, you may mark that down as the
greatest play I ever saw.
ROBINS MAY GET
PORTLAND STARS
(By Associated Press.)
CLEARWATER, Fla., Dec. 30.—
Charles H. Ebbetts, president of the
Brooklyn baseball club, questioned this
afternoon regarding rumors to the ef
fect that Emmett McCann, second base
man, and Jim Poole, first baseman of
the Portland club, would be members
of the Brooklyn team next year, said
that he talked with the manager of the
Portland club on this subject when in
the north recently. He dclined to make
a statement regarding the result of this
conference further than to say that
Johnny Jones, infielder, will be re
leased to Portland and that there will
be other exchanges later.
TONY PUENTE TO
FIGHT H. SMITH
CHICAGO, Dec. 30.—Toney Fuente,
the Mexican heavyweight whose quick
knockout of Fred Fulton stirred up a
boxing scandal, in California, will make
his next start in the city of Mexico
on New Year’s day. Fuente’s opponent
will be Homer Smith, a bulky heavy
weight of Kalamazoo, Mich. The con
test is scheduled for ten rounds. Smith
two years ago gained a reputation by
sticking ten rounds with Luis Firpo
at Omaha when Firpo was supposed
to be good.
BASKETBALL RESULTS
At Greeneastle, Ind., Depauw 28;
Vanderbilt 20.
At South Bend, Ind., Notre Dame
36; Northwestern 15.
At Indianapolis : Butler 24; Illinois
At Chicago: Navy 29; Chicago 21.
Cobb Gives His Opinions
Of Greatest In Baseball
Athletics Of 1910-11, Starring Barry, Collins
And Mclnnis, Best Team In History
(Copyright, 1914. In tho United States, Cenede
end Greet Brlteln by North Arnerieen Newe
peper Alliance. All rlghta reserved.)
By H. O. SALSINGER.
Cornelius McGUlicuddy’s Philadel
phia Americans of 1910 and 1911
formed, in the opinion of Cobb, the
greatest team he ever saw. They ap
pealed to him mostly because they
were intelligent. On that team was,
what they called in those day, “the
$100,000 infield.” This sounds funny
in the light of recent baseball history.
The Philadelphia infield of 1910 and
1911, coming to the top ten years later,
would hnve been called “the million
dollar infield.” Imagine, four players
like “Stuffy” Mclnnis, Eddie Collins,
Jack Barry and Frank Baker, going for
$100,000 a time when one recruit
infielder, Willie Kamm, a player who
had never played on a major league
field, brought $100,000 alone!
“I believe that the Philadelphia team
had the smartest second-base combina
tion the game ever produced. They were
better, in my opinion, than Joe Tinker
and Johnny \Evers, and while the
“Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chanee” line re
ceived much publicity, I believe that
Barry to Collins to Mclnnis, while the
line djd not suit the purpose of rhym
ing, -Was a combination much more
valuable to baseball. ,
■. Power On Attack.
“The Athletics were not alone a great
defensive team, but they had remark
able power on attack. They were in
telligent at both ends of the game, more
than any team I have ever seen.
“Before the Athletics developed
to their top form, a simple signal
system was used by pitchers and
catcher. The catcher would point
one finger in his glove and the pitcher
would throw a fast ball. He would
point two fingers nnd that meant a
curve ball. But the Athletics made
that system obsolete and compelled
teams to adopt combination signals.
“The Athletics ‘stole’ signals. This
was not done illegally, but in a legiti
mate manner. They would get a man
to second base and he would watch the
catcher. The batter would make the
catcher waste a few balls. The runner
would get the signals. Then he tipped
off the batter.
“Then the Athletics, coming to bat
and knowing the signals, would get in
position where they could watch the
catcher signal. They would tip off
the batter to what the pitcher intended
throwing.
Long Time Solving
“It took teams quite awhile to dis
cover why the Athletics were hitting
so well. When It became known, all
teams were compelled to change their
systems. The catcher would use three
or four signals. Only one .would mean
anything. It might be the first, sec
ond or third signal. The others would
be used to confuse the opposing team.
And then the catcher could call off
whatever signal he had given by toss
ing dirt in front of him or behind him
and switch the signals.
“Besides a great ifield, the Athletics
had a splendid pitching staff with
Coombs, Bender and Plank leading.
They had a good outfield and a fairly
good catching staff. They were a bal
anced team; a smooth-working ma
chine, highly intelligent, highly pow
ered, mechanically skilled.”
The greatest pitcher?
Cobb believes Ed. Walsh, of the Chi
cago White Sox, was the greatest the
league produced. He gives Eddie Plank
a place close up. He also names Den
ton T. (“Cy") Young. These three—
Walsh, Plank and Young, in order
named—are his choice.
Never Names Wellman.
