The Washington times., 1934-10-26
Fans Demand
Grid Selections
Whether or Not

NEW 1O(bGA, OCbs HO.-1 dI-
ways said that when the boys
stopped talking about turning
the corner and started talking
about turning an end, that
things would get better, and
now it looks as though that
happy eventuality has been
reached.
Times must be better or the
Broadway mob couldn't be bet
ting the sort of money it is bet
ting on football every Saturday.
Everybody knows that football,
college and professional, has
been attracting bettors in in
creasing numbers for the last
four or five years. Everybody
also knows why. There is no
fix"
But the amount of money
that is being bet on football,
the number of folks engaged in
it, and the seriousness with
which they take it, is stagger-
ing even to a fellow who is
pretty well acquainted with the
sort of money professional
gamblers will wager-n they
think they're right.
They clip out selections and
consensus polls, and handicap
the teams off past perform
ances, as though they were race
horses. Therein lies the great
est weakness of the uninitiated,
there being nothing more de-
ceptive than comparative foot
ball scores.
Now, all picking of sports
winners is largely guesSwork'
and this is doubly true OF foot
ball. Which was why I had
planned this season to try and
do more writing about the
game and less guessing about
results.
Picks Four Winners
In the first three weeks Of
the schedule I picked only four
games and, luckily, hit on four
winners-Columbia over Yale,
Pitt over Southern California,
Minnesota over Pitt, and St.
Mary'S over Fordham.
But this didn't satisfy the
clients. When the first fervid
fan wrote in to know where
Sally Touchdown was and where
my weekly selections were, I put
him down as a football filbert
and forgot it.
But when the letters and in
quirieS continued to come, I re-
membered that the customer is
right even when he is wrong.
If the boys want to go broke
betting on football they might,
I suppose, as well go broke here
as further up the creek.
We think S. M. u. will beat
Fordham. It's a game we'd like
to see the Rams win, just as
we'd like to see them win every
game. They're a New York
team and a good team, with a
corking coach. One of the best
coaches, we think, and a swell
guy with it.
Talking About Game
But as long ago as last Christ.
mas time in Dallas the South
ern Methodist boys were talk
ing about this game and what
they would do to the Rose Hill
huskieS.
Talk at that distance may
seem cheap. But it was the tip
off that those Texans weren't
coming here to lose, and I'm
scared of teams that point.
Particularly those Southern
teams. Remember how Georgia
used to level the finger at dear
old Yale each fall?
I wouldn't make a serious
bet on any football game. It
wouldn't be ethical. But if I
were betting, I'd prefer to back
an inferior team that was in
spired, rather than a stronger
outfit that was taking a game
in stride.
Not that S. M. us team is
inferior to Fordham's. I would
MT know about that. What I
do know is that it is coming
to New York fired with the
idea of victory. That alone
will make it tough. But it also
boasts a passing game which Is
worthy of more than passing
mention. A flair for flinging