Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-02-09


will meet for the
state title. This is
always one of the finest events in
the sports calendar.
Spirit and craftsmanship run high
Competition is keen and brilliant and
the citizens of the state get together
as on no other occasion. When we
consider the benefits of tournament
involving eight teams, we wonder
why it would not be a good idea tC
make the tournament one day longer
and let Is teams qualify. That is done
in a good many states.
1t makes more interesting tour
nament-gives more kids a chance
to get into it and, of course, heightens
the friendly rivalries which are pleas
antly recalled by any delegation OF
home town fans which has followed
its team.
Ask any one in Glencoe, Red Wing
Thief River Falls, Chisholm or any OF
the other towns whose teams have
won state championships since the
tournament became big attraction
whether they would not rather have
Is teams than eight in the draw, and
thus double their chance to take an
other trip to cheer the boys on.
Or, for that matter, ask the fans
of any team that has come and has
lost. They had a lot of fun while
it lasted and they certainly want to
have their own boys in there again
This tournament is such sporting
venture, packed with so much fun for
players and fans, so beneficial to the
boys because of the high tone of the
competition that it seems only COM
mon sense to open it to more teams
so that many more players and their
supporters can have part in it.
A Great Fight.
1t isn't the actual quality of the
fighting so much as its honesty and
earnestness that interests the fans
Billy Miske and Bill Gillespie, for
example, are virtual novices yet, after
their first fight in Minneapolis, the
whole state wants to see them dc
it again. Fans know that there are
dozens of experienced heavyweights
who could beat either of them; but
they want to see them try to beat
each other.
Miske won the first two rounds
Gillespie was nearly knocked out in
the second and seemed to have no
chance to finish on his feet. With
an amazing show of courage and
stamina he rallied from the fog and
went on to win the fight. On the
chance that that might happen again,
boxing fans are asking for this fight
more than for any other.
Henry Armstrong, world light
weight and middleweight champion
will be in Minneapolis soon to fight
the best man that can be found for
him; but he will not draw as much
money as the return fight between
Gillespie and Miske because the fans
liked both kids and what they did
in the first meeting and now have
their emotions aroused at the pros
pect of some more of the same In
cidentally, they are both fine boys and
disposed to like each other outside
the ring. But when the bell rings
they'll hit to kill.
They're Cleaning Up.
For some time there has been a
conflict between one group of col
leges favoring amateur athletics and
another group favoring open subsidiz-
ing of athletes on a virtual profess
Sional basis. The purists decided to
enforce their standards by refusing
to schedule games with the profess
SIGNALS.
On that point the issue was joined
Colleges favoring professionalism had
that attitude because they needed
money to pay for stadiums, field
houses and other athletic properties
or even, in some instances, faculty
salaries. When they learned they
could not schedule the games that
would pull the crowds and produce
the revenue they decided to turn
pure.
The battle is not over yet by any
means but so far the purists have
scored most of the points and they
scored an especially heavy one when
Pittsburgh came over, decided to
adopt Big Ten rules of eligibility and
to let Big Ten commissioner, Major
John Griffith, supervise its policy
Looks like the right track for long
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