Martinsburg journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1920-1977, 1921-07-29

Baseball hasn't thrived because
OF the infamous Black Sox scandal.
The game is big enough In itself,
however, to outlive it. But what
ever the effect on the pastime, it is
moral certainty that the powers
that be have learned, or should
have learned a lesson they will
never forget, namely:
That baseball is public property
and must be treated as such, even
though it be privately owned.
The old-time policy of maintaining
a strict silence on all inside mat
tiers connected with the game prov
ed boomerang to the magnates.
They know now that they should
have been the first to expose the
crooked players of the Chicago
team and the gamblers with whom
they were allied True, the powers
that be did not have first hand
proofs at the outset. True, they
went about Investigations with the
idea Of somebody bringing the of
tenders to task. But they moved
too slowly.
Today they are wide awake to the
fact that among all classes-even
4 major league idols-there are weak
willed individuals who will turn an
ear to temptation. You cannot gath
er large number of men together
in any walk of business without
finding such characters here and
there. In future the players will be
more closely watched, rumors will
re run down instead of being brush
ed aside as ridiculous. In the end,
no doubt the 1919 affair will prove
the best thing that could have hap.
pened for baseball. 1t had to come
some time and it is no wonder that
it came in these unsettled days
when SO many people talk in five
figures or more.
We may be wrong, but in our esti-
nation Georges Carpenter will en-
ter his next big bout on this side
feeling like a batter who has two
strikes on him.
Tommy Gibbons, who will box
Georges Carpenter for Tex Rick
ard next October is the ideal fight.
Si, especially III a way.
Tommy resides in st. Paul, but
when he is not swapping rights and
lefts with the members of his pro-
fession he spends much of his time
with his gun and his dog in the
Minnesota woods,or with a rod and
line at Osakis or some other sylvan
resort.
The younger Gibbons brother is
! twenty-eigth years old, married and
the daddy Of two bouncing young.
sters. Besides his family, his gun
and his dog he has one great fail
jng-you would never guess it--ICE
CREAM!
After fight Tom always hurries
to his hotel, gets his rundown and
awaits the coming of Manager Ed,
HE Kane with a snowy quart of va
!. nllla CONNECTION for which he has
an abnormal appetite. That finish
ed, he writes letter home, reads
until MS optics get sandy and then
turns in to be up bright and early
and out in the morning air.
Gibbons never has to train overly
hard for a fight because he takes
such excellent care of himself. He
will train less than three weeks for
Georges Carpenter and his admirers
may rest assured that he will get
into the ring in the verest pink of
condition.
! One feature of Gibbons continual
training, something he does day in
and day out, is novel. He carries a
small, seminar drubber ball wher-
Ever he goes, squeezing it up in
Erst one hand and then the other
ms he walks along in the open. He
does this to strengthen his hands.
These dukes are my stock of
trade" Tommy opined recently.
"and l have found that the use of
this bit of rubber ball keeps them
III %