Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-12
Athletes Aciue Tonight Foot Ball Ruemakes Meet This Week
ON THE SIDE LINES
With the Sports Editor
BY DENMAN THOMPSON

the trouble Goose had with his flip
per last season that the Washington
officials would turn thumbs down on
his entry.
NOMINATIONS made for the
coolest athletes under fire in
clude Rene Lacoste and Helen Wills
in tennis, Willie Hoppe In billiards,
Gene Tunney in boxing, Walter
Hagen in golf, Nat Holman in basket
ball and Grover Alexander and Herb
Pennock in base ball.
Which may be fair enough, but
how about including Walter johnson
in base balls "ice water" brigade.
Barney Is about as calm and collect
ed a performer as we ever have seen
in pinch on the diamond.
y \ X X
From the Mail Bag.
Dear Sir:
The Willard Thompson letter ap-
pearing in your editorial Of February
4, 1929, in which the suggestion was
advanced that a campaign be started
for the purpose Of staging the
Georgetown-Navy game, scheduled
for November 9, 1929, in the Griffith
Stadium instead of at Annapolis, is
interesting to the thousands of fol-
lowers of both teams, and it Is, there
for. hoped that his suggestion will
receive your favorable support.
This game Is already being dis
cusSed by many foot ball fans, and
it is apparent. even at this early date.
that a repetition of the circumstances
which surrounded the last game Is
inevitable. The highways leading
into, and the streets of Annapolis,
the facilities Of the town and the
stadium at the Naval Academy, are
obviously inadequate to take care OF
the crowd which will be attracted TO
this game. Because of these con-
ditions, many foot ball fans from this
city, nearby Maryland and Virginia
will make no attempt to witness the
game, whereas if the game were
played in the Griffith stadium in
Washington, thus insuring facilities
for taking care of the crowds, they
would be present.
There exists. as you know a rivalry
between Georgetown and the Naval
Academy as bitter and at the same
time as clean as will be found exist
ing between any educational institu-
tions in the country. 1t is because OF
this rivalry, built up by years of ath-
letic competition, that capacity
crowd may be expected. do not
believe that the late series between
the Navy and Michigan is compar-
able to a game. between Georgetown
and Navy, inasmuch as there was no
rivalry between those teams and the
contest. as a result. resolved into q
mere foot ball spectacle. Moreover,
1t is very much doubted that game
between Notre Dame and Navy at
the Griffith stadium would have the
attraction of game between George
town and Navy.
Washington is not. in any sense Of
the word. a foot ball town as COM
pared with many other cities of equal
size. and in the absence of rivalry, a
contest between the best teams in the
country will only draw mediocre
crowd. However, when two of the
best teams in the country are
matched, namely, Georgetown and
Navy. and there is added to such
combination an intense rivalry de-
veloped through many years of COM
petition, you have, as Mr.. Thompson
has appropriately said, natural"
I am quite sure that there are
thousands of readers of your column
who share, with Mr.. Thompson and
myself, the hope that you will exert
every effort with a view to Obtaining
for Washington the Georgetown
Navy game.
Yours sincerely.
CHARLES N. WHELAN.