Newspaper Page Text
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TTUATTST’S SUNDAY AMERICAN, ATLANTA, GA., SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 1913.
tmday American Sporting' Pages Lead All Other
COMING BACK WITH THE SAME OLD ACT
Copyright, 1913, International News Service.
By Tad
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Beaten Men Quit Too Easily
Critic Upholds Griffin's Verdict
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McAllister Lucky to Get Draw
Dan McKetrick Secures Bouts for
Jeannette, Moran, Williams,
Dunn and Ahearn.
N EW YORK, Auk. 28—Dan Me-
Ketrick, the dapper little fight
manager, is going to make an
other trip to Europe. He has been
across the big pond bo often that he
forgets the number of times. On hts
next journey to the other side he’ll
take with him the largest string of
fighters that any manager ever pilot
ed to a foreign country.
McKetrick has just received a let
ter from Theodore Vienne, naming
his terms for the appearance abroad
of five American fighters, and Mc
Ketrick lost no time in hustling to the
cable office and wiring his acceptance.
The boxers that little Dan will take
abroad are Joe Jeannette, Frank
Moran, both heavyweights; Barney
Williams, a middleweight; Young
Ahearn, a welterweight, and Mickey
Dunn, a bantam.
This party will start for Paris the
latter part of next month. Most of
the battles that will be arranged for
them will be held In the Cirque de
Paris, the big club of the French cap
ital.
Two of the boxers named above—
Williams and Ahearn—are proteges of
Dan Morgan’s, but as Vienne wanted
, them, Moran agreed to loan them to
McKetrick, who is his side partner.
Williams has been promised three
A ^fights, the first of which will take
: place within fifteen days of hts ar
rival.
• • •
M ORAN will first get a slam at the
best of the French and English
heavies, after which h e will be pitted
against the British heavyweight
champion. Bombardier Wells.
Moran is confident that he’ll again
make good abroad. He was over there
once before and made an awful hit.
■ He knocked out Tom Cowlcr and Fred
Storback. both of whom have tacked
K. O.’* or. the Boer. George Rodel, and
he also put away Fred Drummond
and Charlie Wilson.
• • •
J EANNETTE has been promised two
matches, both of wh h will take
place within five weeks of his arrival.
He s likely to get the winner of the
bout between Georges Carpentier and
A1 Palter, and also he may be given
a chance at Jack Johnson.
Young Ahearn, who was born on
British soli, will be matched with
Johnny Summers, holder of the wel
terweight title, for the Lord Lonsdale
He will also encounter the
welterweight champion, and if
ins from both of these boxers
Pi t'.irri t.> the United States and
he ready to fight for the world's
championship.
By W. W. Naughton.
S an'FRANCISCO, Aug. 23.—In the
ordinary course, of things, the
Sailor Petroskey-Bob McAllister
bout would have been dropped as a
subject of discussion by this time. It
was In no sense a championship af
fair. It was devoid of knockdowns
or sensational incidents, and to be
frank about 1t, It earned no more
rlgnt to live in memory than any
one of the hundreds of commonplace
events that are forgotten 24 hours
after they occur.
The claims of any unfair ruling on
the part of McAllister’s friends are
likely to keep tho contest alive as
a theme until the men again get to
gether. It Is one of these cases in
which the alleged miscarriage of Jus
tice looms up as a greater wrong-
with each day that passes. In the
course of a few months—until the
return match Intervenes—McAllister
sympathizers will begin to regard
Referee Jim Griffin’s verdict as one
of the foulest decisions ever given
in a ring.
• • •
T T all comes of having too many
1 friends. McAllister’s cronies were
seml-hysterical about his promise of
future greatness prior to the tussle,
and the fall—w hen he failed to win—
was all the greater. If ever a man
received every lota of credit that was
coming to him, McAllister did when
Griffin divided the honors between
him and Sailor Petroskey.
The trouble with McAllister Is that
hi9 blows are too light to Imbue an
opponent with a proper degree of re
spect. True, so far as speed and de
livery were concerned, he landed three
punches, maybe, to Petroskey’s one,
but what use were they?
In latter day boxing cleverness
only counts when It accomplishes
something, and the McAllister clever
ness on that particular occasion com
pares to gold-bearing rock that shows
the color and nothing more.
