Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-09
POSTPONED GAMES ARE
DETRIMENTAL TO SPORT
Deferred Sets in Many Leagues Cause Inter
est to Lag-Duckpin Association Meets
Next Friday Night.

What has struck the bowling fraternity
of Washington? Where is the pep that
was so manifest in all the leagues about
town but a few short weeks ago? What
IL the cause of the dearth of bowling
scores In the papers? These and SINH
lar questions are being asked on every
hand. and it would be exceedingly In
teresting to get correct line upon the
matters to which they appertain. When
the intercity tenpn tourney struck
town Washington was in the midst of
one OF the best seasons 1t has had In
years in the popular winter pastime.
Most of the leagues were staging not
only close races, but interest In several
Of them was running exceedingly high.
In the National Capital League Wells
bachs, leaders for the entire year, had
apparently run into a slump, and Palace,
Y. NJ. c. A. and the Fat Men were stick
not only BODIED ill for Halley's team in
: the event its losing streak continued,
but were among themselves staging a
very warm fight for the place positions
in the league Out in Mount Pleasant
I'm the Arcade League Immanuels and
Imperials were in a death struggle for
premier honors. with the SherwoOds also
hanging on expectantly. Palace ana
Colonials. in the District Tenpin League.
were mixing things up In royal fashion,
and the fur was flying thick and fast.
Evening Star and William Hahn. in the
Commercial League. aided and abetted by
Woodward & Lothrop. were pulling of
a three-cornered fight for first place,
which was admittedly the most interest
ing in the leagues history. In the South
ern Railway League another warm con-
test was In progress Garrisons and Bel
monts, in the District League, swung
hack and forth in fierce combat the
race see-sawing from deadlock one
week to a one-game-lead affair the next
and promises of large doings in the
final stages Of the schedule. Department
tai Tenpin League matters were compli-
Gated. Agriculture had gone back from
big lead to rather insecure position
at the head of the list. Pioneers in the
Colonial League were more or less close
~ pressed by the ex-champs. Northeast
bowiers, with one team In a runaway for
first, were cOntesting second place keen
ly. Departmental Duckpin League af-
fairs We're booming. The Colonial League
was nourishing. Y. NJ. c. A. League
knights were enthusiastic over their
only interested to marked degree in
their teams and leagues. but the scores
that were being made were very good.
Then something slipped.
Whether II was the natural relaxation
that usually follows a period of high
tension In any line Of sport: whether 1t
was the confused condition Of affairs in
several of the leagues caused through
uGCeSSllaleQ
the tourney, or whether the bowlers ex-
perienced coincident attack of prema-
ture "spring fever" is q hard question to
decide. But the fact remains that from
one end of the city to the other in the
bowling game there was falling Off in
the quality of the scores and in the in
terest not alone by the followers Of the
different teams, but among the members
of the various leagues. as well. Things
perked up wee bit toward the latter
part OF last week, although the room for
Improvement is marked.
Two important facts stand out like
beacon lights In connection with this con-
dition of affairs, and 1t may be well to
point them out to the bowlers generally
First and foremost is the self-evident
evils which follow postponements. OF all
the drawbacks to the increased popular
ity of the great winter sport this IL the
greatest. Nothing will send the interest
thermometer down so quickly as a bunch
OF deferred sets. which makes 1t almost
impossible to get a correct line on the
status of the different teams In leagues
where the yaces are close. Where the
intercity tournament was the cause Of
+. postponements. there IL. OF course. some
excuse, but 1t Is a matter Of record that at
the Palace on several different occasions
recently alleys have gone vacant, when
they could have been utilized by some of
the teams disposing Of overdue sets. Sew
erai CUNTS with these back games on
their hands could be mentioned but the
cases without being specifically noted.
Get together at once and dispose OF
those back sets. Get the schedule up to
date, and let the league get the correct
line on what's what" as far as pennant
possibilities and probabilities are concern
ed. And those bowling enthusiasts who
nave the best interests Of the game at
heart should make q mental note Of this
condition and, IL possible, have incorpor-
ated In the different league constitutions
some provision which will make impos-
sibie the present deplorable condition of
affairs.
The other phase of the situation relates
10 the alley owners themselves 1t would
seem that every proprietor of bowling
establishments in the. city should make
IT an Imperative rule Of his place OF bust
ness that scores of every league contest
rolled on his alleys are sent to the papers.
There Is nothing which tends more to the
popularity and interest Of any line Of
sport as publicity, and in4smuch as the
RrOprietors of the alleys ARE the ones