The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-04
Pegler's Pegs

| ON FALLING OFF HORSE
 Once the Prince of Wales fell off his about it. Another time the Prince of Wales fell off his horse and the papers said: What, agafn?" A third time the Prince of Wales was bounced off the hurricane deck of his hedge hopper and now when anyone falls off street car or slips on a banana skin people say: He did a Prince of Wales" Photos of the Prince of Wales bouncing over thickets or stretching his horse across yawning waters in the steeple chase prove that the prince doesn't always fall of his horse. He | must be pretty good rider to stay on at all in some of those hurdles and water jumps, and a game one to keep on riding after falling off his horse three times.
 1 If you fell off horse three times, nobody would notice 1t but you. But when the prince went down for the third time, one droIi wit remarked that he was becoming the Joe Beckett Of steeple chasers. A,-N
 We'll, as Peter the Great remarked one tune, that's the way 1t goes. Jack -Demp- sey's dog playfuily bowled over lit tie girl out in the Great Falls camp and because he's Dempsey he's being sued for $1o.000. Luis Angel Firpo fails to tip poor little biscuit-juggler in an Atlantic City beanery, and everybody knows it. Two years ago nobody ever said anything when he didn't nickel the poor little biscuit-shooter.
 Babe Ruth toed the gas pedal of his car along the Harlem speedway and policeman Tagged him dawn when he was doing fifty Babe was given position on Page 1 for that. Your or would have paid our fine and nobody would have said we were leading a wild life.
 A bookkeeper goes to a neighborhood wake and goes absent from work the next day with skull full of dangling anvils. Mule Watson, the Giants best pitcher, did it, and the fact was biaz- oned to all the world. 4.
 Dempseys dog probably. isn't any rougher than lots of dogs. Maybe there are lots of people who are so tight they creak, like Luis Angel Certainly Babe Ruth isn't the only speeder. and II|certainiy there are plenty of men who from Mule Watson. -
 But, when you're famous. you mustn't fall off your horse.
 This baseball season. this ouiet hasa- ball season which so few people have noticed slipping by, has now only a few weeks to go. When 1t is over inc reckless mention of large money will begin again. Among other items of great price, Rogers Hornsby will be talked up and down lhe hotel Iobbies at figure of $200,OOO.
 How much Is $2OO,OOO. even to the New York Giants, who offer this nrice for Hornsby? We'll. the Giants, han yard seats about 55, ,OOO when the hlaach- critics are sitting on each others Iaps. Average admission, say 75 cents. Then S2OO,O0O IS the gross aggregate reeeints Tor five capacity crowds. There aren't many capacity crowds in season and rive IS lot. Out of the gross receipts the ciuD owner must deduct the visit ing clubs share, the players' nav thA upkeep cost Of the plant depreciation taxes, interest, insurance and mavhe some other little items. So the cost oS Rogers Hornsby, if he costs s2OO O0O VIII eat up the profit on a great many fine crowds.
 DO you think the Giants will nav $2OO,OoO-in money-for Rogers Horns | by, when they now have a second hasa man as good as any that ever laid ns"os 'o d Daseoail in Frankie Frisch? conversation about big sums of money Is failing of baseball Operators n Uncle Charlie Ebbets says he paid $50 OOO recently for a pair of recruits fron, the minors, but of course that's silly. He means $5o,O0O in baseball money which Is worth about 20 cents on the dollar. In baseball deal, a $50 OO0 transaction most often means the trans. | Ter Of two or three worn-out or ob- seure re Pdayers at theatrical valuation VI %oo;ooV' leaVlng balance of S2O. 900 in cash, and even then there are jikeIv to be many contingent clauses in ths