San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-30

mis- racquets into a tremendous clout
with the driver, long, straight ball
much like Sarazens.
Mclaughlin in tennis revplutionized
the game with his fast service and
overhead kills. Every star since his
time has tried to develop. hitting abil.
ity, and the shots now most featured
are Bill JOhnston's forearm drive and
the terrific service of Bill Tilden and
Gerald Patterson Of Australla-these
three being the chief ''sockers" OF the
courts.
What would Champion Jack Demp.
sey draw at the gate IL his fights
went 25 round-like the championship
contests of a generation ago? Pro
moters wouldn't be offering him any
$500, 900 purses.
The ring champions whose names
are still remembered were all men
with a punch. Among the. little men
Terry McGovern was most famous and
the hardest hitter. A few, like Frank
Ernt, ARE remembered for flashing
speed and unsual skill. But who has
forgotten Joe Cans? Joe had skill,
fighting brain and, above all, a
clean k. o. in either hand. Bob Fitz-
simmons wasn't flashy, but how be
could sock! Jeffries was great
pu,fcher, but deliberate and unhurried.
Jim might have been n Dempsey for
quick action IL he hadn't started his
career as sparrin~ partner for Jim
Corbett at Carson, when Corbet fought
and lost to ,Fitzsimmons. Jim always
had an ambition to be a better boxer
than Corbett..
Some Of the Others. IT,
Tommy Ryan. Kid Mccoy, Joe Wal
colt. Matty Matthews, Mysterious
Billy Smith; Peter Maher,' Tom Shar-
key, George Dixon. John l.. Sullivan.
all that great, bunch Of old-time chan.
pions and championship contenders;,
were all ''sockers." Some OF them had
skill, but the punch made them ia
nous. Sam Langford was a boxing
marvel. but Sans punch was the
thing they used to talk about. Sam
should have been champion OF the
world in his prime. He was better
fighter than Jack johnson, who never
would give him a chance at the title.
Johnson was a master boxer. But he
was too good a boxer. He held his
punch back and took few risks.
In athletics, Charlie Paddock's leap
Mt the tape has made him famous. 1t
was that tremendous leap that often
beat Morris Kirksey, his closest rival.
IL was bis punch" If Paddock ran
smoothly all the way he'd be fast. but
he wouldn't be the fastest Splinter in
the world and holder of dozen
worlds records.
Two of the most famous football
players in American college history are
Eckersall of Chicago and Sam White
Of Princeton.
Eckersall had a football head and
a tremendous burst of speed and en-
ergy that made him the greatest scor-
ing runner Of his day. He was also
the greatest field goal kicker. What
ever he did. he had the punch" Sam
White could start quicker than any
Other man in football. and run 100
yards in ten seconds. He could pick
up a ball while running at top speed
and not tumble it. In one year San
White scored the winning touchdowns
against both Yale and Harvard by
getting away with q great burst OF
speed after snatching up fumbled or
dropped balls and running the length
Of the field. Before Sam Whites time
Princeton men fell on the ball. He
originated a sensation play with the
winning punch" in it--anl he'll be
famous at Princeton while Princeton's
walls stand.
Berlenbach hits harder than any other
boxer in his class. just as Dempsey
hits harder than any other heavy
weight. But in any line OF sport the
athlete with the punch or the sock
Is the bird who can put so much en-
crgy into doing his stuff" that he
does it better than anyone else can
do it or ever has done it before.
Copyright. 1924. by the Bell
Syndicate. Incl