The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-08-04

prowess of his Joe Williams
young men and even a bleary- eyed
victim of astigmatism could have
read between the lines that the
gentleman anticipated Star
Spangled sweep
AS the meet unfolded Mr. Robert
son was fated to learn that there
can be many headache between
anticipation and realization. His
young men did not do so we'll. They
took it on the chin in a manner to
which they had not been accus-
toned,
Mr.. Robertson explained this
phenomenon on the assorted
grounds that (A) the boys had
gone stale OBJ The track was in
poor shape; (C) the wooden shoe
clOgging of the native Albertina
Rasch Girls disturbed the ath-
letes' sIumbers; Cd the judging
was rather injudicial if not down
right rank; (E) the valet service
was terrible.
=
NF course Mr.. Robertson might
" have added that in most cases
his young men were beaten by better
young men, or young men who hap
pened to be in better condition.
In fact, if Mr.. Robertson were not
looked on as such an illustriouS rep
resentative of amateurism his eX-
plantations of the failure of his team
might be diagnosed as a common
bleat or vulgar squaWk, and instead
of falling on sympathetic ears there
would be tendency, if fear, to ridi-
cule the gentleman and his atti-
tude.
One of the silly traditions of sport
is that in the amateur you will gen.
orally ind a higher sense of sports
manship and competitive chivalry
than in the professional. This is
silly because it presumeS that char
acter is quality that is determined
by regulations, rather than the nat
ural impulses of the individual.
Editors note We are really very
serious about thiS)
The truth is, of course, there is
no great elemental difference be-
tween the amateur and the profess
sional. You will find some profess
SIGNALS who come closer to the popu-
lar amateur standard of enthusiastic
interest and fair play than some
amateurs themselves.
It It
ID OGERS HORNSBY, for ex-
IN ample, was dismissed from
The Giants last winter "fOr the
best interests of the club" He
went to the Braves His place was
taken by Andy Cohen, young
Jewish player from the minor
leagues.
TIME Braves opened the season
4 against the Giants at the Polo
Grounds. Hornsby was at second
for them and Cohen at second for
the Giants.
Before the game started Hornsby
called on Cohen and shook hands
with him
Don't let the wolves get your goat
out there today, kid" he said. Keep
your head up and you can't fail"
This was a splendid sporting
gesture. I don't think Hornsby
could have improved on it had he
been an amateur.
Last week Gene Tunney defended
his title as heavyweight champion
of the world against Tom Heeney,
an intruder from New Zealand, in
the eighth round Heeney stepped
back from a clinch dropped his
guard and stood there defenseless
blinking his left eye.
He was wide open for killing
punch and Tunney, eager to retire
with the plaudits of the crowd ring
ing in his ears, had gone into that
fight determined to win by knock
out.
1t is the law of the ring that any
thing goes once the gong has
sounded. Tunney stepped back,
waited a full second or two, and did
: not renew the attack until Heeney
had made the first movement OF
aggression. ms was anOCner OF
those little sporting touches that
legend reserve strictly for the
amateur-but which flash often
enoueh in the course OF p" c5sional
combat to show that the sordid
m7ney men can be pretty respectable
chaps.
n
Your urban correspondent does
not know what if anything all this
has to do with Mr.. Lawson Robert
son and his squawks-beg pardon,
pIanations-bu if it succeeds in
implying that one can be a pro-
fessionaI and yet be a man of
honor and spirit 1 think few
may be inclined to agree IT, this
is SO.
YOUNGSTERS TOURNEY