Evening star., 1940-02-01
More Than 100 Bowling Youngsters Expected Cys Bo Junior Finals
From the
Press Box
Ring Puzzle Battles
Sherlock Lurdner
By JOHN LARDNER,

BY JOHN LARDNER,
SPECIAL Correspondent Of The Star.
NEW YORK, Feb. / N.AN.A).
If you want an efficiency expert
to clear up your business, don't
call on middleweight. Be sure the
expert weighs more than 160 pounds,
or less than lat. Those middle
weights can't keep their own busi-
ness straight, and they never have
been able to.
When mysterious Tony Zale df
there is Zale) rose up in all his
phantom might the other evening
in Chicago and kicked the ecto-
plasm out of mysterious AL Hostak
df there is a HostaR, affairs in
the middleweight division reached
a new peak in pure confusion.
The best thing to do now is
gather all the middleweights in the
world together with moose call
(middleweights are suckers for a
moose calD and throw them into a
sealed room measuring 20 by 30
feet. Tell them to go to it. The
man who emerges alive will be the
middleweight champion Of the
world
Then they can start all over again.
Identity Of Title Vague,
Some Coll it "Junior."
You have to realize, of course,
that when unknown Zale beat mys-
terious Hostak in 10 rounds at Chi
cago, the title was not at stake. But
what title are we talking about?
We mean Il think we mean) the
championship of As States and
Seattle, Wash, or the young Amer
lean title, known to its pals as
Junior"
Hostak held on to Junior" even
though losing the fight, because he
had the presence of mind to come
in weighing 162 pounds, over the
limit, and required unknown zale
to do the same thing. But zale
(Which rhymes with golly, but not
with jaiD is now a figure to be
reckoned with. He is the temporary
champion of AL Hostak.
The championship of Hostak was
formerly held by Solomon Krieger,
who lost it back to mysterious Al in
a return match in Seattle. What
do you want to bet that Zale won't
do the same thing? They'll get
him to come to Seattle and Hostak
will whale him.
This only goes to prove what I
have been saying for long time
You know how it is with ghosts.
They function best in their own
bailiwicks. The Ghost of Banquo
was never any good outside of Scot
land. The Ghost of Danton is not
worth nickel beyond the city limits
of Paris The Phantom Hostak has
haunted Seattle since boyhood, and
that's where he does his best work
When they brought him out to
haunt Chicago for special fee he
broke his phantom left hand. Un-
known Zale is terror in Chicago,
but I doubt if he can haunt Seattle
for peanuts. We will wait and see.
Most Fighters Recognize
"OId Rosebud" Crown.
What I started out to say was
half the worlds middleweights will
pay no attention to Zale and Hostak
anyway. They do not recognize
Junior" which is Hostak's title.
They recognize "Old Rosebud" which
is the nickname of the worlds mid
dleweight title now held by Ceferino
Garcia.
Just to keep the record straight,
Hostak got his private worlds cham
pionship from Freddie Steele, who
had 1t from Babe Risko, who had it
from Teddy Yarosz, who had it from
Vince Dundee, who had it, he says.
from Lou Brouillard, who had it
from Ben Jeby.
Jeby, however, Just happened to
have 1t. Garcia's worlds champion
ship goes back little farther. He
had it from Fred Apostoli, who had
1t from Marcel Thil, the bald Gaul,
who had it from the romantic char
acter known as Gorilla Jones, who
predates Jeby slightly. I couldn't
tell you where the Gorilla got it.
They say he won it in crap game.
Does that make matters clearer?
I didn't think it would.
One OF the happiest fellows in the
world is Fred Apostoli, the former
holder Of "Old Rosebud" When he
lost "Old Rosebud" to Garcia, Fred
decided to leave the middleweights
cold and let them muddle along
by themselves. He Is now a light
heavyweight. The light heavyweight
situation Is very simple. There are
only about four light heavyweights
IN the world. When in doubt, you
fight Bettina.
When in Doubt They
RaSSla "A. Poxk:..