Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-04-23
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

Jess Myron Willard. heavyweight
champion of the world. now in this
city as the principal attraction of
wild west show. is no Stacker. Seated
| in their private travelling compart-
ment car on a siding near New Jersey
avenue yesterday, Genial Tom" Jones,
his manager. said:
willard is ready and willing to
serve the colors. When the time comes
that married men are called. Jess will
be among the first to respond"
Absolutely" said Willard. with one
Of his famous smiles. by way of con-
pilot
Willard is much overweight. He adj
mits to go pounds, and his appearance
indicates he weighs all of that. if not
little more. His best fighting weight
is about PAS pounds. The surplus
avoirdupois Is due to a winter of in
activity. BY the time he has been on
the road month or SO he should drop
some fifteen or twenty pounds, ae the
two exhibitions he gives daily with his
sparring partner. Walter Monohan, are
strenuous enough to reduce him.
Willard is the picture of health, hav-
ing a rudy complexion and clear eye.
He denied printed stories to the effect
that he had retired from the ring. He
had expected to meet Fred Fulton. the
Minnesota giant. but the defeat of that
worthy by Carl Morris killed him as
drawing card and left the champion
without a suitable opponent.
II intend to have two or three more
fights before / quit" Willard said. Just
to prove to the public that I am en-
titled to what I have been getting by
reason of the prestige attached to the
championship. But at the present time
there seems to be no one in sight
capable of drawing a house large
enough to make it worth while for a
promoter to stage a bout"
Willard is of a retiring disposition.
and cares nothing for the plaudits of
the populace that so many champions
crave. He said he probably would re-
main in the show business no longer
than this season and next, by which
time he hoped to have had a couple of
fights If some worthy antagonists can
be found, and then retire to the ranch
life he loves and appear no more in
the public eye.
For a champion pugilist Willard
bears few marks of battle. A scar on
his left eyebrow was received as a
youth when he was thrown by bronco
while herding cattle on western plains.
He had two ribs broken in his fight
with Jack johnson at Havana. in which
he won the championship, but the only
outward evidence of his professional
calling is hardly noticeable "cauli-
flower ear" given him by an Austria
liam sparring partner in San Francisco
while training for his fight with Gun
boat Smith. May 80. 1913.
George Du Mont, the only homeless
slated to pitch against Connie Mack's
team in the third game Of the series
mere this afternoon against either Joe
Bush or Elmer Myers, both of whom
We're roughly handled by the locals in
Philadelphia. Du Monts home in Min
neapo1fs burned to the ground last win
ter four days after he moved into it
II he displays the same form today
that he did in New York last week he
will win a home here.
Tomorrow evening. shortly after the
final game with the Athletics, the
Washington players will board a. train
sox viii be played Wednesday, Thurs
day. Friday and Saturday. after which
the locals come home for nine games,
four with the Yankees and FIVE with the
Red sox. leaving the evening of We'd
the first game of the initial western
trip will be played the following day
1t is expected that by the time the
Grinmen start west Harry Harper will
Der. II not before. Harper has been
working his arm tudiciously. Throwing
causes him no pain now. but he has not
fully regained his speed and Manager
Griffith will take no chance in starting
him before he Is ready.
The opinion Of Manager Griffith, Ty
Cobb and other good judges of Sam Rice,s
Mack. The lean leader. in speaking of
Rice, said: 1T requires pitcher who
as something in reserve to hold Rice in
check. File mas a world Of natural ability,
and any time the pitcher opposing him is
not careful and gives special attention to
Rice he is one Of the most dangerous of
batters.'
An evidence of the business acumen of
Charles Hercules Ebbets. owner of the
Brooklyn Nationals. is furnished by the
sale Of First Baseman Fred Merkle to the
Chicago Cubs. The deal also illustrates
that a seasoned ball player comes high,
even II he Is fading. The Cubs paid 3d.
600 in cash for the release of Merkle.
good but by no means great first-sacker.
No other players were involved. Daubert
being in good condition again, Ebbets did
not hesitate to take advantage of the
plight the Cubs found themselves in when
Vic Safer broke his leg They needed a
first baseman, and when Manager Mitchell
opened negotiations with Ebbets for Mer-
kle the DoogerS owner readily let him go
AT his own price. top-notch figure for
q o''s} ca VASt uis prime
Fielder Jones already is considering
a shake-up in his st. Louis Browns.
The fans of the Mound city are at their
annual spring stunt of demanding the
scalp of Jimmy Austin. who is not hit
ting much. and also are panning Out
fielder Ward Willer. Ernie johnson.
formerly Of the Federal League, and
Bill Kenworthy. a hard hitter in the
minors. are available for the third-base
job. and jacobson may be used in
right.
The Chicago White Sox have done the
expected and opened the season with a
rush. Rowland has an excellent corps
Of pitchers in Cicotte. Faber. Williams.
Russell. Benz, Scott. Wolfgang and