The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-05-17
Sport ], S1a11tS
 ALAN J.0oulD

enterprise annually for some 275 courses scattered about the coun- try, first attracted notice when a municipal tournament was held at Van Cortlandt Park, New York, in November, 1896. In contrast with the present high-powered national championship for public parks play CTS, the U. s. G. A. recalls that 35 contestants finished the first tour nament and that the medal was won by c. M Hamilton with a 99 for Is holes. Ninth on the list was Walter J. Travis, later amateur champion of both the United States and Great Britain, who used an ar- tificial rubber tee and compiled a score of 110.
 The late William Howard Taft was a strong early advocate of using public parks for athletic pur- poses, particularly golf, which he once told interviewers lis the least injurious of outdoor games to the landscape features of our parks"
 It has been a long time since major league baseball got away to as hilarious start as it has for the year 10 A. B., marking the end of the decade of clout, AFTER the BABE began hitting home runs in record quantities.
 The preseason dope has been kicked all over the premises by the performances of such teams as Washington's Senators and New York's Giants These two clubs were worlds series rivals six years ago, but neither received much of a tumble in the advance figuring, especially the Senators. Neither may be 1-2 when September rolls around but good start is large part of the battle. Games won in April count as much as those won in May, June, July, August and September.
 The pitchers took the upper hand for the getaway, but the sluggers found the range before a fortnight of campaigning. Since then the carnage has been terrific, with one day alone witnessing an average of nearly 18 runs, 29 hits and six pitchers for each of seven games played.
 The attendance and gate receipts boomed in spite of bad early sea- son weather. The Yankees and As in the only two games they were able to play in April drew $1O0,000. The Giants played to capacity houses in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, where it was necessary to lock the gate hours before game time. And 18,000 turned out in a snowstorm at Pittsburgh for an attempted inaugural that lasted less than three innings.
 Earl Harry Dutch) Clark, about whose athletic exploits around the Rocky Mountain area considerable has been written, will be gradu- ated this June from Colorado Col lege with high honors in scholar ship as well as collection of l2 varsity letters. One of the great est all-around stars ever developed in the Far West, Clark has three letters in football, one in baseball, four each in track and basketball to show for his activities. He has turned down a number of flatter- ing offers from other institutions to return to his alma mater as coach next season, assisting w. T. (Bully) Van de Graaff in football and taking full charge of the bas- ketball squad.
 One of the most remarkable fea- lures of Clark's career is that he scaled extraordinary heights of &C., complishment in spite of poor eye sight. Clark was reluctant to ad- init it and the fact was not gener- ally known that it almost cut short his career. Bill Mulligan, former sports editor of Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph told me that aI- ter one basketball game, early m
 1NI Irxfx.