Evening star., 1938-11-09
Tough Trays Costly
To Major E|evens
Even in vidory
Letdown Is Inevitable
After Grind; Boxing
In Sorry SnorI
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

which frequently has been compared
to war, is like it in more respects
than one. In this respect, for in
stance: If war is tough enough,
nobody, really wins it. And that
goes for a football game, as any
coach will tell you.
Take the Fordham-Pi game, one
of the hardest of the current cam
paign. The teams battered away at
each other all afternoon and in the
fourth period Pitts power prevailed
and Fordham was beaten down. 1t
was a glorious victory for Pitt-but
Pitt came out of the game with
Marshall Goldberg, StebbinS, Hoff
man and few others so badly
bruised that they couldn't be brought
up to form for the Carnegie Tech
game and thiS-Without any desire
to take anything away from Car
negie-undoubtedly was a factor in
the defeat of the Panthers.
No More "Invincible" Teams.
Meanwhile, Fordham, known for
its power attack, barely scraped
through to win from St. Marys by
the margin of field goal-the only
score in the game. st. Mary's
brought great line to New York
maybe the best line that has been
seen here this year.
But not even the most rabid Gael
rooter will deny that it was tired
Fordham team that answered the
opening whistle for the st. Mary's
game.
The answer is that no matter how
formidable football players may
look, they are only flesh and blood
beneath their armor. They can take
just so much and then they must
weaken and, sometimes, crack
That's why team that goes to town
one Saturday may have trouble get
ting beyond its own 40-yard line the
next Saturday. 1t is a good thing
to remember when you are tempted
to think team is invincible.
The spread of football, plus the
bruising character of the modern
game, has just about removed the
word invincible from the football
lexicon.
Earnest Drill Makes Kicker.
Charley Brickley, talking to the
New York football writer's the other
day, told of how Percy Haughton
had him practice drop-kicking
daily in the face of a fierce defen-
slve charge. That, he said, was
the secret of his accuracy in boot
Ing the ball over the bar, and he
pointed out that 10 minutes of
that sort of drill was worth hours
OF practice in mere kicking, with
nothing but the goal posts in front
OF the kicker.
1t isn't likely that anybody will
argue with Brickley on that point,
including the coaches-there were
number of them present-to whom
he particularly addressed his re-
marks.
But there is one other angle to
this business of teaching boy to
kick under conditions of actual
combat-perhaps the most vital one.
This is that the boy must be Just
as eager to learn as his coach is
to teach him. He must bear in
mind that any approach to per-
fection in kicking requires a lot
Of hard, dogged work.
He must be as willing to get out
there and apply himself to it day
after day as-well, as Brickley was.
If he gazes at Brickley's drop-kick-
ing record with awe-as any boy
might-he should remember that
behind every ball Charley sent roar
ing between the uprights in a game
lay hours of practice under condi-
tionS that tried not only his skill
but his nerves.
Ring Is Badly Scrambled.
The defeat of some of the top
teams in football has scrambled the
situation considerably. But If any,
body thinks the football situation
is scrambled, let him turn to the
situation in. boxing.
The heavyweight division consists
OF Joe louisiana a lot of fellows
struggling around beneath him, all
tangled up in swirl of each others
fists.
Louis is matched to fight John
Henry Lewis in January. but this
any way anybody can judge it now
merely will afford an opportunity for
the heavyweight champion to show
in the Garden.
Tommy Farr still has to get by
Lou Nova to rate another shot at
Louis. Gunnar Barlund was set
back by his defeat by Nova and has
to contend with Bob Pastor, who
was doing rather nicely a little while
ago, or until he chopped himself
down while working out with an ak
and pile of fire wood.
Max .Baer has been in virtual Sc
clusion since he won from Farr and
has shown no eagerness to meet
anybody but Louis-and so far no
one else has shown much eagerness
to see Max in the ring with the
Bomber again.
Light-Heavy Class Flat.
Lewis, moving up to the heavy
weight class to fight Louis, leaves
the light-heavyweight class flatter
CAAoAA AiC AOuAlO ~, W1llCIl WIS very
fiat, indeed. The middleweights are
all mixed up, with Solly Krieger
holding the title, but still clamoring
for recognition by the New York State
Athletic Commission, which ranks
Fred Apostoli on top because Apos-
toll stopped Freddy Steele before
Steele was knocked out by AL Hostak
who, in turn, was beaten by Krieger.
The Observation-Disclosures stu
alton, scrambled for some time, or
since Henry Armstrong won the
welterweight title from Barney Ross
and the lightweight title from Lou
Ambers, will remain that way until
the postponed bout between Arms
strong and Ceferino Garcia is held.
The featherweight champion is
Joey Archibald, but few remember
the fact. Sixto Escobar still is the
bantamweight champion, but his