Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-01-21
TENNIS MEN TO Be RANKED
Proposal to Quit Meeting with Some
Strong Opposition.
OPINIONS DIFFER GREATLY
who ravors Doing Away with
the Plan OF Ranking Ae-
cordinR to Ability.

NEW YORK, Jan. s.-The proposal 10
do away entirely with the annual rank
ing of lawn tennis players, which Is
recommended. or at least suggested. by
the majority report Of the 1911 ranking
committee Of the United States National
Lawn Tennis association. seems certain
to be Overwhelmingly rejected when It Is
brought before the annual meeting Of that
body In this city on February o. The al
Tentative plan contained in the majority
report. viz. that the ranking should b.
simplfied by limiting the number of men
ranked. as was done In 1911, when only
thirty-five were listed. seems destined 20
meet a similar fate. The feeling is almost
universal that at least fifty men should
be given a ranking, while most followers
of the game put the number at from
seventy-five to 100.
In the call for the annual meeting OF
the association one OF the stated objects
Is TO consider the Recommendations OF
the ranking committee. Consequently,
the report OF the majority Of the rank
ing committee, consisting OF Henry W.
siocum. chairman, and Raymond d. Lit
tie, will be bracketed with that OF the
dissenting member. Miles s. charlock.
The latter believes that hereafter the
committee should be Instructed to make
an official ranking OF the players
/ throughout the country under regulations
established by the association"
| This goes right TO the root OF the mat
ter Heretofore the ranking committee
| has been assigned its task without any
rules for Its guidance, except that the
traditional method is supposed TO be fol-
lowed. as has been done until last years
committee made its revolutionary report.
| Impressed by this unregulated system,
the 1911 committee took the bold step OF
employing an entirely new system Of
ranking. and in doing so virtually asked
the association itself to regulate the
matter
Opinions differ widely as TO what the
ranking should be. Some favor ranking
only the first ten men, others go fur
Their and advocate extending the list TO
| twenty-five or even fifty; but the great
majority want larger list one that will
include every section OF the country and
contain the name Of every man who has
won an open tournament or has figured
prominently in three or more OF the
scores OF tournaments sanctioned by the
association.
/ Scarcely a player can be found who
| favors the abolition OF the ranking. The
only arguments put forth on behalf Of the
| abolition are that no other sport-govern-
ing body ranks its men; that no good pur-
pose Is served by ranking Is so great that
| II is almost impossible to find men to
serve on the ranking committee. To the
last argument the reply is that President
| Dwight OF the association could find
| plenty OF men willing 10 serve II he would
go outside Of certain very limited circle.
As to the difficulty OF ranking properly,
Il is pointed out that II the committee
would take the trouble TO examine the
records OF the relatively poorer players
! IL would be an easier matter to place
| them than IL is under the present plan
of making only superficial search for
data.
\ The interesting part Of 1t all is that
/ for the first time in many years the
matter Of ranking will be brought up at
the annual meeting and thoroughly
threshed out.