The Washington times., 1936-03-09
"'W;seGuy'
Brings
Spring
Bv KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor


vince me that spring can't be
far behind.
One is the ample flow of
Caramel-colored book beer that
drips from so many tavern
faucets hereabouts and the
other is the appearance Of
Frank G.. Menke's All Sports
Record Book, a brochure with
out which no Twentieth Century
sports department is quite mod
ern.
In fact am coming to think
that no household could be con-
sidered completely in order minus
one of these handy volumes
which Ripley says contains
enough facts on sports to settle
no less than four million argu-
mentS.
Fresh Off the Press
This boon to everyone who
works in, or even hangs around,
a sports section of q newspaper,
Is so fresh off the press that it
even contains the outcome Of the
1885 Olympic winter games in
that difficult to pronounce and
impossible to spell, GarmiSch-
Partenkirchen, nestled away In
the Bavarian Alps.
Since these game did not end
until the 18th of last month. you
may well imagine that the edi-
tion which recently comes to hand
carries q strong aroma OF print
ers' ink and bookbinderS' bees
wax.
Menke's work, as have in
&imated, is quite indispensable to
anyone who is continually being
asked to umpire wagerS, disputes
and general palaver about sports.
I think every tap room in town
could well afford to hang one
up on the wall as a reference
work for the many who drop in,
get starched up a bit and fall
into discussions of this athlete
and that team, frequently of the
dim, dreamy. departed past.
New Under the Sun
But even we fellows who are
daily stepped in the lore of ath-
leticS and who are supposed to be
quite abreast Of sports Of the
times can learn a lot about our
own business by casually perusing
some Of the unique facts which
Menke lays before our eyes in his
little Rebound book Of some 448
nicely printed pages.
For instance, I find here chap
ter on a sport of which I was quite
unaware-codeball.
It is played both indoors and
out. Indoors it is the step-child of
handball, the ball being kicked
with the feet instead of slapped
with the paw.
Outdoors it is patterned after
golf, the pedal eXtremities being
used to propel the ball, instead Of
mashies and niblics and such. It
is recommended as an excellent
antidote for either flabby legs or
bulky hips, or both.
Dice and DominOes
You learn the principals of
shooting dice on page 176. Dice
throwing is the oldest form OF
gambling in the world. Dominoes,
treated in the next chapter, is the
Oldest game. Even Menke doesn't
know which is the older, and if
Frank doesn't know-weil, you can
use your imagination.
# you were ever puzzled on how
gambling odds are determined,
dollar will buy you a book which,
If you turn to page 220 will ex-
plain betting ratios in everything
from slot machines to pari.mutuel
machines. It says there that in
poker it is against 5 that you
do not get a pair of any kind on
the deal.
It is 5 to 1 that a player at dice
cannot throw "7'' and II to /
he cannot throw an al" Slot ma
chimes have an adjustment where
by any percentage can be kept
by the house. depending on the
avarice Of the owner.
Playing the Horses
Bookmakers at race tracks ar
range their odds so as to keep
about 20 percent, and often up to
IS, on each race. Faro banks keep
the least of any gambling play
about 2 percent. A chapter on
numbers" imported from Spain
via the West I Indies, says the
popular form of gambling is a
great grandchild of lottery, a plan
for raising money which found its
height in this country many years
ago in the famous Louisiana Lot
tery. q,
Menke AYERS that money to
aid Yale and Harvard, back in
their struggling days, was raised
through a lottery.
Do you wish to know anything
about log-rolling? It's all in the
book.
Are you up on your skeet shoot
ing, skunk-chasing. steeple sitting
competition and hog-calling?
They're in the book, too
Can you rer0se in a drawing
room ana intelligently discuss
roulette, rogue and rugby?
Don't be a Sall flower-get a
load Of Menke!