He never names Carl Weilman, who
had more success against him than
anv pitcher Cobb ever faced. Although
Weilman was Cobb’s master, lie never
considered him a great pitcher, and
Cobb is correct in that.
.Plank was intelligent. He knew
musts'""
how to pitch. He had a crossfire that
few have used with anywhere near the
success that Plank achieved. He had
everything.
“Plank had marvelous control for a
left-hander," says Cobb. “He had a
fine drop ball and a deceptive curve
and he delivered from almost any
angle, making it extremely difficult to
judge his delivery. He nearly always
had the batter in a hole. And after
he lost his fast ball he still stayed in
the big leagues. That is a feat, since a
left-hander ‘must’ have a fa'st ball to
be successful. But Plank worked until
he developed a good slow ball to take
the place of the fast one he lost, and
I want to say I never saw a better
slow ball.
“Cy Young has a recoril that will
probably not be touched unless it is
by Walter Johnson. But I don't con
sider Young greater than Walsh or
Plank, because Young pitched for a
RICKARD LIKE!
HEAVY FIGHTERS
Says ‘Little Fellows' Are
No Longer Any
Good
NEW YORK, Dec. 80—The “little
fellere,” the flyweight, bantamweight
and featherweight fighters, hare de
clined so far in the last few years that
Tex Rickard would rather match, pain
of second-rate light-heavyweighta or
middleweights than engage the best
fighters in the tot divisions. After the
so-called championship fight next Friday
night, in which Kid Kaplan and Danny
Kramer will clout and dutch for the
featherweight title vacated by Johnny
Dundee, Rickard will lay off the “lit
tle fellers,” as he calls them, and invest
heavily in combats between members
of the middleweight and light heavy
weight'divisions.
“The little fellers have been spoiled
and they’re not much good anyway,
Rickard said today. “You have to give
’em the earth with, a diamond belt
around it to get ’eg) into the ring and
then they can’t draw the customers.
Berlenback Or Gibbons ,
“I want fellers like this Paul Ber
lenbach or Tom Gibbons in my shows
or maybe this Tiger Flowers, the colored
man from Atlanta. A lot of people
say Berlenbach ain’t a great fighter,
but I notice he crowds ’em In when he’s
on the bill. The first fifteen rows were
full of bankers Friday night when Ber
lenbach fought Larry Estridge, and it
wasn’t a very good match, either, be
cause he outweighted Estridge too
much.
“I’m going to try to get Gene Tunney
in there with Berlenbach. Mickey Me
Tigue says he’s willing to fight Berlen
bach, too, and I’ll use him if I can fix
it up with*the boxing commission. The
commission says he has got to fight
Tunney before he fights Berlenbach. I
should think he’d rather have Tunney
himself, because Gene can’t hit like
Paul, but McTigue says he wants Ber
lenbach and I’d like to get him what
he wants. They’ll sell out the house
days in advance.
“Berlenbach and Tom Gibbons are
the two best cards. I don’t figure/on
matching them up yet a while. I’d only
be spoiling one of the best gate mag
nets I’ve got and I. haven’t got any to
waste since the little fellers went bad.
Flowers To Fight
“Flowers is the kind of fighter I like.
I’ve got a contract in my safe with his
name on it, agreeing to ngnt any man
in the world at any weight, bar one,
that one’s Willie Stribling of Atlanta.
The only reason Flowers bars him is
that he might whip Stribling and th^n
he wonldn’t dare to go back to Atlanta.
You don't find any good drawing cards
among the featherweights or bantam*
or flyweights.
"Say, what do yoa think of this Firpo
telling people over there in Paris who
he’s going to fight in my showgV~Y'<**'’
by the papers he says he is going to
fight Wills and Gibbons for me. He'd
better watch ou t or they’ll get him in
the ring with that Paolino, the Spanish
wood chopper, and get him chopped
down. I hope that Paolino comes
through good. They tell me be looks
terrible. The tougher he looks the bet
ter I'll like him. The touch lookers
are good for promotion. Look how far
Firpo went on his tough looks."
team that fielded well and thag nearly
always made a lot of runs for him. He
won more often when he was hit hard
than any pitcher I know of.”
Cobb’s mind is set on teams and
pitchers, but on other player* he has
shifted his opinion frequently. Cobb’s
judgment is a matter of likes and dis
likes, rather than ability. His ranking
of players is ruled by sentiment chiefly
and is open to reversal.
Paul Berlenbach, who recently de
defeated Larry Estridge, has declined a
bout with Young Marullo of New Or
leans arranged for January 9. Paul says
he wants a little more rest between
bis bouts.
rllllllllllllllllllllltillll.I
The most remark
able of all first years. .
Watch for the birth
day party next week.
iiinmimiMiinmimiimu1
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