Evening star., 1940-04-06
Serious About Golf,
Other Recreation


golden age, Willie held his own with
them in the time of their glory,
the l920s-Tilden, Dempsey, Jones,
Ruth, Sande and Man o. War. To-
day, fully 10 years later-he is
champion Of the world again.
Man O. War now is great.
grandfather. Dempsey and Ruth
are retired, one running saloons.
the other clipping coupons. Sande
only trains horses, Jones plays golf
purely for recreation, and Tilden,
though still active, yields place to
a dozen younger tennis players. But
Hoppe is champion of the world.
What's more, he's a champion
who has just made holy show of
his field, 10 of the best billiard
players in the world. From boy
wonder to gray wizard in 40 easy
years and still the best there is.
When he's not working at his
art you will find Willie hunched in
box seat back of the plate at
Yankee Stadium or moving grimly
around a golf course in pursuit Of
drive sliced to starboard or hooked
to port. He Is quiet and serious in
everything he does, and billiards
being the best thing he does. he is
most quiet and most serious at that.
From his cradle, slung conven-
iently at half-mast beside a green
table. he watched his mother and
his father, Frank Hoppe, play bill
liards.
When he was big enough to hold
a cue and tall enough to peer over
the cushion with his two feet on
the floor his father marked all the
angles on the table with chalk and
| fought billiards to Willie. At 13 he
was playing championship game
with champions and paralyzing
Paris with his skill-at least that
section of Paris which is subject to
paralysis by billiard player.
| Willie played before Taft, Presi-
dent whose administration passed
by Robert Tyre Jones and w. T.
Illden as though they were stand
ing still, which for all practical
purposes they were. He played be-
fore Mark Twain and impressed
the great writer deeply, though not.
am sorry to say, with his work
with the cue
In this instance Hoppe was play
Ing match with Sutton, a con.
temporary champion. Sutton had
his stuff that day and was clicking
of billiards with great regularity,
while Willie and Mark Twain sat
patiently by, Mr. Twain from choice
and Willie because his turn to shoot
hardly ever came up.
Willie Showed Fine Form
As Choir Sitter
At the end of the match the
great man congratulated Sutton and
then went over and extended his
duke to Bill.
Il want to congratulate you, Mr..
Hoppe" he said, "on your remark
able tenure of that chair in the
corner. You showed fine form"
In the field which Hoppe has just
devastated for his new, three -cush-
ion championship Welker Cochran
was an also ran. Yet Cochran him.
self was boy wonder and Willie
was veteran of 30 when Cochran
spurred Bill to new record 1872
balkline run of 308 in 1917. Hoppe
played with old Jake Schaefer. In
the recent tournament in Chicago
he was the rival Of young Jake
Schaefer, old Jake's son, and hs
beat young Jacob soundly.
He spans the generations, and his
touch never has faltered. What is
more. while do not wish to resort
to platitudes, he always has played
quietly and fairly and with a deep
instinct for the sort of sportsman
ship chat never is ostentatious or
aimed point blank at the crowd.
He Is refreshing character in
sports-a champion and a good man
for the job, combination you meet
with rarely. Long may he wave.