Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1935-11-01
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from the
Democrats Pen

0~141~~4 80 49, O@~
Well, I turned crazy last Satur-
day and went to Baltimore to see an
other game of football; this time be-
tween Notre Dame, the Fightin' Irish,
and the Kaydets down to Annapolis,
variously known as the Tars, Gobs,
Middies, Sailors, or what you please.
It is told of the Fightin' Irish that
on one occasion they were playing an
eleven which, at the close of the first
half, was on the long end of the score.
The late Knute Rockne, coach of the
Notre Dame team, following the GUS
tom, went to the dressing room to
give the boys what they supposed
would be a "pep" talk and a little
valuable advice. He was little late
in showing up, but when he did, he
stood silently for a second or two,
looked the boys over, and in biting,
sarcastic, whitening tone of voice, he
uttered only three words: Fighting
Irish, He'll" then turned and walked
away.
Had he lectured for the entire time
of the intermission, he could not have
been more effective. The "Irish" came
laundering out for the second half
and the way they moved down the OPP
position is still being talked about.
They were Tigers, Bulldogs, Panthers,
and Wild Cats, all jumbled into one,
and no doubt, the beloved Rockne
smiled at the success of his abbrevi-
ated lecture.
Now, I want you people to listen to
some of these names: Pfefferle, So
lari, Kopczak, Fromhart, Shakespeare,
Wojcihovski, Carideo, Zwers, Chano-
wicz, Marriott, Putnam, Skoglund,
Kuharich, Levicki, Winsauer, Stein
kemper, Danbom, and others, too
numerous to mention, and I want to
ask you if you don't feel like saying
just what Rockne did? I do.
These were the names the "Fightin'
Irish, went by. Now they 1nght
have been, "Fightin, but they were
not Irish. How-some-ever, they didn't
need to have everything coming to 'em
to beat the Navy. Some how or other,
the sailor boys couldn't get their ship
away from its mornings. The lads
from South Bend had 'em bottled up
at every attempt, and, try as they
would, the Navy couldn't get under
way. It was a great day and great
game. +.
One of the biggest things about
the day, was the crowd. There were
said to be $4,000 people there, and,
you know I couldn't help realizing
that there were lots of faces in the
world I had never seen. You know,
looking over that crowd, it was al
most impossible to grasp the idea OF
numbers. Space can be so boundless
as to be incapable of realization.
Time can stretch into cons and defy
the human mind. Dollars, as counted
in billions, as it is today, make it al
most impossible to think of, and, as
one sat in that vast assemblage, one
could not help but see oneself as a
mere dot upon the plane of existence.
And another thing couldn't help
but turn over in my noggin', and that
was that I could use in my business
very handily, the thousands of Uncle
Sans legal tender that poured into
the treasures of those who promoted
that game. One hundred and fifty
thousand bucks was the estimate
and who said "Depression'' The
only sign of a depression I saw that
day was the hole made in the sod,
when one of the warriors slammed
another down on the ground in their
innocent "play." know doggone well
if 1 had been dashed on the turf like
some of the Irish and the English
were, there would have been twelve
baskets full of me to pick up, and
then some.
Well, see the Irish CD liked their
treatment so well they're coming back
next year, and old Eli, too, wants a
dig at the filthy lucre and she's COM
ing to the big Baltimore horseshoe
next year. Hope none of 'em will be
disappointed; and, also, that by next
year will be fool crazy enough to
go see 'em both rassle one another.
The annual meeting and banquet
of the Past and Present Matrons' and