Evening star., 1941-10-30

M what mistake
Sasz - &&a I made in linn
Henry McLemore. iting my all
America selections to the players
and ignoring the spectators.
There are more heroes in the
stands than you'll ever find on the
plaving fields. During a season the
customers will endure more hard
ships, laugh at more dangers and
wind up with more injuries than
the combatants themselves.
No tackle at Minnesota ever has
to take the beating that the fellow
does who finds himself Wedged In
between two former gridiron greats
in section 20, row 0, seat 26. When
a player is hurt on the field he can
call for time out and have a trainer
come administer soothing potions
and lotions, but the customer can't.
He Just has to sit there and take 1t
as the varsity stars of yesteryear
play their own little private game
in the stands.
I got in between a pair like this
at the Columbia Army game and
they ran up a tremendous score
against me. I fought back like an
inspired man for the first quarter,
but after that I was at the mercy
of their knees, elbows, feet, head,
hands and bottles. They were only
slightly interested in the game
down on the gridiron. All they
wanted to do was to scrimmage. Like
old fire horses answering bell, the
game was Just an excuse for them
to re-live the days when they were
playing fer Stagg or Pop Warner or
Percy Haughton.
At the end of the game they were
completely played out and I was
beaten to a fraZzle, but did we have
a warm dressing room to retire to,
with bench to stretch out on and
someone to pat our packs? No. We
each faced a 50-mile drive in an
automobile through tortuous trafflc.
Much fuss is made over the foot
ball players who carry on for alma
mater despite broken noses, Dashed
ribs and cracked Jaws. But sports
writers (and I was guilty for a
10th of a century, overlook the
spectators who show equal forti-
tude. What about the football fan
with stomach trouble who, because
Of his love for the game, gets his
vitamins on Saturday from the hot
dogs and peanuts that are sold in
stadia, or from an icy sandwich
that he brought along in his pocket?
He knows he is risking his health
but nothing will stop him.
Try to show me a fullback with
more courage than the man who
volunteers to make a straight buck
into the line around the refresh
ment stand between halves and
bring back food and coffee for the
girls in his party. He doesn't have
any bulky comrades to run inter-
ference for him, no protective pads
to cushion the bumps. He must
make his own holes. A fullback
has nothing but a football to car
ry. But the line plunger at the
refreshment stand must juggle cups
of scalding liquid and frankfurters
slippery with mustard. Moreover,
there is no referee around to pun
/ ish his rivals for such things as
clipping. tripping, showing illegal
use of the hands and unnecessary
roughness.
/ 1t also must be remembered that
football spectators as q rule are
not in top physical condition. There
is no way TO train for the srduous
task OF attending football games.
They have had no spring or fall
practice.
And the weather they endure!
No right thinking seal or polar bear
would sit out in the blizZards and
torrential rains that football spec
tators take in stride. They risk
death by exposure as gallantly as
Arctic explorers, and what is more,
they pay for the privilege. They
think nothing of paying s440 for
the chance to WOO pneumonia and
frostbite from the depth of an old
blanket that wouldn't keep a gera 4
mum warm.
When the time comes for picking
All-Americas this year I am going
to ignore the Bruce Smiths, the Jack
Grains, the Frankie Alberts and all
the other celebrated players and
select an eleven Of standout Gus
toners. As captain I am going to
choose a fellow I know whose wife
makes him go on box lunch party
to the Yale Bowl each Saturday.
He is slowly dying of deviled egg
tits and potato salad trernens, but
he hasn't missed a game in six
years. To know this man Is to
quit praising such sissies as Grange
and Harmon and Kimbrough.
Distributed By McNaught Syndicate. mel