Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-03
SPORTING COMMENT.
BY J. ED GR1LLo.

The suggestion to have umpires prepare
themselves for the regular season as do
ball players, by having them go to the
various training camps and practice call
ing balls as well as improving their phys
ical condition, is by no means far fetched.
There Is no doubt that the work of the
indicator handlers would be much inn
proved early every year II they took the
trouble to prepare themselves for the
campaign. This thing of sitting around
all winter and then breaking in to Off
ciate over championship game without
moments preparation is not good fpr
the game nor the individual.
1t would seem that it could be arranged
to have the umpires of the Nationa.
League officiate over the games playeo
by the American League teams uulins
The exhibition season and vice versa.
IN this way the danger of the plase =
growing too familiar with the officials
would be eliminated and there would be
no reason for the umpires harboring a
crouch for some player because OF soine-
rnine he had SAID during these eXhibi-
ton games.
Inc pan is a good one, and no doubt
the clubs would be willing to pay the ex-
pe1ses of the umpires to help them get
in shape for the regular. season.
Not SO many years ago every club in
the National League was we'll fortified,
while this was not the case with the
American League, where syndicate ball
existed, and some of the clubs were
virtually conducted by the league. There
has been a change. however. Today the
American League clubs are owned in the
cities where they operate, and every one
Of them is on sound financial basis.
Such, however. is not the case in the
National League. There is at least one
club in that circuit which is owned BY
foreign capital, and there may be others.
Boston, once the strongest point in the
National League, is today the weakest.
Outside capital controls the club, which is
weak both financially and artisllcally.
There is no doubt that with the proper
persons behind that venture and a real
effort made to get winning team. Bos-
ton would literally support the National
League club there without affecting the
attendance OF the American League club
to any extent. The National League must
get out of that Boston mess. The club
must eventually be turned over to some
Individual who IS familiar with condi-
tons and who can stand losses for a
lew years while he is building up WIN
ming team and a modern base bail plant
Young Critic. who undoubtedly was the
greatest boxer the game ever produced,
after spending several years in various
Institutions from which the inmates would
like to get free. will shortly leave for his
native country-Australia Critic is now
a gray-haired old man. He will try to
earn his passage to his home by appear
ing in boxing exhibitions on a vaudeville
circuit His equal as a boxer may never
be seen again. 1t is said of him that he
could stand a handkerchief in the
center of the ring and let his opponent
do all the footwork and come out of the
f., laiill without having a glove laid on him
self.
But Critic did not have punch. He
could not hurt an opponent. unless the
latter hurt himself tryin to hit Critic.
When Frank Gotch, the champion wres.
| tier, announced his retirement a year OF
| SO ago il was because he thought the
wrestling game was dead. But it seems
| that his retirement has revived the sport
| for it has brought out all the other heavy
weights and will eventually result In
| Gotch coming back TO the game. There
are no less than six big fellows travelling
about the country now wrestling and
every one Of them is drawing big crowds
! so that Gotch will have good reason for
coming back before long.
The following, from the pen of Harry
eastman of the New York American