The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-16


 STAN" ZBYSZKO
 How much. longer can the "big guns of the wrestling game evade the issue with the biggest gum of them all?
 That is the question thousands of ad- mirers of Stanislaus Zbyszko are asking, and unless Messrs. Lewis, Stecher, Cad dock, Piestina and Pesel1 furnish some sort of a definite answer to the query within a short time public opinion will place the championship laurels where great many competent critics believe they really belong, and that is on the brow of the big Pole.
 Jack Herman of Chicago, manager Of Zbyszko, and known to wrestling inter- ests from coast to coast as man of nls word and thoroughly responsible finan- cially, has done everything within his power to bring about meeting between the Pole and the ''big five mentioned above, it is said. The inducements he is offering are unprecedented in wrest- ling history
 OFFERS LEWIS $2O,OOO
 Herman has offered Lewis guarantee of $20Oo0, win, lose or draw, to risk his titular honors in match with Zbyszko, but as yet the Strangler has not ac- cepted the offer Herman also has eA-
  S10,U0O guarantee ana to Caddock he has offered S7.500 win, lose or draw, but neither of these propositions has been ac- cepted.
 Plestina, who has been in the habit ot posing as martyr to what he terms the wrestling trust" wailing that none of the leaders dares to fight it out with him the mat, is strangely silent when it comes to talking turkey with Zbyszko. To Plestina an offer was made by Her. man of $1,000 guarantee, win, lose, or draw-and a side bet of $10,00O This proposition has been standing for three months without word from Plestna. It is not stage money, for Hermans if nancial standing is such that he does not have to resort to the bunk.
 TEX IS INTERESTED
 The prospects are that in the near fu- ture the 'big guns will be compelled by the pressure. of public opinion to pay some attention to ZbyszSo, as Tex Rick ard, who controls Madison Square Gar den has been negotiating with the Pole and Plestina for a match, and the in- ducements he offers probably will be of such magnitude that Plestina either will have to accept or take the famous run out powder in public.
 Herman is not the only wrestling ex- pert who believes that the top notchers have good reason to steer clear of Zbys- zko as long as the public will stand for it. Critics all over the country who have watched stan" in action lately are out spoken iii the belief that this amazing athlete who has reached an age when most of his contemporaries would be on the shelf, is by far the class of the wrest- ling world.
 "STAN' IN FINE TRIM
 'Zbyszlloi today is a better man than he was before the war, when he was conceded to be one of the greatest wrest- lers of all time" said Herman. T do not make that statement for the mere purpose of getting into print I am will ing to back it up with cold cash. Strang- Ter Lewis, who holds the championship, must have some doubts about his ability tc dispose of Zbyszko, for the Strangler is turning a deaf ear to my propositions of guarantee of s20,0OO to meet my man, win, lose or draw. l don't know what more I could do.
 If Lewis, Stecher, Caddock, Plestina and Pesek continue to dodge the ssue ignoring the extraordinary financial in ducements we are offering then it will be up to the public to decide who is the real champion. Anyone who has seen Zbyszko in action knows whether he is entitled to try at the championship. His challenges cannot oe ignored on the ground that there is anybody else more QeSeTNlHS Ol d iiidlCIi Il t1il lQ6 lc6QeTS in the mat game decline to meet this man under guarantees which insure that they will be we'll paid whether they win Or lose there is but one answer. They are afraid to meet him.
 PLESTINA MAY BE FIRST
 .sWe believe the public will support us in our demand that these men either meet Zbyszko or admit that they are afraid to do so All of them have stalled along for months, and none of them has advanced one valid reason for ignoring zbyszko Rickard may bring matters. to a head now that he has become interested in wrestling, and | believe Plestina is the first one whose hand will be forced.
 At any rate. we want action, and we are going to get it..
 Herman has made arrangements for tour to the Pacific coast. during which Zbyszko will take on all the westernN cracks The big Pole is in magnificent condition now. His amazing feat in get ting down to his old weight has not in- jured him in any way. He does enough work every day to keep on edge, and could take on a championship match on "A hours notice
 te s. The Y. M. C. A. walloped the North BiHrninghan Community repre- sentatives to the tune of S6 to 5. while Sloss-Sheffield crushed them 36 to IA.
 TOTAL POINTS
 The " totals up 109 points against IS for their opponents. while Soss-ShefS field stacks up 90 to 2s against the same teams. It must be taken under consid eration that the ~" got big jump or. the other teams because of lots of prac- tice. but they also have put in their second team in the latter halves of all the contests so far engaged in. All in all it seems that it is to De mighty close battle with the edge going to the "Y."
 It is happy coincidence that the lead7 !, CTS should battle. each other in the final game of the fifst lap of the season, and that means that they will also come