The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-08-03

IT OVER
By JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, Aug. St appears
IN that the Americans scored
moral victory in the Davis cup
finals with France. A concededly
incorrect decision favoring Jean
Borotra during the match with
young Wilmer Allison proved the
turning point. Had the decision
gone the other way the cup would
have come back to these shores.
The incident is hardly important
enough to call out the troops. Be-
sides the troops are too busy win
ming glorious battles over women
and children and their penniless
men folk.
IL goes TO show that no one country
enjoys a monopoly on official astigmatisn1.
In a way. the tennis deeisin helps to bal
anoe the scales OF sporting justice in
international competition. An incorrect
decision took the heavyweight champion
ship away from Germany several weeks
ago.
Possibly IL would be wise TO keep a dou-
bic entry check on the champions OF the
year-one showing the actual winners and
another showing the officials choices. In
that way 1t would be possible to satisfy
everybody. and eliminate unpleasant after
maths
II appears. too. that Borotrs expert
enced an excessive amount Of trouble
with his dogs, or puppies, during the
match with Allison. Three times a gentle
man rushed from the sidelines with rein
forcements in the form Of new shoes for
the Borotra dogs and just as often the
veteran star Of the French team stopped
to make changes.
That it was the humane thing 10 do
there can be no question. Nothing so
stirs the soul or chills the marrow like the
low anguished cries Of aching dogs on
hot July afternoon.
n n
WHILE Borotras solicitude for
w his dogs will command the
praise of all right thinking people,
the reaction it had on his oppon-
ent's game was such as TO provoke
a spirited discussion of ethics.
The continuity of Allison's game was
affected by the frequent delays, the
smooth, flowing quality of his stroking
Was interrupted ~ ~ llJh BoosAbi1 bAAne
the result would have been different, even
taking into account the incorrect decision,
If Borotra's dogs had been less sensitive?
1t Is a delicate problem in sportsman
ship-uuite as delicate as Borotras dogs
seem TO be, and it is unwise to form
hasty conclusions. At one stage, the re-
bellion Of Borotras dogs became so acute
that the situation threst tened to get COM
pletely out of hand. The big toe of his
left foot broke through his shoe. gasping
and grooming. Only the alertness of
court attendants averted a pathetic scene.
This incident is presented in detail by j
way of illustrating the stark wretchedness
Of the situation and to absolve Borotra of
any suspicion of low trickery. After all
when a mans dogs hurt they hurt.
q n
CTILL it was a bad break for Al
~ lison. Replacing Frank Shields
as singles player at the last min
ute, the red-necked Texan acquitted
himself with high glory.
So did the squad as a whole, in
fact. They didn't win, but they
came close enough to convince
everybody that they are headed in
the right direction. Another year
from now they will be much more
formidable and conversely the fad
ing French defenders will be CORE
spondingly weaker.
The important difference between the
two countries in tennis at the present
tipping is that America has got young stars
who are coming along and France
hasn't.
Ellsworth Vines is probably the best
tennis player in the world today He lost
the match he was expected to win against
France and then turned around and beat
Cochet-the man they said he couldn't
beat
The chances are Vines would have won
both OF his matches if the Importance of
the assignment hadn't unnerved him at
the start. That's always handicap in a
young squad. 1t operates with equal de-
Struction in all sports.
In the pre-Olympic form charts. the
two men most favored to win certain
points for America we're Venzke the miller
and Spitz the high jumper. both young
sters Venzke had run an indoor mile
faster than it had ever been run before.
Spitz had jumped higher than any
jumper in history.
Venzke didn't even qualify for the
team, and Spitz was shut out in the
Olympic heats, failing to clear the bar at
a height four inches lower than his record
performance. The explanation is simple.
The scene overawed them, they frightened
up, pressed and lost the naturalness which
had made them sensations in the minor
shows.