This may be putting it a little
strong. There w ere ' odd punches
from Bob that jarred the sailor a bit
and even raised lumps, but I am re
ferring to the majority of leads and
his counters and. goodne.^s knows, he
led and countered to such an extent
that it was hard to keep track of
the times he connected. And his
average punch was little heavier than
a fly kick.
• • •
P ETROSKEY caught on early in the
game, and right here I would
like to hark back to another contest
I saw Petroskey engaged In. When
he boxed Prank Klaus he sampled
one of the Pittsburger’s rip-tearing
uppercuts while the clang of the start
ing gong was mill in his ears. It
warned him there was trouble ahead
1 and he acted accordingly. He covered
up and. If memory serves, he re
mained covered up the greater part
1 of the twenty rounds.
it was very different in the affair
Connie Mack Says Philadelphia
Recruit Is Greatest Young Re
ceiver He Ever Saw.
WATER FOR THE
with McAllister. The sailor, after
taking a few straight, lefts and short
rights, discovered that Bob’s stabs
and raps did not carry an ounce of
weight. The reilior grinned time and
again when Bob’s gloves plumped be
tween his eyes and inaugurated a
policy of boring In which he main
tained during the entire match.
• • •
J-JOWEVER, the bulk of McAllister’s
friends felt about it, I know that
there were several of them near where
I sat who were exasperated over the
small degree of force that McAllis
ter injected Into his deliveries. They
thought, as I thought, that he was
sacrificing everything to a desire to
score frequently.
Three punches to the sailor’s one,
forsooth, but if he had dropped two
of the three and put some driving
power into the remaining • one he
might have removed the sailor’s dis
dainful smile and piled up material,
credits that would have stood him
In need at the judging time. But no,
there he stood sending home clips
and raps without drawing either el
bow' back an Inch to accentuate the
Impact. Cunning little punches of
that kind might tell in an old-time
blackened glove contest, but, now
adays. when ruggedness counts for
so much in a Queensbury tilt, a boxer
must not only be able to hit, but hit
hard.
• © •
U7 HKN Petroskey smashed McAl-
vv lister in the fifteenth round it
looked to me as though the tide had
turned In the sailor's favor. Nor was
there anything that happened between
that and the twentieth round to lead
me to think that McAllister had re
gained the lend.
As a matter of fact, I felt sorry
for the local lad, with his distorted
mouth and his deathly pale face, and
while, as a general thing, I do not
allow' my feelings to sway me when
watching a glove contest, I was
’‘pulling’' for Master Boh to escape
the distress and ignominy of being
knocked out.
He escaped, and he earned the right
to share a draw’ decision. More than
that he did hot achieve, and I can
not help but think that the opinion
that he got less than he deserved Is
mor« the outcome of the club spirit
than a careful disconnected review of
what really happened.
• • •
I T may be that there will be an
other bout. Some of McAllister’s
nearest friends are urging h-im to
withdraw from fighting for a year,
believing that he will store up suf
ficient vitality during a year's rest
to enable him to make more of a
mark when he returns to the ring.
The suggested move may be a good
one ik McAllister follows the advice
tendered. His nhowing since he be
came a professional seems to Indi
cate that a »aok of ruggedness is his
greatest drawback.
Says Floods in Early Spring
Shoved Champs of World
Out of Running.
B OSTON, Aug. 23.—Winning a
pennant as well as the world’s
championship in 1912 and tumb
ling down into the second division
in 1913 Is the unexpected reversal of
form shown by the Boston Red Sox.
And in taking thiq drop the cham
pions are establishing a record for
A. L. pennant winners.
Never before In the history of the
young major league has a flag owner
of one seaMon failed to come back
as high as the first division the next.
Chicago won in 1900 and 1901, and
was fourth in 1902; the Athletics won
in 1902. and came in second in 1903;
Boston won in 1903 ad 1904 and fin
ished fourth in 1905; the Athletics
won in 1905 and were fourth In 1906;
the White Sox won in 1906 and were
third in 1907; the Tigers won in 1907,
1908 and 1909, and were third In 1910:
the Athletics won in 1910 and 1911
and were third in 1912.
