The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-22
Sport Wheezes
BY CLUG-
by CLUG-

m by CIJUO- I'M
just Comment.
Jess Willard said he sought a scrap
A lot of fans believed it crap:
They could not savy the Old HOss-
He said he'd fight for the Red Cross.
The Fans Say
That Jess is loyal we all know,
He loves his country heaps.
But could he donate much dough
And live thru all his weeps?
The Porters Say
No, jess amt tight, nor nOthin' of the sort.
A hundred Pullman porter voices snort.
He may do it but didn't think
They'll get a red from that tight gink!
Fred Fulton Says
1 hope that guy means what he spells,
hope to get him right,
I'm tired of camping on his heels
And Begin for fight.
Kansas Says
Go to it, Jess, we're still for you.
We knew you had heart,
You couldn't be Kansan true,
Unless You did your part.
Jess Says
If can find the time some day next sum-
and do not have to risk my title in the
fight,
I'll go 10 rounds with any one armed
If do not change my mind some moon
light night.
The majority of people have about come
to the conclusion that willard made his
offer to stage a battle for the benefit of
the RedCross just to make it harder for
Fred Fulton to claim his title by default
as Fulton threatened to do the first of the
year.
Wizards lack of cincerity is further in
Dictated by his supplementary statement
that he will not fight until next summer
and that even then it must be only "a 10
round bout with no title at stake If he
really means to do something to help win
tha no ff ron 1liT q
active champion and defend his crown, the
thing for him TO do is to put the matter in
and have no strings attached to the deal
other than those that will insure him
plenty of time to train and get into con-
dlt1on-
There is no doubt but that Willard has
done less patriotic work in public way
than any other man of his standing in
the world of sport. While baseball stars
like Hank .Gowdy and golf stars like
other ring champions like Benny Leonard
have been giving their time to the gov
eminent, Willard has been doing absolute
ly nothing, SO far as the public knows.
Yes he hit upon q scheme that undoubt-
eddy would bring him more prominence
others, if he would only carry it out. Full
ton and some of the other challengers I'M
doubtedly would be glad to fight him for
at his title But, after his first announce
ment willard spoiled the whole thing by
asserting that he would not put his title
at stake and that his charity bout would
have to be a 10-round, no decision affair
If the conqueror of Jack johnson who
was once the pride of Kansas wants to get
back into public favor he will go thru
with the thing honestly and earnestly. Bug
II he tries to MAKE Iafe on 0ut id OF bi ms
self and will find that he will be making
one Of the biggest mistakes he could make
The Stacker, the shirker and the sham
patriot is not going to get very far from
now on.
The Western league is very generous
Holland club in out of the boiling sun last
summer. The only thing Hutchinson has
to do to keep the club is to raise $4,000.
The sooner the Western league gets on
pay for what you get basis the better
off it will be. And the sooner it quits
its expenses down within hating distance
of it's normal income the quicker 1t Will
| get on a solid foundation.
Indications are that John Savage will
find little difference between the American
association Of next summer and the West
ern league of last. The A. A. has cut its
schedule to 40 games and its player limit
| to 1G.
All baseball circuits that expect to sur
ernor Tener,s optimism, and the game must
suffer as a consequence. But, at that, the
magnates ought to be tickled to death if
| they are able to keep going.
The Brooklyn Dodgers have lost five
| pitchers to the war, Ebbets claims. But a
great many fans cannot figure it out that
way, even counting Sherrod Smith and
Pfeffer.
Imagine Americans believing the Ger