Evening star., 1936-06-25
100000 TO VIEW
GAMESAT BERLIN
Meet Some Thought Would
Flop Seems Destined to
Pale Los Angeles.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

BY GRANTLAND RICE.
THE Olympic pot now is boiling
all over the world: A few
| months ago there was little in
L terest apparently in the COM
Ing Berlin games. Things are different
now. still recall the situation at Los
Angeles.
A few weeks ahead of schedule, word
got around the map that the Los An
eeles party would be salmon-colored
flop. In place of which the games
opened to 100000 spectators ana
proved to be the greatest sporting
spectacle of many years-one OF the
best ever held.
In place of being a cave-in, the
coming Berlin merry-go-round Will
s1rpass even the Los Angeles afiair.
Where the Los Angeles Olympics played
to something like 100000 spectators,
the report is out that more than
1000, 900 will see SO nations on the JOB
In or around Berlin-a mark far be-
yond any point yet reached In any
national or international display.
Z, S, Has Its Greatest Team.
WITH the final qualifying tests
w completed at Randalls Island on
.Julv 12. the United States will have
the greatest team in its history reaoy
for the voyage to Berlin. This doesn
mean any mop-up, for several reasons
One is the climatic change that al
wavs has its effect. The other Is the
strength of foreign teams around IN
dividual spots. For example, we might
have Venzke. Cunningham and
Bonthron ready for the 1.50O-metef
race. Lovelock of New Zealand mas
been too good for this trio. And Eng
land has a miller who has beaten Love-
lock in three races to date. That easily
might mean a hard time in placing
better than third. 1t also will take
record time to win at other middle
distances. with the going rougnei
than ever at the longer routes.
One peculiar feature OF these nex'
Olvmpics will be Germany's desper-
ate effort to win her first title. Ger
many has yet to win a first place IN
anv Olympic show at track or held
dating back to 1896-as far as the rec
ords show. For this next start the
German team will be one Of the larg-
est on the field, one of the strongest
Germany yet has sent into action
Even with all this display Of human
flesh. the odds still are against a
German being No. /. She has a
great jumper, but there Is Jesse
Owens. She has a fine shotputter-
but there is Torrance, the Louisiana
colossus. There will be little chance
for her in the sprints. the jumps, the
pole vault, the middle and longer dis
tance runs.
Yanks May Burn Out.
IT IS still question as to how
= many American stars will have
burned themselves out before Berlin
Some of our best athletes have been
spinning at top speed for months
They still have rough roads to face
before earning their places on the in
vading boat. No country in Europe
has any such Nationwide competition
TO meet when it comes to selecting a
surviving squad. There have been
times when too much good material
was a liability. 1t has happened to
foot ball squads as well as track teams
The East has a knotty problem to
face In meeting competition from the
Far West, Middle West and South.
For example, Eddie O'Brien. the Syra-
cuse flyer at 400 meters, was rated as
the best in the country few months
ago. Now Williams from California
and Luvalle from U. c. L. A. have
moved into the circle with faster time.
Sprinters, middle distance runners,
jumpers, hurdlers and shotputters
from other sections have the East a
trifie dizzy. Who from the East can
beat Towns of Georgia-Torrance from
Louisiana-Johnson, Marty and Burke
at the high jump-Owens at anything
he tries-Metcalfe from Marquette
Southern California's pole vaulters
with records around 1913? The East
faces a rocky highway in one Of the
best track and field rodeos any Olym-
pic tryouts have yet given to the game.
Beating Italy.
"A FEW days back some polite men,
ton was made of such italian
stars as Joe Di Maggie, Gene Sarazen,
Crosetti, Lazzeri, Manero, Canzoneri
and others whose forbears once
marched with the legions of Caesar
under the silver eagles of Rome.
In watching the stirring finish
fought out at Poughkeepsie by WASH
ington, California and Navy, we
turned back to boat race four years
ago in the last Olympics, where fine
California crew had to lift its shell
from the water in the last few yards
to beat Italy by inches.
Now they tell me Italy has an even
better crew ready for the next Olympic
eight -oared race at Berlin. Almost
every Italian lake and river is fairly
snothered with oarsmen, from singles
up to the eights, and 1t will take
something better than normal to offset
all this stamina, speed and rowing
skill.
WHICH United States crew will
Nv make the grade at Princeton on
July 5. the day Of the final race?
There Is good chance that Pough-
keepsie already has written the an
swer-that it will be Washington,
California and Navy, in order. Any
crew able to sprint the last mile and
. quarter left from a 4-mile race as
Washington did shouldn't be far OF
ut q mile and five-sixteenths, the
Olympic distance. On the same basis,
ss7l1 -.