The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-02-02
/ ALKING
IT Over
~ JoE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, Feb. I'll never
IN have been able to understand
Just what 1t Is that Is so scream
ingly funny ABOUT a sports writer
taking vacation. / can appreciate
that there are times when such a
trip comes as a source of great
comfort and relief to the customers
But that it should move the city
room Of a newspaper to boisterous
Nights Of laughter is something
more than puzzling
fou remark casually that you are
dropping down south for a couple Of
weeks on q vacation and the rewrite
man cracks: "a vacation? Why you
guys in sports are always on vsea-
ton" As a gag this admittedly is not
entirely without merit. yet after you
have heard IL forty or nifty times it
loses some Of its piquancy.
The head OF the copy desk contributes
nlb cents worth of abuse. He wants
spring vacation or the winter yacation2
eng Ior some upaccounteble reason this
. nSsings al the editors. the sub-editoIs and
ny5teria Of ridicdle. ! don't suppose its
envy. SO ~ must be plain Ignorance.
THERE is nothing soft about a
i job in sports as all intelh-
gent people know. Only a grade
"A" martyr and man not unwil-
ing TO make many great self-sac-
rifices ever can hope to survive in
the testing, trying sphere Of sports
reporting. Why, there are some
days when sports man has to
listen to Jack Sharkey for two or
three hours at time. And con-
slider what a terrific ordeal it is to
SIT down and get Hungarian
wrestler to tell you all about his
life, his hopes and his accomplish
ments
] could make the sports editors case
much stronger By enumeratinE the num-
Der Of unlnteresting fights he is forced
70 sit through week after week at the
Garden. but will pass that one up. and
besides I am not writing this for the
purpose of inspiring lot OF sympathetic
letters from an understanding public.
do not mind taking. free tickets and
sitting IN the choice seats at these things
because realize n afTsF al Sna1 n so
unevealy someone must carry the brunt
and happily, I am by instinct and training
Che BOYS in the city room merits for theml
nF course I do not expect to get
~ the complete rest that my
worn body and shattered nerves
ought to have in Miami because the
races are going on down there and
there are going to be some prize
fights and bunch Of English girls
are booked to play in golf tourna-
ments.
viii have TO be out there minKlinK
With everybody very industriousIy and
watching that the races. the fights and
the golf matches are being played as
they ought to be and that there are no
fragrant violations of scruples and
things.
There is very good chance that I will
come back north even less than shell OF
ducsed i into Se the va faith Of hard work and
constancy Of duty 1t is not an easy thing
70 embrace leisure and idleness. even for
Y EXPECT to devote quite a bit OF
n critical study to the new system
Of betting which the hossmen are
using under the palms this season, a
system by which apparently it is
possible to buy a 50 ticket and win
$500. Very seldom does day go
by that the wires do not carry a
story describing just such a fl1arl-
cial phenomenon. And I do hope
there is nothing phoney about 1t.
n II q
have it figured out that II can ne
Eotiate successfully at least one of those
$500 rewards a day 1 will be in COST
tion to laugh at a whole lot Of people
including all the guys that ever Sneered
at sports writer's who take vacations.