The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-10-31
FRENCH STARS
ARE GOOD FOR
5 MORE YEARS
United States Athletes Are
Hampered by Chickering's of
Association
DEPENDING UPON COEN
Lacoste, Cochet, BOrotra, and
Brugnon Are Quartet of
Foreign Aces
DEPENDING UPON COEN
BY HENRY L. FARRELL

Foreign Aces
BY HENRY l.. FARRELL
1t took only a few words to say
that France retained the Davis Cup
in the recent challenge round
matches against the United States
and it can be said with equal brew
ity that France is going to keep on
retaining it for a number of years.
The duration of the reign of Rene
Lacoste. Henri Cochet, Jean Boro-
ira and Jacques Brugnon will be
determined just as the length of the
American regime was regulated
by the number of years that the
legs of the young Frenchmen will
hold up under them.
If the life of legs is regulated by
standard scale of age and wear
and tear the vital members of the
French team have five more years
of championship life before them.
For Lacoste and Cochet are only rs
and the mythical dead line that
starts an athlete slipping is set, for
some reason or other, at 80 years.
But standard figures do not hold
in the case of the two young French
men who should be able to carry on
after Borotra and Brugnon are gone
just like Tilden and Bill Johnston
bore the burden together for SO
many years for the United States.
Yank Youngsters Old
But when you consider that the
young hopes of the United States,
John Hennessey and George Lott,
are just as old as Lacoste and
Cochet and that they will be paying
the toll of increasing age at the
same rate, the French may rule so
long that the Davis Cup matches
may be played only once in two
years like Walker golf cup matches,
or once in four years like the Olym-
pic games. Perhaps that would be
enough for the public.
It is probable that Bill Tilden and
Bill Johnston still would be able to
stagger through the challenge
rounds successfully in defense of the
cup if their careers had been con-
temporaneous with those of La
coste and Cochet, and if the young
Frenchmen were up in the ripe old
thirties. But the young Frenchmen
were just coming along when the
great American pair was in it's
prime and now not only the worlds
championship cup, but all the inn
portant titles, are held by Lacoste
and Cochet and American tennis is
on the rocks physically, financially
and morally.
The United States is building for
the future on Junior Coen, a kid in
his teens, but no one individual can
win two singles and a doubles alone.
There has to be some one to help
him. The French on the other hand
have at least four -,oung players in
stages of development almost as
promising as little Coen.
Considering that the United States
Lawn Tennis association is all
torn apart with political dissension
and soon will be striving for funds
to keep its national body alive it
would not be surprising if the
United States dropped clear out of
consideration for the cup three or
four years.
Executives Are Sore
The executives of the association
are sore at each other. The play
ers are sore at the executives and,
| far more serious as factor, the
public doesn't give darn. In the
ridiculous way in which the execu.
tives got themselves tangled up in
the recent Tilden controversy, the
public laughed at them and when
the public laughs at any sport it is
a tough situation.
/ If the public has any support tc
lend it no doubt would be offered te
Tildep because Tilden made the For.
est Hills stadium just as surely as
Babe Ruth built that big ball park
and just as certainly as Jack Demp
sey manufactured those million-dol
lar gates.
The public might be inclined tt
say that Tilden was a mean ole
thing to fight the nice men in thu
association who had given their live!
to tennis and the public might VOTE
for the association to wipe the name
of Tilden off the books, but tina
same public will not put out fiv'
bucks to see some SecOnd-claS
Americans take a licking from thos,
Frenchmen.
Lott and Hennessey probably arr
soured on the association. The.
threw their support to Tilden in tn
controversy and even threatened t.
call a strike and then they wer
tossed out of the matches that the,
had spent q year working up t.
The critics said it was all wrong t
stick Tilden and Hunter in tn
doubles when Hennessey and Lot
could have taken a licking just q
well as they did and at the sam
"a time acquire some experience.
Several years ago. France an
some. other foreign nations suggest
ed that the expenses entailed in ar
! nual competitions for the cup to
heavy and that the cup should b
! placed in competition every tw
!; years or every four years. The wis
minds Of the association had Tide
: and Johnston then and rode dow
i the suggestion. The American
haven't the stars now and It wi
take money to school youngsteI
and send them around the world.
II It would be in keeping with the
+ talent for making asinine blundel
il the American officials shoul
= make the same suggestion now tn.
e France has her great team. IL
z bets are that the Americans will
: it.
e But the olds are just as good tn,
J. the French officials will not star
i for it and that they will suggest til,
" the United States hustle the none