The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1940-08-03
The Sports Mirror
By Russ J. Cowans

fcf0rle
prons made lew WEEKS III the past Listen 10 what
| 7 EFT has TO say:
a., answer to your column, Thru The Sports Mirror
n az that Mr. Jack Dempsey as far as being heavy
:, champion, was a bum when il comes to fighting.
Mr.. Cowans. I'm basing my opinion on knowledge
,o.tive facts, and not mechanical mind.
4 .Mr Cowans, did you realize that great sports
ters such as your choice: Damon Runyon Hype Igoe,
pobinson Dan Parker. Ed Van Avery, and so on. men
Draccally make their living Off the prize fight game.
al If their knowledge from the trainers and fighters,
! right today Mr.. Cowans, if fighter would come
Eown under my charge, you yourself, would have to
H. hv me TO get the correct information.
/ oyow. we'll get back to Mr.. Dempsey He's a very
able fellow, good politician, and good back-slap-
Mr. Jack Kearns, his manager, and Dempsey, were,
3hout any doubt, the greatest moneymaking combna-
The world ever knew. But if Mr.. Kearns right
! now would make him own up that he kept Jack
If MANY towns and spots when they exhibition
x 10 keep Jack from getting knocked his pantes
mess Mr. Cowans, that you also remember when he
preparing to fight Big Jess Willard Editors note
NOT born them for the heavyweight championship.
hunch of us boys motored over to Toledo to watch
workout and saw colored boy by the name of ia
liza Kid lab, ab and jab, his head off, and he threw
iny Of left hooks to the body and head and wound up
III beautiful right to the head and cut Dempseys eye.
Ems jumped in the ring and stopped the brawl, and
| saw that Jack had very bad fault of catching to
jny left hands. You could set him up too easy.
"You also know that George Godfrey KO'ed him in
presence Of the Shuttle Along troupe out in Washing
and substantate my belief the first big with
ID left hand and fair right Tommy Gibbons and
next was on that memorable night in Philadelphia
len Jack lost his title to Gene Tunney
"He was Jack-T he-G ant-Killer He killed all of his
fonents while they were down on knee. He ruth
liz foued every opponent that he whipped, and he
hun1f FL of oh
color line
"As YOU know, Harry Wills fought from bantam
fght 10 heavyweight and boasts of the finest rec
Is in boxing history, and Mr. Cowans if you will kind
kan his record you will note that Harry first
IS boxer with very good left hand, and whale of
ft So put two and two together and Mr.. Dempsey
|ld have been duck soup for Wills.
"Now, to subsantiate that Kearns gave Harry Wills
/ 900 forfeit money and $4,000 training expense, in
rs Mich rather than meet him, came out when Kearns
d Dempsey He testified under oath in Boston, Mass,
! he never would let Jack meet the two Harys-Greb
Wills wonder WHY To protect his meal ticket.
"Now Mr.. Cowans when you want to learn some
tg about different styles of fighting and what it means
Pm Cauinower Alley, come to ringdom's Mr.. Macaw
Editors note: He's stealing my thunder) and will
pr wisdom in thine ears.
50 Leroy (Satche) Paige is the worlds greatest
Fher Well, according to story in last weeks Satur-
Evening Post, Paige is given that ranking And Just
While Paige's best days are behind him, he's still
|e to heave the old ball the plate with binding
bed In addition he has developed fine change OF
fe and good curve ball since those days back IN 1875
len he first appeared in the uniform of the Birmingham
Pck Barons.
The writer of the Saturday Evening Post lists 1929
fhe date when Paige erked from sandlots OF blrm-
lham to The staff of the Black Barons. He's wrong.
Pee Joined the Black Barons in 1926 and PolndeMer
lams former catcher for the Detroit Stars was man
f Of the club at the time H was later succeeded by
Pres (Two-Side) Wesley and both played an impor-
part in moldng the career of the eccentric Mr. Palge
Another mistake the writer made about Paige was
|hs birth place. Paige was born in Mobile Ala, &C
(dng TO information he gave when he first pitcned
Detroit in 926. He went from Mobile to Birmingham,
nlng for several semi-pro teams there
While there were number of mistakes as far as
rs are concerned the story is true indication that Ne
baseball players beginning to gain some OF the
\ they so Justly deserve.
It also points accusing finger at the owners OF two
Rro baseball leagues. The writer humorously points
ne failure of the two leagues to furnish official batting
fages pitching averages and other records which are
Hal to the fans And because Of this failure Negro
Pers have made joke of their two leagues.
This column has been preaching against the manner
operation of the leagues for the past fifteen years and
nout obtaining any results The owners proceed along
same ground which they travelled twenty-five years
mere has been very little progress made.
" nile Paige can poke out his chest and point with
TO the story the owners should bury their faces IN
'ue' 1t made them look like group OF nincompoops'