And here are the Boston Red Sox
fifth in 1913 when they became base
ball champions in 1912. Now what
has caused this tremendous slump?
It has been figured that the In
jury to Joe Wood and many other
stars kept the Red Sox out of the
current championship battling; also
the trouble between manager and
magnate. In fact, a dozen more ex
cuses have been offered, but Robert
R. McRoy, secretary of the Red Sox,
comes out with a new alibi.
According to McRoy, the spring
training trip, more than anything
else, was responsible for the Red
Sox losing out this year.
"The boys got ready too soon,” ex
plains McRoy. “Down in Hot Springs
right after the series with the Pitts
burg Pirates the team was In condi
tion to play major league ball. They
started out too early, and Instead of
going through the training stunts
gradually were primed by April 1.
"The series with Pittsburg actually
made them ready, but after that came
the series of floods around the coun
try. which had the athletes housed In
side and kept them off the ball field.
“All the work and practice in Hot
Springs was wasted, owing to the
flood. With no dally practice, stiff
arms, stiff legs and other aliments,
which arrived rapidly, were respon
sible for the spring training being a
total loss.
“Then, when April 10 did arrive, the
boys were not in condition. After
playing for a month we won but TO
out of the first 26 games. The Ath
letics. primed right to the minute.
Jumped out In first, and on May 14,
while we had a 385 percentage, the
Athletics had won 17 and lost 6.”
P HILADELPHIA, PA„ Aug. 23.—
Connie Mack, famous leader of
the Athletics, says that Catcher
Walter Schang Is the best young
receiver that has broken into the
big ring in many a moon.
Connie Mack was once a catcher
himself—not a great catcher, for he
was handicapped by his peculiar
build—but he Is a good judge of re
ceivers. Consequently, when Ma?k
whispers that Schang Is the best
catcher he ever saw, baseball fans
are ready to buy ringside seats and
take a look at Mr. Schang.
Schang Is only 22 years of age.
This is his second year as a pro
fessional. Born and raised In Wal?s
Center, a small harr'et near Buffalo,
he caught three years for Elbert
Hubbard’s East Aurora club. In 1911
he joined the Pullmans, a famous
semi-pro club that holds forth in
Buffalo. His work with that club
was such as to cause Buffalo fans
to urge George Stallings, then man
aging the Buffalo club, to give the
youngster a trial.
Stallings rather half-heartediv
agreed. He had heard town boys
touted before, but ho needed some one
to help work out the pitchers down in
Georgia, so he took the youngster
along. Schang showed enough on the
training trip to warrant his reten
tion. hut not until Julv did Stallings
begin to give him a chance in the
International League games. It w'us
not long before the tip went around
the bir leagues that Buffalo had a
most promising young catcher. Scouts
began to tell the porters to “put them
off at Buffalo.” Within a few weeks
Stallings was In receipt of a few’ of
fers. He turned them down, hoping
to save the catcher over for the 1913
season. That caused thirteen of the
sixteen big league clubs to put in
drafts for the phenom.
Lucky Connie Mack—he drew the
man they all wante This is how it
happens that Schang is the first
catcher Of the Athletics to-day. hav
ing relegated Ira Thomas to the task
of warming up the pitchers. Schang
Is as good a thrower as there is Id
the country.
He is a timely batter. If you don’t
believe it, ask the Nap pitchers. He
is as fast as the average inflelder.
He can "-et down to first faster than
most of the Naps and can amble
around to third with the speed of a
Jackson or a Collins. He is death
on foul flies, handles any kind of de
livery with skill and knows what to
do with the hall when opposing play
ers are running Mid on the bases.
He is the Ideal catcher.
Threes Stars Uncovered.
This boost.of Schang emphasizes
the fact that* the 1913 sea'son will
go down in history as a memorable one
because of the uncovering of three
star catchers In Schang, Schalk and
Agnew, and the development of Steve
O’Neil, of the Naps, and Wlngo. **f
the Cardinals. McKee, .of Detroit,
Is another who can almost be classed
alongside of the five mentioned, but
he is not quite their equal, although
it must be admitted he shows great
promise. Ranking Schang flrsi,
Hchalk, O’Neil and Agnew look to b®
abtu even up. with Schalk and Ag
new having the edp*» on the Cleve
lander in hatting. Schalk is also a
fast runner.
