Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-24
A REVIEW, OF SPORTS.
Trip ofthe American Canadian Foot
ball Team to England.
A POPULAR WINTER PAsTIME.
The Object Of Nsher's Challenge to Fight
John L. Sullivan.
LATEST GOSSIP ABOUT BASEBALL

and matter that will certainly bear little
talking about. Irefer to the return of the
American-Canadian football team from
| their trip to the British Isles. The team
crossed the Atlantic for Great Britain last
August and had quite busy time of it from
their going away until their return to New
York. They met the best teams in England
and Scotland during their absence, and they
learned lesson. They discovered that the
best football teams in America or in Can
ada, Association rules of course, are far be-
hind the best among the Britishers in play
ing ability.
But they also found that the game is one
of the most popular and one of the most
profitable among outdoor sports. This fact
has long been known on this continent, but
it was not SO well known as it has been
since the Americana Canadian team returned
and told US all about it. The manager Of
the team, in an interview published in this
paper, stated that taking football in En-
gland as an example there is great future
for the game in this country, and the man
ager further pointed out that the trip of his
team may result in inducing English teams
to come here, and that certainly will give a
wonderful impetus to the sport in this
country.
Something We Need.
Most assuredly we need something in the
fall and winter to divert our attention from
baseball. If ever there were overdoses of
anything there are overdoses of baseball
gush in winter time. 1t is all right in
summer time to read about Smith, Jones,
Robinson and Brown and their great work
when they are doing it, but in mid-winter,
to say the least, it is tiresome to continue
daily repeating the devices and movements
of these worthless. Beside this extraordi-
nary repetition as to what Tom, Dick and
Harry want and what they will and will not
do, together with the inevitable contradic-
tion, the national game harms instead of
good The public surely become weary of
these baseball illusions that appear without
intermission from January 1 until Decem-
Der 81. 1t must be as wearisome to the
mind as three or four quail would be nause-
ating to the stomach after eating that num-
Der for 80 or 40 days.
If. then, good winter game could be
thoroughly established it would be benefit
all round. The most likely game to fill the
bill is football, either Association or Rugby,
and I will be somewhat disappointed if a
very great and very successful effort is not
made next fall to put the game of football
on a thoroughly popular basis. To be sure
the Rugby game is the most popular, but
fact that its best exponents are college stu
dents and can only play very short time
during the year operates considerably against
the progress of the sport But if the sport
is popularized this difficulty will certainly
be overcome, and then we will have both
Rugby and Association football from the
close of the baseball season until nearly the
opening of the following season. If this
were the condition of things then do main
tain that baseball would be more successful
than it is now, because there would be
vigorous enthusiasm to greet its commence
ment, and that vigor would last throughout
the season. What the public mind at all
times likes, as far as amusement and recre-
alton is concerned, is change, and if the
one portion of the year good will follow.
Wallace Ross Challenge.
A week or two ago drew attention to the
fact of Billy East defeating George Perkins
for the English sculling championship, and
in doing so l pointed out that sculling in
England was at a very low ebb. Since this
w
East to row for the English championship.
There is nothing remarkable about this, but
there is something amusing in the fact of
Ross wanting to row for the English title on
an American course,
During his lifetime. Wallace has Jared
we'll among the Britishers He has won
and earned lots of money from them mostly
because he knows more and has known
more for many years about the correct
abilities of English scullers than any
American know of. His challenge to row
East at all will provoke laugh among the
English patrons of sculling, but when he
wants East to come here and be slaughtered
something more than laugh will follow.
Providing everything is all right and allow
ing Ross to have gone back" little can
not for the life of me see where there is any
chance of East defeating Ross over even
course like the Thames to say nothing OF
But the challenge of Ross fully veriies
what said about the deterioration of scull-
ing in England. There are several better
rowers on this continent than Wallace Ross
and he is much better than anybody in Eng
land. The Britishers may "come again"
They have any amount Of young material,as
there were about 100 starters In rowing
handicap on the Tyne Christmas. This fact
really is more encouraging than the state of
things here. We have the great men now,
but we have nobody who looks like taking
their places.
The Local Dog Show.
1t IS rare indeed that any Of US meet per
son who has no love for dog. Scores of
people are more or less afraid Of that faith
full friend Of man, but fear does not always
prevent a love for the animal 1t fs, there
fore, tolerably safe to say that we all love
and like dogs. Well, we are going to have
wonderful display of them and the date of
that display isvery fast approaching. From
what am told am led to believe that the
Duquesne Kennel Club show this year is to
be the best in its history. Certainly very
prizes, and know that it would be impossi-
BILE to find a more energetic body of men
than the gentlemen who have the manage
ment of the show in charge.
Like everything else of q popular kind and
that is well managed, the Pittsburg dog
show is getting better every year. Both the
quality and quantity OF the dogs are i'm
proving, and unless all signs fail we will
have a better show here this year than we
have ever had. The members of the Du-
uuesne Kennel Club deserve success. They
are generous, and are hard workers.
An Injury to Sport.
A few days ago we all read in the daily
papers about a wrestling match at Buffalo
between Dennis Gallagher and a person
calling himself '1ke Smith, champion of
England" The affair had been capitally
advertised, and consequently there was
plenty of money in it for the wrestlers.
The reports of the ''match" all spoke about
it's severity, etc.
Well, day or so ago 1 received q letter
from a friend telling that like Smith" was
none other than our "old pal'' Rube Col |
ienge, who was here some time ago and |
skinned" friend for few hundred dol |
lars by wrestling cheat The letter also !
goes on to state many facts regarding the |
like Smith, affair for which there is not
race here. But what want to say1s this: |
Is it not singular that amid all the contests
in the country are very, very few honest |
ones; and that Notwithstanding the many |
people who are defrauded every week there |