The New York herald., 1922-02-26
RambIin' 'ROund
By ANTHONY WAINE.

A HAS on the morning of the recent
~ LeonardKansas fight ten men were
standing in line at the gallery en-
trance to Madison Square Garden. These
gallery seats were the only unreserved
seats obtainable and these fellows weren't
taking any chances. They knew that few
hours before the fight started thousands of
fans would storm the gallery entrance and
that the only way to make sure of getting
in was to stand at the door all day.
One of these fans, Louis Smith of hoo
Second avenue, told us he had been wait
ing an hour and half when we accosted
him. or since 1915. AS the doors of the
gallery entrance would not open until 7
P. NJ, or thereabouts. Louis was satisfied to
wait nine hours for chance to see Leon
ard and Kansas clout each other.
Not that it wasn't worth it; the fight
was corking good one. But we marvel
at Louiss endurance Nine hours is a long
time. And the day was bleak. chilly one.
The second man in line was Sam Wiesel
of 2S55 West Twenty-third street, Coney
Island. Sam had been waiting an hour,
and as the trip from Coney Island is no
five minute jaunt his was also a roble
effort.
We have all read the stories of the base
ball fans who wait in line for hours to get
into the bleachers at World Series games.
To our notion, there is nothing unusual
about this. We know, because we were in
line at A. NJ. the day the Yankee-Giant
World Series opened and found it far
from trying experience. No summer sun
was shining, we'll admit but with a fall
coat on our back we were nothing if not
comfortable. 1t was easy to be cheerful
in that crowd. In two hours the gates
would open and we would be seated. And
a feller didn't have to get out of line to
buy food. A dozen sandwich boys offered
you their wares.
Those fight fans, Shivering at the door
of Madison Square Gardens gallery en-
trance had a much tougher assignment.
An eight or nine hour wait and no place
to sit down. And no! commssariat to
bring up food. This, we thought was the
supreme effort of determined fandom.
Some day these neglected superfans will
share the glory of their baseball brethren
who have figured, these many years, in
those familiar EARLY DAWN SEES
FANS IN LINE FOR ANNUAL CLASSIC"
headlines. Before we leave this colorful
universe it is our hope to see GREAT
BOUT BRINGS FANS TO DOOR OF GAR
DEN AT SUNRISE" headline trumpet the
determination of the boxing bug. He Is as
dauntless as his baseball brother. If any
thing, he is just a bit more determined
A MOTHER sidelight of the Leonard
~ Kansas fight that interested us
was the revival of Kissing. Never
have we heard such concerted Kissing as
sizzed it's sibilant way through the air
when Kansas, on two or three occasions,
struck Leonard with the heel of his glove.
Kissing at boxing contests was nothing
new to us, but we had usually 70" u 1t
rather half hearted. The hissip che big
fight was an honest to goodne revival of
the kind one heard in the TO- 20, 80 days of
the old Star Theatre on Lexington avenue
when Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model"
was being wronged by the villain.
feller couldn't help feeling sorry for
poor Rocky Kansas. Unquestionably he
had smacked Bennie Leonard (who, i'm
perturbable cuss that he is, didn't seem
to mind it very much) with the heel of
his glove. Yet we doubt if Rocky did lot
deliberately But the crowd, too excited
to be judicious continued to make HISTORY.
A MOTHER colorful detail that inter
~ ested us was the red light that an
nounced the rounds. When the
fifth round come the man who manipulated
the light mistakenly flashed the number
60" The crowd, as one man, beloved
Fifth round!" and the light was changed.
sport crowd is as alert as they make EN-.
Naturally the flashing Of the wrong
light evoked speculative comment from
the suspicious guys. One fellow near us
said IL was a plot to shorten the fight,
hatched by gamblers who had bet Rocky
would stay the fifteen rounds. We love
these dark hints at conspiracy. expressed,
as they usually are, with grave shakings
of the head.
TAvING mentioned somewhere above,