The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-06-15

A drudgeries to which
~ v the news hound or
Williams beagles are sub
jected by tyrannical publishers. and
ne was deeply moved.
What them fellers need is nice
yacht trip" concluded Mr.. Rickard
after listening to narrowing recital
of the bleaknesS of their existence,
end the general misery of life among
the paste pots and typewriters.
"A so it happens that boatload
vi the boys went sailing up to Fair
haven Thursday on Mr.. Richards
snooty looking yacht. 1t was fine
cutting for them. The sea air did
them no end of good. And there
was swell buffet lunch.
=
Mr.. Richard is a noble man. Life
in this vale of tears (sniff, sniff
would be infinitely Sweeter if
there were more big sOuled, self
sacrificaI men like Mr.. Richard,
who can pause in the midst of the
days hurly burly to think of their
less fortunate brethren.
ct is just possible, OF course,
/ there may be some who will i'm
pute sinister motive to Mr.. Rick
ards yachting party, due TO the
presence of Thomas lizard Rock
Heeney at Fairhaven, but to me this
IS hardly fair.
The news boys may take advan-
tage of Mr. Richard and pervert an
i1yllic cruise into a vulgar ballyhoo
Tor the Hard Rock, but if they do
it will be scurvy trick and Mr..
I2ickard ought never to forgive
them.
Besides, Mr. Rickard has his own
press agents these days. He has
assigned Stephen Jerome Hanna
gan OF indianapolis Speedway fame
to Mr.. Tunney's camp and he is
soon to assign Francis Albertani to
the challenger's pasture lands.
This is new turn in the bust
ness of promoting a battle of the
century, and whether it represents
another phase of the vaunted Rick
ardian efficiency or is indicative of
dearth of natural interest is
something that your guide and
friend cannot answer at this mo-
ment.
But, as I say, it is new turn.
Heretofore these battles of the
centuries, especially those featur-
ing the Dempsey fellow, were al
ways hot enough to promote
themselves. They needed little
help from the inside in the form
of canned publicity.
n Il
Ut is clear that no intense public
Il hySteria exists concerning the
great spiritual issue in which the
MeSsrs. Tunney and Heeney are in
volved. Approaching this Mr.. Rick
ard may have decided he needed
high pressure publicists in the
camps of his fighters. At any rate
they are there.
From writing standpoint the
chief drawback about Mr.. Richards
card is that there is not great deai
to write about. Heeney is plodder
with no background, and, if you are
to believe the experts, not much of
future
Tunney is a fighting man with no
particular respect for his profession
or his athletic associates. He'd
rather talk to Prof. William Lyon
Phelps about old tones than to a
fight writer about solid domes, and
while such a preference as mental
stimulant is not to be generally
scoffed at, it is not always produc-
tive of the sort of material that best
feeds the ballyhoo,
The first piece of fresh home
grown fight news, or what might
pass for fight news, that I've read
concerning Tunney in weeks was
his comment the other day to the
effect he considered Heeney seri-
GUS challenger if for no other rea-
ION that he is heart puncher.
TINE champion has never seen
Heeney fight; he made his
observations during the showing OF
a fight film in which Heeney was
a participant. Tunney is right.
Heeney has a mean right hand
punch to the heart. If he does
ANYTHING at all against the cham
pion it will be with this punch.
1t was with this punch Heeney
fought himself into the champion
ship picture. He landed it with
plenty of vigor or fervor against
Johnny Risko's ticker in the sixth
round at Detroit and the conse-
quences we're far reaching and i'm
portant.
Up to that turn Risko was lead
ing by something more substantial
than an edge. The highlander to
the heart turned the tide. Heeney
got the decision. AS matters later
turned out that decision won prin-
cipally through the violence Of a
single punch, brought him the
match with Tunney.
n
In the final choice the selec-
ton rested between RiskO and
Heeney, and MIR. Richard, while
personally disposed toward Risko,
didn't see how he could explain
away that Detroit defeat, so he
was compelled to accept Heeney.
The right handler to the heart
did that.