The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-31
SLOSSON EXPLAINS WHY DE ORD STAGED A REAL COMEBACK
Used Light Cue Before Big Match and Recovered His Old-Time Eff
 fectiveness

1 After billiard fans had given it up, | George Sosson comes along and dl- vulges the real reason for Alfredo De Oro's sudden change of form and mar vicious record breaking performance when he recently beat August Kieckhefer at Chicago Sosson says that De Orc re- vealed to him the secret of his success, which runs thus: | Prior to meeting Kieckhefer for the worlds three-cushion title De Oro was filling a contract at Charlie Weeghman room, meeting all corners afternoons and l evenings in 5O-point contests During 1 this period he was twice beaten, each by | Benny Hatcher and Al Wessling, young | Chicago players, and once by the veteran, | Joe Capron All the while the Cuban ap- peared in pretty fair fettle, but he was 1 not playing his best billiards py any means and his friends feared the result | of his engagement with the dashlng ana confident kieckhefer. | On the afternoon before the opening Of the big match De Orc sauntered into Tom Foley's room on Wabash avenue. Be- hind the desk was the veteran, Foley. l Have you a light cue in the house! | asked De Orc.
 "I have one that weighs 12 ounces" answered the veteran roomkeeper. Let me see it. please said the cham pion, and Foley brought forth the stick. A set of balls came next and a moment later De Orc was knocking the spheres about the table. He practiced with the light cue for just three-quarters of an hour, then quit and stuck it in the rack. You have heard of the sprinter who wore heavy oversshoes until called to race and then, donning his spiked slip pers, almost ran over the moon. Well, that is just how the change worked with
 De Oro When he picked up his own heavy cue to play Kieckhefer that night
 he found his old stroke in twinkling. |, It was the first time he had had 1t in about two years, during which period he repeatedly suffer sd defeat.
 With the sudden and almost incredible c | return of the old rhythmic swing it is a matter of history how the champion : slaughtered his young adversary, wln- ming the match by a, score of 150 to 93 and setting two world S marks that may never | be beaten; the one, single average : record of S5 points in 50 innings, and the other, 150 points in IA innings, covering the three nights play.
 No one could account for De Oro's com
 plete transformation at the time bu Slosson explained it.
 Chicago fandom is agog over the pros poets of seeing eight or ten of the lead I ing pocket players of the world in tour I nament competition for the championship | in the near future. The windy city vii be the scene of such an event about th'
 middle of next month. the first of it.
 kind to be held in many years. The fielt
 will be made up of Champion Allen, Ma
 turo, Ralph. Butler, Kreuger Greenleaf
 Petrie and others.
 Willie Hoppe threatens to make
 spendthrift of George Sutton, ;he veteran
 Chicago balkliner. George is well heele' as a result of his ability to save hi
 earnings, but every so often he kick
 over the traces, utterly disregards tn
 laws of frugality, takes the rubber of
 the bank roll and posts from $250 to $1O0
 as a side bet to play Hoppe for the Is.
 balkline championship of which Wllli
 is the proud possessor.
 Only last week Sutton laid down a de
 to Hoppe, posting $500 with the Bruns
 wick Balke- Collender company as a for
 felt to bind a match with the New Tor
 star and naming but two conditions-th
 enc that the match be played in Chicag i in April next and the other that the con
 test be of three or six nights duration
 which would mean that they play 15t
 or 5000 joints Sutton further betray
 his reckleSsness by offering to pla Hoppe, winner take all if the champio
 so elects.
 Appraised of Suttons challenge. Hopr
 has informed George that he will pas through Chicago late this month. 9
 which time he will discuss terms for
 match with him. Sutton is playing grea billiards in practice, hence his latest sho'
 of srunk.