The Washington herald., 1918-02-05
UNCLESAM HAS
A REAL PUNCH
Enthusiasm Has Proven the
Keynote to Success in
All Sports.
BY GRANTLAND RICE

outage their real sentiments, the mill
tary leaders of Germany know deep
in their hearts that the America OF
tomorrow is to be a vital force in the
wars issue. irresistible as the tide.
Prussia fears the champion Of democ-
racy, because 1t knows there is being
organized now that punch which will
carry the Star Spangled Banner as
far as needs be to make the world
safe for democracy.
For. after all, the punch is the big
thing in any game. And. simmered
right down to a cold calculation, the
punch means courage, determination
and grit to surmount all obstacles
toward a definite end.
Bob Fitzsimmons was a freak of
nature. He carried the torso and
shoulders of a heavyweight giant on
a light-weight's limbs. In a man OF
less heart his spindle shanks would
have eliminated Ruby Bob from all
heavyweight consideration. He be-
came one Of the greatest battlers ring
history has known. Why? Because
he had the punch. He was possessed
Of a lighting courage unequalled in
his time. Many Of his most important
battles he snatched from apparent de-
feat because his soul refused to ad-
NIT the mastery OF a rival. He packed
the wallop, carried the punch, literally,
and he knew best how to apply il
once an opening presented itself.
The Athletics of 1914 stood in public
estimation head and shoulders above
any baseball organization OF the year.
Connie Mack's machine was supposed
ly invincible. Yet this pennant trust
OF Philadelphia was humbled in the
worlds championship series by the
Boston Braves, a team considered
more or less f1uke champion OF the
National League. Boston, after years
Of disappointment, suddenly found its
ICnch in mid-season. In one Of the
most spectacular rushes of baseball
history the Braves fought up from
the tail-end position into a champion
ship. Used to hard knocks and ex-
pecting such from Mack's alleged in
vincibles, the Braves cast discretion
to the winds. They tore into the Ath-
letics, roughed them up, beat them tc
the punch and administered such a de-
feat as no major league club before
or since suffered in a worlds series.
Since McGraw assumed charge Of the
Giants his New York clubs almost
without exception have carried the
most profound respect of their COM
pany. Whatever their position, Nc
Graw's teams have never been lack
ing in color. They reflect his fight
ing spirit to such a degree as never
to concede defeat till the last man
has been put out i'm the final inning.
In short. McGraw has a knack Of in
stilling into his followers the we'll
known punch. That punch has won
him more championships than have
graeed the efforts of any other leader
of the game.
And who Of basebaITs followers can
mistake the dynamic influence toward
good Of Johnny Evers? Here was
player who in the cold type of dope
never rose to the heights. A phenom-
email fielder, the Trojan was at best
but an average hitter and a fair base
runner. Yet he was possessed OF phe-
nomenal baseball brains. He was al
ways thinking and was always ready
to grasp any problem that might pre-
sent itself. He won a pennant for the
of a technicality-Fred Merkle's fail
ure to touch second base.
No player of recent history, not even
the great Ty Cobb himself carried a
more wicked wallop, extensively and
defensively. than this same Evers.
He was all nerve and fight and ag-
gressiveness. He had the punch mag
nified. The three-time champi n Cubs
of 190S-'07-'0S reflected the spirit OF
Evers more than any other of the
notable aggregation. 1t was Evers,
quite as much as any other influence,
that carried the Braves to the su-
preme heights in 1874 No club with
which Evers was ever associated lack
ed for color. A year ago the Braves
were the reputed rowdies of the
game; the Phillies were noted as the
most gentlemanly aggregation of the
big league. Evers was transferred
from Boston to Philadelphia in mid
season. Before a week the character
istics Of these respective teams had
switched. The Quakers were the mis-
ehief-makers; the Braves had become
lamb-like,
A thousand kindred Illustrations
might be cited. There is Hobey Baker,
the Great Princeton football and
hockey player, who some weeks ago
bagged his first German after as
founding the allied fiiers with a most
radical assortment of new flying
tricks Baker was great on the grid
iron and ice simply because he had
the individual punch developed TO an
almost unbelievable degree. like the
Thorpes and the Coys and the Hes
tons and all others Of great athletic
renown.
But the main point Is this. Enthusi-
asm is the keynote of success in
sports. II prompts that serious APP
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