Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-04
STILL AN AMATEUR.
A Blunder Made in Declaring Zim-
merman a Professional.
THE NEW LEAGUES OPENING DAY.
George Raper, of England, Will Judge at
the Local Dog Show.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS OF THE DAY

Matters are becoming exceedingly lively
among amateur athletes of all branches. A
few days ago, Chairman Atwater, of the
Racing Board of the League of American
Wheelman, decided that Arthur A. thinner
man, the bicyclist, was expelled from the
amateur ranks The friends of Zimmerman
won't allow him to be expelled, claiming
that he has violated no rule and that Mr..
Atwater has made blunder and must stand
the consequences. A general row is threat
ened. The Following dispatch from New
York show how matters stand among the
national organizations and clearly indicates
that Atwater will be called to time as soon
as possible:
Mr. htwater Criticised.
The time has come for some prominent
man in athletic circles to call a meeting of
the leading officers of the different organi-
cations and teach them the exact meaning
of the rules which they are expected and re-
quired to carry out Ignorance OF the rules
has been the means of causing the majority
of mistakes and quarrels among amateur
athletes.
The latest person to shake the athletic
..
Chairman of the Racing Board of the League
OF American Wheelmen. Possibly the fact
that he resides in Washington may have
some bearing on his action in issuing
notice to the effect that Arthur A. thinner
man, the bicyclist, has been declared a pro-
fessional
Were it not for the fact that such notice
is ridiculous it might create CONSERVATION
among athletes. Instead, however, every
body is laughing over Atwater's action, and
in consequence all the representative ath-
letic men in Gotham were in especially
good humor yesterday.
Atwater says that Zimmerman was de-
clared a professional for violating clause D
of the Association rules, which says that no
bicyclist shall receive any compensation or
expenses, and that such violation was made
by Zimmerman in accepting S25 from the
Worcester Athletic Club.
Not According to Law.
The matter was not even brought before
the L. A. W.'s Racing Board, if what w.
Fl. De Graaf, the New York representative
of the board, says is so. This leaves the
only conclusion that Atwater took it upon
himself to declare Zimmerman a profess
sional
In promulgating such a notice Atwater
violated the allegiance of the L. A. w. and
the A. A. u, which say that any charges
against cyclist shall be tried by the L. A.
W., except that cyclist a member of an
A. A. U. club shall be tried by committee
of three, one of whom shall be named by
the A. A. u, one by the L. A. W., and
the third member by the two SO chosen.
Zimmerman is member of thea. New
York A. c., and according to the state
ments of athletic men yesterday he is not
a professional, notwithstanding that At
water has so declared him. No notice will
in all probability be taken of this action,
and it is quite probable that Atwater, who
is new in the business, having been elected
to his present position only a short time
ago, will be brought to a point where he
will realize his egregious blunder and ac-
knowledge his mistake
According to w. B. Curtis and all others
seen yesterday NO A. A. U. club can refuse
to receive an entry from Zimmerman, if
rendered until he has been officially de-
clared professional under the rule al
ready quoted. AT present, they say, he is
an amateur in good standing.