The Miami times. [volume] (Miami, Fla.) 1923-current, 1953-10-17
PRAYING VERSUS
PLAYING

meetlng out II is not so good in
a bear meeting" We need some
thing besides prayer when we
meet a bear! Negroes are too
prone to explain their athletic
success by prayer, whereas play
ing and not praying is the best ex-
PLANTATION.
Some years ago there arose
down in Texas little school with
a winning football team known
as the praying Colonels." Their
fame spread throughout the ma
. ton and they were wonder and
amazement. 1t was my good for
tune to witness a game between
them and Harvard and saw them
humiliate mighty Harvard before
thousands at Cambridge. They
huddled before the game and the
word went along that they were
praying.
In couple of seasons little
Centre college was literally wiped
from the football map, prayers
and all.
Joe Louis came on the scene
and startled the sports world by
beating and battering all comers
mercilessly and the word went
around that his mother was pray
ing while he was fighting and Joe
seemed. invincible. When age
caught up with Joe and luxury
had played it's fateful hand. Joe
had the living daylights knocked
out Of him and he was pathetic
and pitiful in his last boxing
days. Neither his nor his mothers
prayers could stem the tide of
time.
With all his prayers and pray
ings of his mother Joe sits in
practical pugilistic oblivion.
Prayer has its place, but there
are reasons that it does not be-
long in the boxing ring.
Then comes Jersey Joe Walcott,
another "praying" fighter. What
became of the praying Jersey Joe
the world wonders. The fiascO
Jersey Joe made in his last ap-
pearance in the ring is poor
recommendation for prayer.
When you are not fit prayer can
not help matters.
On the athletic field playing is
more important than praying, as
important as praying can be in
its time and place. 1t has come
wary of these praying athletes
Negroes too invariably try to ex-
plain their success by praying
when as a matter Of fact playing
is the answer.
AS these lines are written
Brooklyn Dodgers and the Yam
KEGS are locked in what seems to
be the crucial fourth game of the
World Series. The Yankees lead
two games to one and in the early
innings of this fourth game the
Dodgers are in the lead. But be-
ing in the lead does not mean
much in a game with the Yankees
who already seem to come up with
the decisive games in world Sc
ries play. The Negro-leSs Yankees
are not favorites with Negroes
and the Dodgers with their three
Negro players are super-favorites
with all the Negroes-and with
this writer.
II would not be surprising If
most "secretly" Negroes did not
pray for a Brooklyn victory In
this 1868 series. But Negroes must
learn that it is never safe nor
sound to pray or bet against the
New York Yankees. Prayer may
be all right for prayer meeting
but it has not hitherto been efec-
tive i'm q Yankee-meeting; or so
It has not been these years Ne
groes have been roofing for the
Dodgers out Of sympathy for a
team that dared to operate with
Negroes.
Brooklyn certainly deserves the
admiration and support of Ne
groes and the nation for the fine
part BROOKLYN has played in inte-
grating Negro players. Brooklyn's
blast at baseball segregation stirs
the souls of nobly-inclined citi-
gems of the nation and the world.
But it does not seem advisable to
bet or pray against those Yanks.
It will be wiser to keep our