The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-07-27
MONDAY, JULY 27, 1881
Too Much Socializing

Sports writers in general have been giv- ing Louis B. Daley. former president of the United States Lawn Tennis association. quite a banning over his recent remarks about the feminine touch contributing great deal to the downfall of our represent atives in the interzone finals of the Davis cup matches at France a week or so ago. Pan him all you like. boys. but in our humble estimation Mir Daley uttered words of wisdom. Would that they might fall on fertile soil. As Mir Daley says, Whats the use of spending months in preparation for cup play and then making it social affair. Women are distractions and have to be en- tertained. How can the boys entertain them and still focus their entire attention on bringing home the mug
 While there may be exceptions 10 this. in the main it is correct. We know that Sidney B. Wood had neither wife. sweet heart. mother aunt nor other relative 10 cheer him along in France, yet he failed to win either of his two singles matches. Frank Shields who was accompanied abroad by his hancee, won one of his two singles matches, while George Lott and John Van Ryn, both of whom took their wives to England and France, won the doubles match in which they participated. This might lead one to imagine that Mir Daley was talking in riddles. but in principle he IS right.
 If we recall little incident of some months ago Mir Van Ryn had some diff culty in persuading the association to detray the expenses of his wife abroad in addition to his own. He took the position that un- less bis wife accompanied him his further participation in Davis cup play was ended. That seems to be the spirit of the younger tennis players of the day. Tournaments are affording them chance to tour the coun- try (the world perhaps) at no expense to themselves. Things are quite different than m the days when Maurice Mclaughlin would come charging out of the west to set Forest Hills ablaze with that red thatch of his and those meteoric dashes to the net behind that terrific service which meant all or nothing.
 When Mclaughlin, Bill Johnston. Lind lev Murray. Norris Williams were in their prime tennis. and social functions did not mix. During the national singles strict at- tention was paid to business. We don't ever recall hearing that Johnston insisted upon his family accompanying him from Cali fornia to the east Bill Tilden remained the perennial bachelor of tennis and to this day is the outstanding player in the game. Helen Wills Moody, we notice. has come East to participate in a few journeys before seeking the national womens title once more. Yet we notice that her husband IS among the missing
 When the Frenchmen. LaCoste. Coehet, Borotra, and Brugnon. invaded these shores they came for one purpose--not to have good time, but to take the Davis cup home with them. This they did rather handlly. It's not necessary to regard the recovery of the cup as life and death matter to this nation There are far more vital matters facing us today But if this matter of Davis Cup competition IS 10 be taken seriously we think that the Daley prescription IS the right one to be taken. Tennis and social izing do not mix. that is, tournament ten on hiU ScalP