The Ely miner., 1943-03-18

good roads. You will see beautiful
countryside. You can look at flares
of dogwood blooms and hear birds
singing in the April naples. You
can also take along a form sheet.
You can read about Count Fleet, Oc-
cupation, Ocean Wave and possibly
some 18 starters"
Thirty miles day." I whispered.
'fI can already hear my old dogs
barking after two days. Did you
ever read Masefield ION Growing
Old? I asked.
who has to grow old?" the Colo
mel growled. What did he say
about it?"
''Stay with me, beauty, while the
fire is dying.
My dogs and I are now too old for
rowing"
Getting There
"Did you know" Colonel Winn
continued, "that racing lovers in
England and Scotland have frequent
ly started three weeks ahead to see
the English Derby? And they walked
all the way, hundreds of miles. OF
course, this wouldn't apply to any
one needed in any form of war work.
We intend to see that no oil or rub
Der will be used. But there will be
many Kentuckians who will either
walk to the track or come by wag-
0ns, buggies and street cars"
ST can tell you, honestly, that
am not thinking in terms of attend
ance or receipts. The thought of
losing money doesn't bother me a
bit. Anyone can get discouraged
and quit. But we need all the color
we can get today, some outside in
terests for thousands of people to
think about in odd moments.
''The Kentucky Derby is some
thing more than two-minute race.
It begins building up interest weeks
ahead-interest among hundreds of
thousands who have no chance to
be at Churchill Downs in May. Count
Fleet? Ocean Wave? Many others.
No NoUice Speaks
"I have been looking at Kentucky
Derbies for exactly SO years. There
have been lot of yesterdays packed
In since 1875, when both baseball
and football were young games.
Suppose everybody not directly
connected with the winning war ef-
fort had quit and called everything
off? Suppose we had no racing-no
footbaIl-no baseball-no form of
competitive sport left? Would that
help the morale of 135, 600, 900 peo-
pie, including II, 600, 900 servicemen?
That would mean we would stand
as about the only nation in the
world to be so badly fattened out.
Fifty thousand at football game
in Moscow, with the Germans 80
miles away-from 10000 to $4,000
watching British soccer football only
few days ago at many parks
Australia, Japan, Germany, keeping
certain games going-but the great
est sporting nation of all time fold
ing up In the way of sport?
"No sane person would ever advo-
cate any sport that interfered in
any way with the matter of winning
this war. Even a haIf-wit knows
this.
''But, say, at the age of 81, who
should know what sport means to
the United States, that sport, cor
rectly controlled and directed, can
be helpful factor without asking
any favors.
eff I knew we were going to lose
500, 600 on this next Derby I would
still be in favor of holding the race.
Please believe me-"
Colonel, we do.
BRIEFS:
q In Il years of National league
pitching, Paul Derringer never has
been knocked off the mound in Wrig-
ley field.
q James W. Coffroth, pioneer sports
promoter who died recently, provid-
ed for gifts of S410, 600 In his viii.
q The Atlanta baseball club of the
C,x,fhar7 aScoci atior, hos "a ycox, ~