The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-27
Pegler's Pegs

The singular clien' ele of the two Boston ball clubs will take or some springtime, when there will be an ele- msnt of novelty in the line ups of the Red SoX and Braves. Later, the patron e&e. may wilt away. That depends on how the new ball players play ball.
 Toward the end of the tenure of Harry Frazee in the business office of the@ Red SoX. one could have bought dinner for the entire paid attendance Tor 75 cents. The Braves following had a more vigorous appetite. Dinner or them might have cost dollar.
 The baseball patron is a tough cus- lofner. You may bend him with dis eouragement and betrayalS but he springs erect again and his voice rises from a croak to a joyous shriek if you give him little hope. Connie Mack of the Athletics and Frazee with the Red SoX made extreme tests. They disposed of eVerything of value and ttuffed their faded uniforms with has beens and bushers. The sorrowing eust omers absented themselves, but did bot permanently forswear professional baseball. More in doler than in anger they haunted the bulletin boards for he news of better ball games in New Fork, Cleveland and St. Louis.
 4ast year. MT. Mack eXhumed his bankroll and bought some ball players. They weren't very good ball players, but some of them were handsome price lags. And the customers came troop ing joyously back to the ball yard, paying the customary. fee as they en. tered.
 Now the Red sox' have acquired three good ball players. not quite fresh, it.is true, but tried and proven players. nevertheless, in Bill Wambsganss and Steve O'Neill of the Indians and Bobby Veach of the Tigers. The Braves have picked up Beauty Bancroft. Casey Stengel and Bill Cunningham from the Giants-a very fishy trade as seen from this angle, although the Giants dis claim any financial interest in the Bos- Ion club.
 When these new elements have jig gFed into their surroundings, both Bos- ton teams will be much stronger, and the customers will reappear from the haunts of sorrow, singing and jingling their jitneys as they come.
 Tapping "naturap' match is like trying to tell love-struck debbie that hen handsome fiance is a burgl lar pilEer, four-flusher and fugitive from a long line of overdue board bills. The more she hears, the greater her sym patby. The more the customers heal ab0Gt the hopeless incompetence of Luis Angel Firpo, the more passionate becomes the popular longing to see him srnitten down again by Jack Demp- sey, for a fee of half million.
 When they met last September, every one had been warned that Firpo knew aAs much about his business as fish l1ows about footworlI. He was with OH exception the very worst boxer tnAt ever chinned himself on his own :sSok. His let hand wasn't even an oEnament. He took five minutes to feint. He moved like q ten-ton truck Ins a bog. Luis Angel Firpo was ter rtble, and he lasted through less than fur minutes of fighting, notwith- sk&nding that he once Tapped Demp- sky clear out of the arena and had hsfn careening down Cooley boulevard fqT 30 seconds in Round 1.
 Auis Angel was acclaimed for his massive courage in that fight, but the cf{stomers, in the mad delerium of the rHtment. lost sight of the punches that sFpt him down for some of his cat TIaps. In the swirl of huge bodies and heavy fists,~ FTpo would flop. and &rouple of times at least, he may have 1Nnged for a rest, for all that any Witness could say to the contrary.
 eSince that evening, Firpo has fought nobody. Instead of building himself Hn to Dempsey size, he has centered lIB efforts on building up tle interest iRa a return match.
 s&ome gentlemen seem to nave been Weunded by Luis Angels lacl, of tact Int that is no serious short coming foI ssaTnan in his business. John l.. Sulli- 19n was no Fauntleroy, either. Firpc lf;ts. cast suspicion on jhc referee; ot the ringsidcrs, who wouldn't let his amateur manager walk on tkei" face, WAen he tried 10 jump in the r!u3 W. .tt aMprotest; on U le timers watch the American climate and tho experts whoi1 folF fn cIr fbr f1 to ntse him as an awful thing when ht Was training at Atlantic City. If ht feels that way, nobody will object, eN ceRt that this correspondent would like te.recall that he called Firpo the wors ih all the world on the day before tho fight.
 A1est Luis Angel should raise the sam; oY cry after Dempsey stops. him again l8 it be recorded HOW that he is sti spperlatively tcrrible-the worst boxer eK all time
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