The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-25
OLD SPORTS FLOCK
TO FIGHTS SCENE
IN CALIFORNIA
100000 AT THE GATES-wHAT
OLD TIMERS THINK OF "PRICEv
FIGHTERS OF TODAY
BY c. T.. VAN LOAN

| New oYrk, April 24-(Special.) What a
grand reunion of old time fighters md
cid time sporting men there will be on the
coast this summer! When the reporters
get through writing about those present
at the ringside the column will read like
the roll call of all the lives ones in the
country. And what tremendous gather
ing it would be if all the old timers had
money enough to make the trip The
prohibitive tariff upon this meeting OF
the giants will keep many old timer
away from the show, for taxing the old
| time sporting men as a class, few of hem
qualify with the NJ. o. G.. w. How? oh,
malefactors of great wealth. Your real
sport was usually mighty good
fellow when he had It, Had is the
strong word in that sentence
However, we may expect that just as
many of them as fortune has smiled uopn
will be present in time to take few wise
looks, make a few wise cracks and place
a few wise bets. They will prowl around
the training camps, shaking their heads
and looking unutterable wisdom
You cannot tell an old timer anything
about the fighting game. He knows it all
He is the man who wrote the book. The
fighters of the present day? Huh! A
lot of weakened business men who
would die If they ever took an old time
licking! This is what the old timers sa.
but we notice that not a big fight rolls
around without the presence of the con-
tingent of gentlemen who remember when
John L. Sullivan licked Flood on the
barge. No matter what they may think
about our present day financial fighters
prize fighters they call them-the ole.
boys are always at the ringsde.
It's very old story-that one about
the cowpuncher and the brace faro game.
why don't you break away?" says the
friend. Don't you know they're working
sand-tell on you? The game is crooke1!'
"S-s-s-shr' said the cowpuncher but
what am l going to do? It's the only
game In town."
That's the way with the old bows They
admit that our present day fighters are
a lot of habby financial agents who
ought to be dock walloping for SO a day.
but 1t is impossible to keep these vener-
able critics away from the rings'ce.
Can you blame them7
Another marked popularity about the
old timer-he is usually on the short end
of the market. He is generally with the
under dog. He is a sort of an apostle
of dissent anyway. and he hates to agree
with the men who were in swaddling
clothes when he was wearing black
diagonal cutaway coats bound with braid
al the edges and smoking Havana cigars
which really came from Havana.
For this reason many of the old time
critics take the Johnson end OF the con-
troversy. They feel that Johnson will
be the short-ender. not only in the pub
lie sentiment but In the betting and the
all round opinion of the battle. All the
excuse your old timer needs is that most
of the people are on the other side of
the question. That let's him In on he
short end. He wants to be where he Is
sure OF getting a stiff argument and IL
the old timer cannot do thing else in
the world, he can argue.
The business men who are at the head
of the enterprise expect to make life very
short and easy for the pilgrims who ross
the Rockies for the big show. 1t will be
case OF all the comforts of home and
you never leave your own Pullman, 1t
remains to be seen how the California
hotel men will regard this shrewd stroke.
The news that the travellers will be fed
and slept on wheels cannot be expected
to make any great hit with the wise
boys who manage the California hotels.
than which there are none better and
higher In the country.
| The large concourse of good livers, who
will hit the coast next summer, will leave
pile of money out there. The fight
means a fortune to the town In which
1t Is heid-a fortune for the hotel and
cafe men at least. and wise old Tom Nc
Carey, who never overlooked tip, was
able to bid $4,000 for the fight. because
he had seen the big hotel men and
knew he could depend upon them for an