Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-10-24

scheduled for the following Satur-
day and offer football followers the
opportunity of picking the win
ners at a handsome profit.
Pick four winners and get paid
9 to l, pick five winners and
get IL to /, etc. But, there is a
catch. If you like Army over Back
wash, you must give so points; II
you like Yale over Cornbread u,
you must give IS points. And, in
case of a tie given points taken
into consideration you lose to the
pool.
Gamblers Smartened Up.
There was time when these
football pools first came into being,
that a fellow could lick 'em. The
gamblers who ran the pool didn't
know TOO much about football. and
strung along with the teams which
had been good in Walter Camps
time. They liked Harvard, Yale,
Princeton, Michigan, Penn, Cornell
and all of the other old and fancy
schools. Because Harvard was
Harvard, the gamblers would bet
you even that the Crimson would
lick Siwash. not knowing that
Siwash was paying just as much
for players as Harvard, and stood
a good chance to chase the Blue
bloods of the field.
Now, as gamblers will, the gam
bIers have smartened up. They
have scouts In every university town,
and these scouts send them the
real dope on what is what II a
player gets 5000 a year for being
an amateur, they know 1t. If a
passing halfback is having trouble
with his wife remember the old,
old days when football players were
single, and didn't have sons and
daughters watching from the side
linesO they know 1t.
They know how coaches feel about
one another, too. They know that
certain coaches will be easy on Ger
tain coaches, and not pile up a score
that would endanger the losing
coach's job. They also know the
coaches who hate one another and,
given a chance, would score 1000
points in order to pay of an old
grudge.
Real Racket In Points.
The real racket of the football
pool lies in the points which the
bettor must give or take. Generally
speaking, coaches will not humiliate
other coaches. The coach with the big
team will run in his second squad,
his third squad, and, his debaters
even, to keep the score down. The
coach with the big team knows from
experience that next year, or the
year after next, will find him in
charge of a squad whose average
weight is 165, and whose members
read Proust between halves. And
as every coach knows-the players
win ball games. You can wear your
self out reading football history
without finding one single team
whose coach ever scored the touch
down that brought it national
championship.
New thoughts: This is a crazy
country. No wonder the people
of the other nations of the earth
look at us Americans with skep-
tical eyes. We won't stand for
a national lottery, because 1t is
gambling. Kansas has prohibition
and half the citizens OF that
State have a drink every day. We
hound men who make book on horse
races, yet we exult in the money
that tracks bring in from parl-mu-
tuel betting.
We are phonies. Nothing else. No
one cares or worries about football
pools. No State or national invests
cations. Yet, the football pools are
probably the worst form Of gambling
in America. What could be worse
than wagering on what college boys
will do?
And, mind you, 90 per cent Of the
bets are handled by men who
wouldn't know poison ivy from the
ivy that grows on ancient walls and
who care less.
It makes me q little sick.
This country will never hold the
place it should until 1t decides to
get on the dead level.
- F.y Gwn