The Indianapolis times., 1928-07-25


W 1T portly Too wiIIiams
papa was and is Joe WlluaHlS
none other than William Dineen,
the umpire, who calls them as he
sees them, right or wrong in the or
der named, for the American
League.
Referring to old Bill Bernhardt,
slow ball pitcher Of another genera
ton and youthful contemporary OF
Laioie, Bradley, Joss and Birming-
ham of reverend Cleveland mem
ories. Mr.. Dineen fixed him as a
nothing guy"
Il Il Il
Going into the sordid details,
pitcher Bernhardt had nothing,
Mr.. pineen argued vOciferOusly,
vet It was a comparatively easy
matter to prove by studying the
standing of the pitchers in the
games won and lost column that
the old fellow must have had
something. Very few ball clubs
were beating him.
Il +
90 as say Mr.. Heeney may be-
~ long to this queer and danger
Gus family. The dope indicates he
does. The boys tell you he has
nothing as fighter and yet he
hasn't been actually beaten since
he came here from New Zealand
seventeen months ago, and he has
been in nine fights.
One of the things that encourage
his admirers, if that is the word
to use, is the fact he is not the ia
vorite in Thursdays battle with Mr..
Gene Tunney, the great changed
man from the pines Of Spectator.
To Mr.. Heeney's admirers this
means only one thing-victory. He
has never been the favorite and
he has always won,
This again is typical of the moth
ing guys. In the case OF Mr.. Hee-
ney it may mean something and
again it may mean nothing. Most
Of the nothing guys get that way
because of lack of discernment and
perspicuity on the part of the Gus
toners. Actually they aren't moth
ing guys at all, but lack-luster fell
lows to whom recognition comes
slowly.
Come to think Of it, Mr.. Tun-
ney himself was pretty generally
classified as a nothing guy until
he stepped out and pounded the
contours of the Dempsey face out
of bounds at a loss of neither
stroke nor distance, which is GUS
tomary under the rules of the
game, or would be if it had been
golf they were playing that night.
DUT of course as soon as Mr..
- Tunney had exploded the
legend of invincibility that cloaked
the Dempsey frame and had won
the championship he became quite
a parsonage. 1t was surprising how
many persons knew all along that
he was a great fighting machine.
A nothing guy? What a frightful
libel!
This is not an exceptional pic
ture. It's the story of all nothing
guys who score winning touchdoWns
in the end. It is also the story of
human nature. Today Mr.. Heeney
does not amount to much. I am
told that few people are betting
on him at 3 to 1, despite the fact
he is a 200-pound giant with un-
questioned courage and two solid
hands.
While stringing with the cham
pion I give Mr.. Heeney the outside
chance that any strong two-fsted
man in a fight legitimately and
logically deserves, but I am taking
little stock in the legends of un-
recognized genius and the unfail-
ing rewards of adversity that are
being built up around him. What
I like about him, besides his 'arf
and 'arf, is that right hand to the
heart. That's real slick punch.
Mr.. Tunney for all his vulgar
health is no more invincible than
was the man killing, child strangling,
well poisoned Dempsey, and all the
condition in the world (and the
champion claims to have most of
it,, isn't going to be of any great
value to him if he is tagged in a
vulnerable spot and with just the
right amount of authority.
Somewhere along the route the
rowdy foreigner may succeed and
then you shall see what you shall
see.
1t took Mr.. Heeney seven rounds
to land that right hand on John
RiskO's heart out in Detroit last
winter, but when it landed it was
not necessary to swear in wit
nesses attesting to the power of
the blow. 1t took all the fight out
Of John RiskO and turned a win
ming gait into a losing one. Con-
eeivabIy a punch like it might
have similar effect on MIR. Tun-
5ley. doubt that he is any tough
er than Risko. Speaking strictly
from the standpoint of condition,
of course.