The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-31
PUGILISM.

tically has been Tommy Burns with
Out question. While Tommy feats
with the cushioned fists haven't made ring
history that will look well in print along
side the records OF such stars as Jefries,
bftzsimmOns, Corbett, Sharkey and the
rest of the once topnotchers, still Tommy
has managed to keep the sportive tongues
wagging early and late. Burns is very
much underrated to say the least. He
Jumped into the game as a mere boy at
some ones suggestion. and he has, steadily
climbed to the top. He has been accused
OF gaining capital and fame by trucking
the speedy Philadelphia Jack O'Brien into
a ring when out of condition. That
sounds good from O'Brien's whining stand
point. but the fact remains that Jack
OBrien is never out Of condition. He can
step into a ring any night OF the year
and put up possibly the fastest fight of
his career. When Burns got him into the
ring at Los Angeles with the understand
ing that Tommy was to flop at the psyco-
logical moment, Tommy moped into the
ring. informed OBrien that he was not
only going to fight his level best, but that
such a thing as Hopping had never serious
~ crossed his mind.
Right here Is where Jack O'Brien says
he lost the fight He says he became panic
stricken and lost utterly the art of fight
ing then and there. But the detailed ac-
counts of that fight say that O'Brien fought
the most vicious. desperate, defensive fight
ever seen In a tWenty-four-foot ring. And
little Burns never gave him a moments
rest. He tore after O'Brien like a runa-
way engine; He beat the Philadelphia
J~umping-jack with such ridiculous ease
that O'Brien's only defense was a cry
that the trick played upon him had ruined
his chances.
Whatever o'Brien says, that fight must
go down in Burns's record as his STAR
hight. II he wasn't a fast fighter he
couldn't have ruffied possibly the fastest
Dig fighter that ever drew on a glove
oBrien never ran SO hard in his life as
he did that night, and Burns was always
a. his heels, faying him without mercy.
Trick or no trick, Burns deserved n great
deal of credit for bis brilliant showing.
They say that he is bent ON picking +he
prize pumpkins on every occasion. He
didn't know just how good Squires was
when he signed to meet him. Here was a
Dig. strong fellow coming to America TO
1gnt the best we had. Stories CT his great
ability were scattered to the four winds.
When he went into training the wise and
the near wise trooped into his gymnasium
and declared that he was the greatest for
elgn fighter to drop down on our shores
since the days of Jackson and Fitzsim-
mons.
All these reports must have caused
Tommy some little anxiety, but he never
showed 1t. He walked up to Squires as
the latter put up his fool defense at Colma
that day and popped him on the Jaw so
hard and so artistically that the next thing
Squires knew he was receiving cable In.
mentations from far away Australia.
Furns picked a squash. to be sure. but he
took an unknown han and won with IA
smile. That particular fight proved that
Burns had a punch. His recent fight in
England with Moir brought a lot of bricks
in the shape of criticism down upon his
head.
While pride made us believe that he
would beat the Gunner, still the best
judges of fighters in England thought shat
they were nurturing a fire-eatcr. and they
told us so. The pictures of the fight
showed Moir to be a pretty shifty boxer
for a big fellow, and only TomTy's mar
Vicious speed made him look a bit slow.
He was always courageous. only tumbled
into the dust when nature failed him abso-
lutely.
BASEBALL.
Frank Chance, leader Of the worlds
champion Cubs, and Tyrus Cobb, the
famous outiielder of the Detroit team.
winners of the American League pennant,
are the two biggest figures Of the year iu
baseball. Hans Wagner broke a record
for winning big league batting honors.,l
National League for the fifth time is
unique. Wild Bill Donovan was probably
the greatest pitcher of the season, but the
big honors go to the Cub and the Tiger.
The team that frank Chuncc worked to-
gcther and led to the seasons victory last
summer is probably the greatest that eyer
critics consider it superior TO the old
Giants and the White Sox team that won
in 1876. a great measure of the Glluts
strength lay in Mathewson and the White
k7iA ntlG mtdh hilNGl0s
If McGiraw earned the sobriquet of the
Napoleon of the game, Chance is certainly
the Kitchener. He has proved himself
Il wonderful organizer. The Cubs are APP
parently a team without a weakness. They
are hard hitters, smooth fielders, skillful
base runners ana have II strong and we'll
balanced pitching staff.
This, of course, is great material, but
Chance deserves credit for gathering care
fully and welding it into the greatest
baseball machine that ever worked. The
4au "a, xatDry on1 h1ppannN hf tho t1hG haTh
in attack and defense, have been tho
themes of dozens of articles BY baseball
experts IN the past two years: They wna
game after game apparently without effort.
The most rabid supporters OF the Amer
lean League, even In Detroit, admitted that
Chances team simply outclassed the Tigers
in the worlds championship series. For
these reasons Chance must he given a
place in the sport hall of fame for the
past year.
if he had not finished the season with
the highest batting average in the major
leagues. his phenomenal playing with the
Detroit club would entitle him to men
ton. He came about as near to winning
the pennant as one man can possibly do.
In the last few weeks, OF that heart
breaking race his bat broke up game after
game and saved the day when the battle
was apparently lost.
Philndelphians will probably talk Tor
years Of his performances in that last
series. After it was over one veteran
critic wrote: Cobb is the whole team.
Take him out and the Tigers would never
be a championship possibility" When
Wild Bill Donovan's great pitching is con-
sidered. this is high praise: Cobb is
that oft-spoken-of but seldorn-found jewel
Ia natural ba~ll-player." He is only u
years old and this was his second seaso
in fast company. In less than two years
he forced recognition as a remarkable
player. Besides his batting he is one of
the hereest and most reckless base-run-
ners in the game and is a great fielder. He
is a real baseball champion.
ATHLETICS.
American athletes can look with pride to
the year that closes tonight. 1t can safe
ly be called one of the most remarkable
years i'm the history of track and field
sport. Many records We're broken and
the performances at various meetings were
away above the average of a few years
ago. What made the sport still more