Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1919-05-23
METZGER'S COLUMN.
by Sol MetZGer.

When Zbyszko won the worlds
heavyweight wrestling championship
early in the spring promoter out in
ONO, thinking the time ripe for secur-
ing him for a match in his city, wrote
a telegram to the big Poles manager,
asking what dates he could have him
and at what figure. But the telegraph
operator who received the message
looked upon it with suspicion. The
name Zbyszko was too much for him.
pr Say he asked the promoter, isn't
This a code messenger"
So much for athletic fame!
Tex Richard, Jess Willard and Jack
Dempsey expect to make more money
this year than President Wilson Not
one of them is likely to send an over
coat to the tailor for repairs should
that garment have a hole in it. Yet
Clemenceau did this very thing when
an assassin attempted his life all be-
cause he had to be economical, al
though premier Of the French repub-
lie and one of the truly great men of
the world.
There is something wrong some
where in Il system that rewards the
pug more than it does a president or
a premier. If we knew what we do
now and could bark back to the good
old schoo1boy days the affirmative side
of the debate upon Resolved. That
education is more valuable than
wealth would have some job getting
away with the votes of the judges.
It's a long jump from presidents,
premiers and pugs to tennis, but the
latter deserves a far better fate at the
| hands of publicity than is awarded to
! it in these days of strenuous sport. if
| for no other reason than its immenSi-
| ty.
/ Paul E. Williams. field secretary of
| the United States National Lawn Ten
mis- association, tells me that there are
over one million active players in the
| country, a conservative figure because
| the big sporting goods manufacturers
| believe the numbers reach two mil
lions In addition. this association has
/ a membership of 800 active clubs and
| $50 associate clubs. 1t also sanctions
over 200 tournaments. Nobody ever did
| know or will know how many tourna-
ments are played in this country in a
year. st. Louis had $4,000 people
playing there last year.
| Any sport with an enrolment like
| that has a grip on the American people
that cannot be overlooked. While it is
all well and good to say that tennis is
a ladies' game, that only the silk
| stocking" crowd play it. and all that
sort of stuff. when we get down to
cases we learn things. The adding
machine is a great invention. 1t opens
! our eyes, fills our pockets and informs
US when said pockets are empty.
Pugse will tell you that tennis play
er sare sort of mollycoddle type.
Let's see. While champion players
rarely do prove their fistic ability, it
might be well to size them up when a
real fight comes along, scrap like the
world war. In that affair every one OF
| the ten ranking players of American
citizenship got into the game. Dick
! Williams and Waty Washburn are still
i in France How about the great pugs
Jess Willard remained on his broad
| acres, too proud to box. let alone fight,
! even for the numerous war charities.
Jack Dempsey fought, but with gloves
on. None of the trench mud for knock
out Jack. Our former idol of the ring,
| the Hon. Jack Johnson, according to
meagre reports, was cumming drinks
! in a Spanish cafe. Nearly all the other
| pugs were engaged in the pastime of
teaching the doughboys how to box.
i Probably our tennis players wear
silk stockings. and probably they are
inclined to dodge a fight. but when a
real, honest to goodness scrap comes
along, where the breaks are even and
! where a man is wanted. they have such
/
dope that we feel inclined to think
that it would be far better for the [.
! S. A. if there were five million tennis
players instead of the conservative one
million reckoned by the L. S. \. L. I.
A. At any rate. it will not be long
until we have them.
The work of the L. S. y. L. T. A. in
furthering this sport is having big re-
suits. 1t is live wire organization.
- 1iF =
the golf association, from the called
expert stuff which is written by any
one but the man who signs his name
to it. The public has had Il lot of ex-
pert bunk about sports handed to it in
the past. Many got wise. Today the
expert golf and tennis stuff comes
right from the pen of the athlete him
self, or he joins the ranks of the
1 pros
| If all professional sport could be
lregulated as is amateur sport it would