Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-19
AHOPEFUL OUTLOOK.
Prospect of a Busy Season and
Honest Racing Among
the ScuIlerS.
O'CONNOR AND STANSBURY.
Ex-Champion Teemer Thinks the
Australian Will be Defeated.
FLYAWAY, THE RACER, DONE FOR.
Manager Buck Ewing Denies Some Rumors
About the New League
THE SPORTING NEWS OF THE DAY

The season for boat rowing is almost here
again, and the prospects of a revival of good
and honest racing are somewhat better than
they have been for some years past. The pro-
fessionals promise TO be more active, and the
amateurs certainly will be. The former have
thoroughly discovered that the American
public will not on any account tolerate dis
honest or what is commonly called crooked"
racing. That system has had a good trial, and
while it has been in operation the good old
sport has sunk to a very low level in the public
estimation. Not only has sculling lost all its
charm for the public. but the crooked period
has developed no promising rowers; in TACT,
there is scarcely prominent professional
rover to-day who has not been before the public
for seven or eight years. o'Connor is almost the
only exception.
SOME GOOD EXPERIENCE.
The bitter lessons of recent experience IN Amer
lea and the success obtained by honest racing In
Australia will probably have salutary effect
on professional rowing in this country this year.
There are two events to take place that Will DO
much to revive interest in sport under consldera-
ton, but there is contingent feature In connec-
tion with one. The two events are: The O'Con-
nor-Stansbury race for the worlds champion
ship and the Duluth regatta. II is the FORMER
that has the contingency attached to it. nO'Con-
nor returns home with the championship tltle
then we are sure TO have one or more bona noe
contests in the country because II is certain that
somebody will challenge him for it. On this point
ex-champion John Teemer who was In the city
yesterday had the following TO say:
~ think O'Connor has good chance to win the
championship, the race between Kemp and
Mclean on Thursday convinces me that the Aus
tTalians to some extent overrated. Whenever
they have beaten Americans the latter have not
been in their best form. have held this opinion
all along.
COULD BEAT KEMP.
When was in England In 1886 1 was not at all
1T 10 row. was never In condition all the time l
was there and could defeat Peter Kemp every
day. Matterson is the speediest man for three
quarters Of mile that Australia ever had. and l
know that keep even with him even at that dis
tance If were in condition. When rowed and
beat as much out of form as l was. he could not
lead me more than aDout two lengths in three
quarters of a mile. We all know what Kemp
could do. and the way in which he beat Mclean
entirely settles the latter. This strengthens my
opinion that Stansoury is overrated and let me
also slate that o'Connor is not the rover many
O'Connor win the title, and if he does so by de-
feating stansbury he ought TO come home at once
without rowing FOR il again in Australia -
Teemer says that the Duluth regatta Is sure to be
great affair." and as a result there is sure TO be
several matches resulting from 1t.
ABOUT THE AMATEURS.
Speaking of the amateurs, the eex-champion said:
''Of course psotta is our best amateur sculler,
and think he will defeat the English champion
this year. 1 know exactly what Psotta can do
because trained him for a while When went
TO Ithaca to coach the club of which he was a mem
Der IL took him 10 minutes and 20 seconds to row a
mile and half 1 saw at once that he was pre-
Oosterously rigged. The blades of his sculls were
too wlde and his spread was much too wide. His
slide was also badly arranged. l suggested
changes and he reluctantly accepted them. But
after trying the changes he desired to quit them.
claiming that his sculls did not catch good
enough hold of the water. urged him 10 try the
improvements while longer and row me trial.
He rowed a trial and beat 10 minutes and 20 sec
onds in an effort of mile and a half He
tinued 10 improve, and he rowed the mile and
half in 8 minutes and fifty seconds. AHe tells me
that he can row the distance now in very much
faster time on still water. ] think he will win the
international championship this year."