The Washington herald., 1922-12-22
BOWLING AND
GOLF AFFORD
POOR ALIBIS
Two Games Wherein Player
Provides Both the Offensive
and Defensive.

Provides Both the Offensive
and Defensive.
By LEONARD W. COLLINS.
NOLF and duckpins are two
In sports which have similar Pc
culiarities all their own. Pri-
marily, both differ from most
other games in that the player
either makes" or breaks" his
own game. In other words, he
, provides both the offensive and
the defensive at one and the same
time. AS much can not be said Of
any other sport, unless perhaps, it
Is trapshooting.
In golf and duckpins no play or
stroke nv an opponent has any d.
rect bearing or action upon the
play or stroke to be made by the
next player. Competition in both
is nothing other than a compari-
son of the ultimate results attained
by each Individual player playing
his own game.
Billiards or pocket billiards could
be Iikened to golf and duckpins
provided each player in taking his
turn at the table was to start each
inning shooting as from the break.
but IL the rules were SO changed
as to permit of this. billiards would
- ~.
which helps to make il such a diff
dcult game in competition-safety
play.
OF still more interest. however.
is that in golf and duckpins both
games serve to test the tempera-
ment of a player as no other game.
In golf 1t is not an uncommon sight
to see a player foozle a shot and
then proceed to break up the club
or disdainfully cast the mallet into
the nearest cornfieFl
CUTS THROUGH MIDDLE.
And so II is in duckpins. You
will See a player working on
strike or spare cut through the
middle. taking out nothing but one
and five. then wildly slam the next
two down the alley with no OBJ
tective whatsoever. in either mind
or eye. To some that is tempera-
ment, while to the majority Ii Is
nothing other than plain cussed-
ness.
The same golfer or bowler in a
tennis match would not think of
smashing his racket over one Of the
net posts should his opponent vol
ley one past him he could not
player. IL on a gridiron. think of
retrieving the ball after a failure
at a goal from field and then at.
tempt to kick il out of the lot.
Why? For the very good reason
that it takes but a moment to put
the old alibi across. At least, he
thinks he is putting it over. He
merely has to saw that he slipped
or the perspiration on his hand
caused the racquet to slip. Or the
line failed to hold and he had to
hurry his kick. or the pass from
center was slow. ANY old port in
a storm.
The hall player will tell YOU that
the rightfielder was dumbbell
when he nagged that long. low.
rakish liner OF his over by the foul
line. The fielder was so dumb he
didn't know where to play for the
batter. Or when he pops up he
had to hit at that last one to pro-
tect the runner going down to Sec
ond. And the funny part about 1t
10 that a whole lot of people be-
Heve it,
BREAKS THE CLUB.
But how about golf or bowling?
Your opponent didn't play your ball
into a COW track. a sand trap or
the rough. Neither did he tee II
up for you. Yet. you foozled and
fooled bad. You can't alibi. Play
ing 'em out of COW tracks. sand
traps and the rough is part Of the
game. II YOU foozle the shot you
alone. fo-zle il. Without a chance
at an aIibi there is but one thing
to do-break the club or throw II
'away
You will find the same thing in
duckpins. Your opponent is In no
wise responsible for that split The
the bowlsr's alibi for rotten shot.
can't blame il on any shot his op-
ponent may have made or is likely
to make. The result is he takes il
out on whatever he can. Down the
alley go those two wildly slammed
halls. They may hit something and
then again they may no.. They are
bolwer's alibi for rotten shot
The old ''if" stuff is great when
YOU can get away with il. but golf
and duckpins are two games where
''ifing" don't go. We know from
experience. having many a time
tried to pull that If stuff for
poor shot. knowing full well that
the other fellow was saying to him
self. "Oh. where have heard that
before?"
The broken club or the one cast
aside is merely the golfers alibi.
the same az those two wild shot.
are the bowler's.