The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-12-17
Most Unusu0I Thing About Pro Football Scandal Is Thot One Hosn't Broken Before
By HARRY 0RAYgON

H#W ADfAt B%yt HA@tMHtAB@ @~AttB most unusual tliAng about Alvin Paris abtefnpt to kflbe Merle fiapss and Frank ralchock Of the New York 0iapts to throw tlie National LsAgsie'B Championship piayoM Co the Chicago Bears is that profess eiofai scandal has not broken D. fore.
 There was sufficient smoke Co caii for c league Investigation iai Wash- ington three years ago. Boolnnakers haven't felished action on the Reds skins for some years. The proprie- tor Of q big Brooklyn poolroofn took c Waghineto ton Philadelphia game off has board for some time this eeasn. 10 didn't like sWa1at wae going on.
 4 Washington player has been trailed by private detectives. There was mitch talk before the meeting of the Giants and Eagles at ghibe Park.
 Asked to predict the outcome Of games between rival clubs, coaches i1 the league have told me to take into consideration whether the out. fits were meeting again before the end of the season. The show b the thing, you know, and only c good attraction draws.
 It stands to reason that men op- posing each other year after year become coflsfderate of their physi. cal welfare. It isn't healthy for an athlete to get too rough. Teams rarely act that way until they are shooting for the capital prize, as 1 tsllhe case of the Bears and Giants at the Polo Grounds the other af. ternooa1.
 Right or wrong, pro football for some time has been regarded by c lot of peopl as something in the way of modern day wrestling. There are too many totichdowns scored through lines with linemefi stand. ing up.
 It was significant that New York police broke the case against Broad- wayite Paris on the eve of the Bear Giants playoff. The cops knew backs Hapes and Filchock had been niga1tscliibbing with Paris several times in recent weeks, but the Giants front office and Commits sioner Bert Bell were obviously u1i- stispecting even though the would- be fixer visited the players at their Bear Mountain training camp after they had refused to speak with him on tine telephone.
 Although the pro football war lpped salaries generally, e lot of capable hands are still paid on the short side. Young men playing foot ball once e wek have much time on their hands. That frequently has led to mischief, especially where money was the chief concern.
 Professional football ownership is generously ,sprinkled with former racketeers, gamblers, bookmakers and horse and dog track operators. They are the type who dislike hav- ing questions asked aiDout them or to be asked about anybody else.
 When Judge William Bramham recently retired as commissioner, he warned owners that tf1re again was considerable cause for appre- hension in regard to gambling in the minor baseball leagues. There is no question but that things became nor lax with the death of Judge Landis.
 But the chances are that nothing will be done by football or baseball officials even trough the situation grows worse.
 This means that another blow-Vp like the White Sox scandal will have to pop up to bring iron hands into the games.
 Racing finally got around to 1t by naming Spencer, Drayton of the FBI head of it's Protective Bureau.
 It long since has been demon- strated that as long as vast sums are bet on professional sports they have to be policde.