Evening star., 1940-10-08
From the
Press Box
Ohio Ready for Murder
In Tilt With Cornell
BY JOHN LARDNER,
sn.c,,l correspondent of The Star.


football game of the year, east OF
the Mississippi and north of Mason
and Dixon's Line. now promises to
be Ohio State vt. Cornell-and I
wish to warn all hands along Ca
yugas waters to batten down the
matches and heave her to on the
starboard tack, for Ohio State is
coming dressed for a murder.
That is all you hear in Ohio, and
even the citizens in Illinois. Mich
igan, Indiana and other adjacent
hot spots are spiking their local
business for a couple of weeks to
watch and see what happens when
Ohio State gets mad.
More than two weeks to go and
they are holding their breath al
ready. That's a nice foundation
for a football game. If I can be-
lieve Mr.. Red Mcqueen, a stalwart
pilgrim from Hawaii, the fever has
spread as far as Honolulu. Mr.. NC
Queen tells me he is in this country
ostensibly to investigate conditions
among the starving dealers, but
actually to get as close as he can
to the Ohio State-Cornell game.
'Molakolua!" eXclaims Mr.. Nc
Queen, which seems to be Ha-
waiian expression meaning, Il hope
nobody gets killed that can't be
spared"
Buckeyes Intent on Getting
Revenge and Lots of 1t.
If they are talking about the
game in Honolulu. then it may
safely be said that Cornell and Ohio
State have started something-at
least, Cornell started something, by
coming West last fall and stupefying
the famous downtown quarterbacks
of Columbus, Ohio, with knockout
victory over the team of teams,
which is bashful way they have in
Columbus of speaking of the team
of teams.
Other parts of the country are in
terested because, having observed
Ohio State in defeat. they wonder
what Ohio State can do in the way
of revenge.
They also are interested because
Ohio State and Cornell have
couple of great teams developing in
1910 and because the Geographical
friction between Big Ten and Ivy
League is considerable.
Of course. the interest will die
down to some extent If Cornell
should lose meanwhile to Army or
Syracuse, or if Ohio should blow
Duke to Northwestern or Mime
sofa. as can very possibly happen,
but barring such anticlimatic trans
actions. the game is hot.
The last report from my operative
on the Cornell beat has it that Mr..
Carl Snavely, the mastermind of
that parish. is viewing the issue
with profound dependency. De-
coded, that means that Mr.. Snavely
doesn't like the looks of things.
Under his mournful influence. the
whole town is going around biting
Its finger nails and pricing tickets
to Tahiti.
Cornell Has Every Right
To Feel Apprehensive.
True, Mr.. Snavely is not always
reliable in these matters. A lot of
his despair is professional as seems
to be the custom with Cornell
coaches, beginning with Gloomy
Gilmour Dobie, but undoubtedly
Cornell feels apprehensive.
And that is not the way things
are in Ohio. They take the defeat
of their team last year to be an act
of sacrilege. They didn't expect it
and they are not going to stand
for it.
A Columbus merchant, in Cincin-
natl for the World Series, tells me
that Coach Francis (Shut-the-G Gates
of-Mercy) Schmidt will not retain
his job if Ohio fails to inflict grue-
some revenge on Cornell at Ithaca
October 26. In other words, he's
got to beat Cornell or he's out.
That seems trifle fanatical and
very likely my informant is talk
ing through his new autumn tur-
ban. but they do take their football
hard at Ohio State and vicinity
and fanaticism is their favorite
sport. There practically is nobody
in the neighborhood who does not
know Is per cent more about foot
ball than Coach Schmidt, though
sometimes, to hear them tell it,
that amt much.
It's a safe bet that every one of
Ohio States 1.246,0OO coaches Gig
ures just released by Census Bu-
reaW will be working in dead ear
nest, from now till then, to lick
Cornell. That is what is in store
for Cornell, and if you happen to
be going by Lake Cayuga, pass the
word.