The Washington herald., 1916-11-26
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Billiards
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From the amount OF enthusiasm that
is being displayed in Richmond, Hagers-
town, Baltimore and Norfolk. four cities
which are out for franchises in the
South Atlantic Individual Tenpin Asso.
ciation. the new organization should ac-
complish far greater results along the
lines for which II Is intended-that Of re-
viving interest In the big pin game
than had been hoped for.
In some local quarters the howl Is going
up that the formation of this new asso-
ciation Is nothing other than an attempt
to put the sllids under the duckpin game.
Who Is Il that desires to see the duck
pin game In this neck of the woods lose
any OF Its popularity? There was a Il ne,
when quite a number OF local tenpInneIs
hammed the small pin game to a fra=-
zle. They couldn't see 1t with the largest
telescope that was ever made Why:
For no other reason than that when :he
game was first introduced 1t was one nalf
luck and the other half science This
was due to the fact that the small pins
and balls, as first used, took practically
all OF the science out of the game on the
first ball.
But the game has been improved upon,
the balls have been made larger and the
pins shaped In such a manner that get
ting the wood from the first to the third
ball is now accomplished through scien-
tific ability. and not by that element of
luck that at first was one-half of the
game. OF course. there Is still a certain
amount Of element OF luck to the game,
for, IL there wasn't the game would soon
go the way that the tenpin game went
| in this city. The big pins enjoyed the
limelight for a decade because of the
cutters being round and no restriction
Ill. Asz.l.A
| that a man might use. The round gut
ters and twenty-pound balls added an
element of luck to the tenpin game that
, made 1t the most popular indoor sport
of the National Capital and as such It
held sway for over fifteen years.
Along comes a few wise heads who
order that the cutters shall be squared,
the ball In no case to weigh over six
| teen pounds and several other changes
| that brought the game down to a purely
scientific standpoint. where the man with
| the best pinning ability always came out
on top, even IL II was only over a short
| route OF three games or for the season.
What was the result? The interest In the
game dropped OF and as the interest
dropped of the amateur" bowler began
| to look around for some other game that
| would give him a change once in a year
| to come out a winner. And so IL is with
any game where science alone determines
| the winner. Take billiards, for instance
Here is one of the grandest games ever
| introduced. But what Is il today? A
game that is fast losing its place in the
! sporting world for the very reason that
| one man who perhaps possesses uncanny
| ability goes out and continually keeps on
winning until a match wherein he Is one
of the principals is nothing other than a
| workout with some poor fish looking for
| the losers end Of the purse. And SO II
! was with the tenpin game. They kept
on adding frills to the game until perhaps
on or two men in each city stood out at
| the head Of the bunch and it was useless
to pit any one against them. Take the
case Of Harry Krauss In this burg for
instance. Five years ago shooting against
| the Flying Dutchman was like dropping
! the kale in the ocean. Again we ask
| what was the result? Krauss was a win
ner before the match started. And what
game is going to survive under such con-
ditions?
The tenpin game in this hamlet didn't.