Bv W. W. Naughton.
S AN FRANCISCO, Auk. 23.—The
high cost of fighting continues
to be a bone of discontent
among the promoters out here on
the coast, and if the men who handle
Queensberry enterprises will stand by
their guns as they threaten to do, the
scale of prices will be revised before
the year is out.
There have been mutterlngs for a
long time, but it was the Ritchie-
Rivers contest that precipitated the
present insurrection among the
matchmakers. That affair drew $29.-
000. and out of this Ritchie received
$18,000 and others $7,000. Promoter
Graney did not have enough left to
pay rent and running expenses.
The men w r ho conduct the four-
round sho vs are also up in arms. At
each one of these Friday night en
tertainments as many as eight or
ten bouts are provided, yet some of
the short-bout specialists have been
commanding and receiving as much as
$700 for each appearance. In conse
quence there have been many losing
ventures and quite a number of pro
moters have gone out of business. A
discussion of the situation is not
taking a hand, and numbers of writ
ers are airing opinions to the effect
that such conditions are causing the
quality of ring sport9 to deteriorate.
It is easier of course to suggest re
forms than to inaugurate them, and
that is w r hy the promoters shrug their
shoulders when asked what is to pre
vent at return to the old order of
things. Mr. Fight Fan—and Mr.
Fight Fan Is right—says there was
more spirited boxing in the years
when a s*et of articles called for a
winner’s end and a loser’s end. It Is
pointed out that under the present
system of paying pugilists fixed sums
there is no incentive to struggle on
once he begins to gee defeat staring
him in tho face
“Don’t you think Joe River? would
have taken more Interest in his w'ork
and have show'n more stomach for
It had he not known that there was
$7,000 waiting for him In the box of
fice?” was a suggestive question ask
ed after the Fourth of July bout. Ho
as to bring about a new condition, the
promoters are talking of standing to
gether, but whether they will do so
or not is a mooted question. What
they would like to do is to establish
a custom by which championship
fight?, which are naturally the high
est priced pugilistic commodities, do
not call for the paying over of more
than 60 per cer.t of the gate receipts.
• • •
OUT how is such an arrangement
to be established, and what are
the chance? of its being lived up to?
Even some of the promoters are
asking this double-barreled question,
and by the same token are answering
It in such a way as to make it ap
pear that the situation is in a meas
ure hopeless.
One of the Queensberry entrepre
neurs discussed the matter thus wise:
“There are promoters and promoters,
and a uniform scale would result
in the most bu?inessllke handler
of glove contests securing all
the attractions. The fignters them
selves would go to the pro
moters who have the reputation of
being the best money-getters—and
J they would be sure to do business
1 with them. This means that a fixed
rate for championship fights will
work to the detriment of promoters
\wio are not as smart as their com
peers. And what would be the result?
Would a man who has paid for a high
priced yearly license and w*ho has a
lease on hi/ hands stand by and see
h’s rival in business get away with
all the plums? Not on your life. Hq
would approach the champion or the
champion’s manager with a side prop
osition of some kind and the proposed
uniform rate would go glimmering.'
b ANYHOW,” said the same wise
head, “you have the champions
to reckon with before you can establish
percentages again. The rank and file
of the boxing brigade may be willing
enough to conform to a scheme of
that kind, but champions are differ
ent. A champion is a queer animal.
He feel? that the world Is against him,
and I guess he is right. You know
and I know that there Is more joy in
sportdom over one champion being
humbled than there is over a hundred
second-raters being knocked cold. The
champion says to himself ‘they want
to see me licked and they will have
to pay dearly for the privilege. Maybe
even then I’ll fool them, but I want
my price in any case.” Then he names
his figure and holds out for It. The
public may rail at him and the pro
moters may tell him that they can
not pay such a price and live, but
he sticks and finally his terms are
accepted. His stubbornness simply
increases the craze for a sight of him
in action and at the same time, I sup
pose, adds to the prospects of seeing
nim flattened out.
