The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-20
SPOR T DOPE
BY JACK kEENE.

Lawn tennis players who have been
devoting thought as to the cast OF the
die when the rankings are listed for
the season of the United States Ma
tfonaI association are inclined to figure
that the positions in the honored top
ten will depend chiefly upon the show
ing made on the courts at Southamp
ton and in the national cham pionship
tournament As the record stands
now, William T. Tilden, I'd. unques-
tionably has gained the lofty place of
No. 1, the position which in other
years has been held by such lumi-
naries OF the courts as Maurice F.
Mclaughlin, R. Norris Williams. I'd,
William A Larned. Bob Wrenn and
others who have made American lawn
tennis history.
Tilden long ago in the early part
of the season announced his -inten-
ton of entering for the ational
cha mpionship singles when the tour
nament was decided at Forest HfllsA,
He is not known to have changed that
determination His greatest victories
are in the Harlem cup singles. the
western Pennsylvania state champion
ship and the national clay court
championship In all OF these he per-
formed SO ably as to practically out
class the others OF the field and that
despite the fact that Samuel Hardy
and Walter Hayes were represented
in the clay court competitions.
The only other star who las come
cut for matches is Ichiya kumagae,
the Japanese, whose recent appear
ance in the American tournaments has
resulted in waIkovers because of there
being no one of his class to oppose
him. kumagae kept his holding of
the New York state cham pionship thru
the arrangement of a challenge match
In which he defeated his countryman,
Seiichfro kashiro. The only tourna-
ment thru which Kun1agae played was
that OF the recently decided metropoI-
1tal championship. in which he did
not lose a set on the courts of the
Cr6scen Athletic club at Bay Ridge
As the records stand the two appear
to represent the most formidable con-
tenders for the honors, as with the
exception Of Walter Merrill Hall, who
won the middle states, the stars have
been absent
Athletes now in Uncle Sans serv-
ice are making names for themselves
IN sports while waiting to star against
the kaiser and his crew OF bandits.
Many Of the U. S. lads in service were
athletic stars at school or college and
have kept in trim. William L Wal
len recently set a new American rec
ord for the sS0-yard open tidal salt
water swim when he swan that dis
lance in 11:27 is seconds at the
aquatic carnival at the Pelham Bay
naval training station
War is going to revolutionize sports
in many ways. Radical changes in
the rules and actual play will be made
in all branches of athletics when our
soldier boys return.
The aggressive. Straightforward,
cfeancut spirit insti1led by military
r-<zfr will r,
perfection, obtained in long hours of
drill will speed up the active sports.
The war will completely change the
present system of judging boxers in a
bout, for instance. The victory will go
to the man who fights, cleveriy and
cleanly, to the man who takes chances
| to land a telling blow, who carries the
| fight to his opponent
The man who evades a rush. who
dances around the ring or vino stalls
| thru the rounds will receive no con-
sideratiou.
This doesn't mean that more oIood
will be shed in the ring. But it will
mean that the men who become popu-
| lar in the public eye will be the 1ox-
ers who have the stamina, the moral
| courage and the science to stand up
in the ring and give the public its
moneys worth of clean. fast boxing
| There will be no false-alarm fight
ers, living on the notoriety won for
| them by ingenious press agents
| This demand for aggressiveness.
| courage. and science will increase in
every other branch of sport. 1t viii
| bring around one of the many great
benefits which will grow out of the
| world conflict.
That the work or fight order has
not seriously affected the sport of
| racing SO far as the riders are con-
| cerned is shown by the fact that at
| the present time there are los licensed
| Jockeys at Saratoga This is more
| than was ever assembled at one track
! before. Closing down racing in Can
! ada and the fact that there is no other
% tck now in operation accounts for
unusual number of riders. How
/ ever, there is decidedly more quantity
than quality. Lyke and F. Robiu1on
continue to stand out in the absence
| of Jockey Lotus.