Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-23
THE SPORTLICHT
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

engage a Walter Hagen or a Horton
Smith in matches against opponents
he was especially anxious to hook.
The possibilities are unlimited and
around 1885 or 1910 1t may all come
to this method.
The Matter of Balance.
nEAR SIR: Read with interest
- your article on balance. Here Is
some more
The Prince of Wales was crazy on
flying till they found he had a disease
of the inner ear and no balance sense.
He can ride good on the fiat, but as
soon as he goes over the Jumps, espe-
cially the broad double English hurdle
and water jump, his sense OF balance
fails him. He won't give up because OF
the obstinate Deutsche streak In him.
I myself used to be good diver,
but now having lost hearing of one
ear, I lose my sense of direction
under water, even with my eyes open,
and have ben nearly drowned twice,
once in swimming pool, diving,
and once coming down the chute. AS
soon as I get under water I cannot
find my way to the top again. This
may explain some mysterious drown
ings of strong swimmers In warm
waters, where the danger OF cramp
water now.
guess the dumb English doctors do
not know that his hearing affects the
balance of the Prince and so he will go
on riding steeplechase until he Is killed,
which is pity, for his mother Is fine
woman. If he rieds good on the fiat and
falls at the jumps any dumb doctor
would know 1t is his hearing.
THE point has been pretty we'll made
i that If Max Schmeling fops. the
heavyweight situation will be in some
what patchy condition. This, then,
would leave only Pauline and Sharkey.
Pauline barely moved on even terms
with Heeney and Risko, who were not
in Tunneys class. Sharkey lost to
Dempsey, got a draw with Heeney and
lost to Risko. He had only slight mar
gin on Christner and Stribling. There
is nothing in the records Of Pauline
and Sharkey to indicate championship
class. Pauline is as tough as rawhide
and he has shown he can take as much
as a rhinoceros. Sharkey Is a good
boxer. But to rate either on their past
performances as a successor to iDemp-
sey and Tunney would be out OF order,
unless one Of the two can show a ter
rife bulge over anything they have
shown so far.
If Schmeling can beat both men
decisively there will be no question
about awarding him the top place
and the accompanying rewards.
There are any number who believe
the German can beat Sharkey II
only he can crowd his way by Pau
limo, which they consider much the
harder test.
The point is that 1t will be mis-
take to have any of the three survivors
now holding most of the spotlight to
figure that any one can be awarded the
championship by merely edging by with
only a shade to spare. The top OF the
hill happens to be vacant and some one
should be made to earn his place there,
rather than survive because the others
were trifle worse.
Hagen and Vardon.
NEAR Mr.. Rice: Do you not think
- that the feat Of Walter Hagen, in
pionship four times in the last seven or
eight years, is more Of an accomplish
ment than that Of Vardon in SHINING it
six times?
At that time the high-class golf
ers were not so plentiful and Amer
lea had given the game but very lit
tie attention, while today the game
is alive with crack players capable
of winning major titles at any time.
Do you think Vardon could win six
tits against the present field, and
we're his total stroke scores as low as
those made in the last eight or ten
years?
I am no golf bug or player. but fol-