“You can see, therefore, that so far
as the fighters’ end of it is concerned
this thing of exorbitant prices is
largely a one-man proposition. A
champion stands alone and is master
of the situation. It does not look as
If the promoters wdll get much relief
from the rapacity of champions until
the boxing game is controlled by com
missions in every place that the sport
is conducted. Then If a champion
does not conform to the official scale
of prices he will be placed under the
ban throughout the boxing belt. But I
suppose the day is far distant when
champions will be made amenable to
official control of such a widespread
character.”
Noted Horseman Will Pilot the
World’s Champion in Record-
Breaking Trial Sept. 2
M EANWHILE the promoters are
talking seriously of a committee
of ways and means. Successive lean
years have imbued them with the be
lief that the time is approaching when
they will have to stand shoulder to
Shoulder.
Sullivan Made
No Appointments,
Says Secretary
Mulvey Not Chosen as Assistant
Director of Exposition Sports.
Says Ferris.
NEW YORK, Aug. 23.—In reply to the
open letter In San Francisco yesterday
by President John ElUott, of the Pacific
Association of the Amateur Athletic
Union, expressing resentment because
of the reported appointment of Thomas
Mulvey as assistant director-general of
amateur athletics at the Panama-Pacific
Exposition, announcement was made to
night that 'Mulvey was not given the
post, but merely had been expected to
confer with James E. Sullivan, director-
general. In September relative to boxing
at the exposition.
The letter of Mr. Elliott announced
that inasmuch as Mulvey had no stand
ing in amateur sport, since he is a fight
promoter, the Pacific Association would
not allow coast athletes to compete at
the exposition If Mulvey was assistant
director-general.
The announcement here that the re
port of Mulvey’s appointment was incor
rect was made by Daniel J. Ferris sec
retary to Director Sullivan. Mr. Sulli
van is abroad.
M inneapolis, minn., auk. 23.
Following the announcement
that Minneapolis was to catch
a more or less fleeting glance of Uhlan,
In action, the State Fair officials an
nounce that the great trotter will
make his record-breaking effort m
Tuesday, September 2, Minneapolis
day, and that the driving will be dona
by C. K. C. Billings, the millionaira
owner of the flyer.
Billings has taken a great personal
Interest In the appearance of hi.a
great horse at Minneapolis and has
notified Secretary Simpson that not
only would he come in his private car
with a party of friends, but that ha
proposes to handle the reins when
Uhlan steps out to try to lower tha
1:38 mark made by himself,
* * *
MINNEAPOLIS day at the Stato
Fair also marks the team rac»3
on the speed card, and Billings is es
pecially Interested in team racing. For
that reason he requested that Uhlan
be sent away the same day.
Billings Is an experienced and clev
er reinsman and has owned and driv
en many of the famous horses of tha
harness division.
• • .
H E owned Lou Dillon and has only
comparatively recently returned
from a long sojourn in Russia, whera
harness racing is Just now on the too
wave of popularity. He shipped his
entire stable to Russia, and his ap
pearances before royalty were great
events on the other side.
Heretofore the pacers with Dan
Patch as the leader, have been the
feature of Minnesota speed exhibi
tions, but now comes the kingpin of
the trotters and with a driver as well
known and famous as the horse.
CUBS SIGN REILLY.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.. Aug. 28.—John
Reillx. an amateur pitcher of this city,
has signed with the Chicago National
League club, and will Join that team
when they return from their Eastern
trip.
‘THE OLD RELIABLE”
P L ANTENS o ^ CK
c ” CAPSULES
REMEDYroRMEN
fI- I L RUSGI8T8 0R tr ia'l box by MAIL so.
[-B8WAR E 3 Q F N | R M^TATI°0NB N J I Y -;
UMPIRE IS RELEASED.
KANSAS CITY. MO.. Aug. 23.—Um
pire Sigler, of the Federal League, has
been released, according to an an
nouncement made at the headquarters
of the local Federal League club. Sig
ler formerly was with the Western
League. John A. Spinney, of Cincinnati,
business manager of the local Federal
League team, has resigned.
ONEY
LOANED TO SALARIED MEN
AT LAWFUL RATES
ON PROMISSORY NOTES
Without Cndoraomont
Without Collateral Security
Without Real Eatate SeoiMity
NATIONAL DISCOUNT CO.
1211-12 Fourth National Bank Bids.