The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-03-06
CORDETTEXPLA|NS
WHY SOME "PUGS'
DONOT MAKE GOOD
It's All In the Instinct, Gentleman
. Jim Says, and Cites Base
ball Stars

Jim Corbett, keenest Of all observ
ers in the world of sport, cut loose with
a volley of comment in New York that
goes far to explain the one sidedness
of many matches that had fine promise
of real excitement and also to account
for the many errors in judgement by
dopesters, managers Of fighters and
promoters, rf
"Bunked Again." ,.
"The public,p he says, els quick to
call the turn on any sO.called expert
who ventures far enough afeld to pre-
dict that some unknown will be a
champion some day, or on a promoter
who stands sponsor for a match that
proves one-sided from the go. No mat.
ter if the fans themselves thought in
advance II would be a good match. 1t
matters not that rival promoters tried
to get the same boys together in their
arenas. No one takes into considera.
ion that the winner trained to tho
Units of his powers because he ex
Dected a gruelling contest These are
orgotten, if the fight proves disap
pointingly one-sided and everybody
;ries: Nt@.> -
'Bunked agini Those fellows
knew the match would be failure!'
"The truth is, the promoters are
frequently as badly fooled as the pub
ic. In this day, when a. constant
search is being made for someone to
lethrone the champions in the various
divisions, it is very frequent that a
comparative unknown is picked up and
rushed to the central theater of war
New York; Milwaukee, st. Paul and
New Orleans. ..,s..
Must Meet the Champion
"This unknown is looked over by
real eperts, men who know ability and
ring generalship when they see them,
md they are enthusiastic about the
oungster from the bushes. Immedi.
ately there is hue and cry for this
Fellow to meet the champion or one of
he foremost cOntenders for the title.
Nothing short of that will do. The
young fighter wants it that way ana
lis manager will have it no other way.
"The match is arranged. Ii is ad
fertised assiduously. IN The public is
II
he bushes springingf up TO sudden
greatness. He shows everything in
training. Steps into the ring before
the largest crowd he ever saw in his
ife, taxes one look at the confident,
glowering champion standing before
lin, and his heart quails. He forgets
what his hands are made for and his
'eet seem made for but one, purpose,
md that is to get in the way of one
mother. The excitement hashes his
brain and he has about as much chance
If unhashing it as he has of unscram
bling eggs. In few moments he lies
'prawling on the floor, listening to the
Iirds twittering in the tree tops.
Must Have Acid Test S,,....
"Not more than one out of every
ten potential champions ever acquires
the title. have looked over men who
lad evcrything-brains, build, strength
but who amounted 10 nothing. They
1idn't have the fighting instinct, and
10 expert on earth can detect that
until the man actually encounters a
worthy opponent in a decisive match.
"There are many outfelders who
nave everything that Iris Speaker has
but the baseball instinct. They eau
run as fast, many of them faster; they
IAN jump as high TO spear one, and are
sure death on u batted ball, once it
ATS their hands-but they haven't the
instinct that sets them running the
moment the ball is hit, and running
directly to the place where that ball
will land. Speaker doesn't have to
stop to look for the direction the ball
is taking and then deliberately figure
out where it will come down. Instinct
drives him at top speed to the right
spot. g., a.
Jim Thorpe, the greatest all,arOund
athlete that ever lived, has every es
sential quality of a star outdelder, but
he has failed to prove another Speaker
or another Cobb because he hasn't got
Speakers or Cobb's baseball brain.
Regarding Tom Cowler
"Not so very long ago / was won
derfully impressed with Tom COwler,
the English heavyweight. He had the
punch. saw him knock out real hus-
kies in apple-pie order. He had more
natural skill than Willard and he was
a fine ring general, said he had the
makings of ehampion-and he did, as
far as the human eye could detect. l
helped him all l could, but 1t soon be-
came evident that he didn't have the
fighters instinct. He was a wonder
in a gymnasium, but facing a worth.
while antagonist in an important
match before large crowd his punch,
his generalship, his speed were about
as useful as the weeds in the garden.
cit is possible that Cowler will yet
limb to the top. Beatings discourage
with others each defeat
spurs them on TO greater effort, In the
/ want you to know that
when say man has the making OF '
champion / mean he has the physical
and this Is quite different
from saying that a man will be cham !
pion. >" '-| t.E
TO-