Evening star., 1959-11-18
h@hWIN, LOSE OR
%DRAw >, FRANCE. stan.
Better Late Than Never

ARTHUR DALEY the Pulitzer Prize-winning sports
coumnist OF the New York Times may have summed
up the talents of the late Bill Corum when he observed
Whenever Chez was nudged properly by the Muse
he could turn out matchless columns of graceful prose
In his autobiography, OF And Running Bill wasn't
nudged by the Muse He was pushed. His last bit of
writing is unquestionably his best 80. :"
Bills book fresh the stalls, must have something
for just about everybody. Martene windsor Corum from
Boonve No. tried to gloss his distinguished World
War record Che major at a. extraordinary in those
preAr Force daysD but Arthur Mann, who edited the
autobiography fortunately didn't let Corum get away with
the omission
With considerably more ease, the late columnist of
the New York ournalAmercan wrote of other matters
1.-The horse and the fights and football and baseball
Typcay he kissed of his selection the man to succeed
COL Matt Wnn as Mr. Kentucky Derby. 81 had to learn
the art OF retiring before midnght-at least for two
months Of the yearbecause expected to arise at
am. I've been up at am. many times but neuer
arising"
AND IT WAS TRUE. Corum was a creature Of the
ngnt He would come away from Madison Square Garden
after fight hockey game and drop into Leones and
later wend his way to the hotel suite he made his office
and write his piece Just about when dawn tinted the
New York skies he would call for messenger and then
and only then would he call it day.
Bill Cunningham of the Boston Herald refers to Corum
as the happy genius who first said don't want to be
millionaire Just want to live like one" John Car
michael of the Chicago Daily News put it this way:
"ot And Running" is not only the autobiography of
how Bill Corum lived but why he lived He wouldn't have
had it any other way because the names and places
were the breath Of life to him."
He was gay and happy man, grave-voiced Bill who
made fight broadcasts and telecasts memorable
He wasn't precisely overlooked at the pay window either
considering that he sports writer-but there's no
record OF anybody in the business begrudging him
windfall
In the words of Thomas the ancient Negro chauffeur
cook he inherited when he also inherited Col wnnS job
mister corum, he spreads it around pretty good"
CORUM is THE ONLY MAN in memory Win ever
picked the finish of Kentucky Derby 1884 This
happened in 1949 when he selected Ponder Capo Paes
tnian and Old Rockport in that order Except for that
rare moment when he picked these four horses, Corum
by his admission and by authoritative reports from
runners in the press box inclined to lead more
with his heart than his head when he to choosing
horses.
1--WE hit only eight Derby winners in 26 years" Bill
confessed he dictated his story shortly before cancer
took him out. However, nobody will ever know how
really good might have become Derby picker because
my best effort in 1949 also turned out to be my last"
Perhaps it's not of the best passages his book
Bills experiences covering the 1928 Dempsey Gibbons
fight in Shelby, Mont got high rating here-but for
anecdotal purposes liked the time he picked em 1884
MANY CLAIMED 1T WAS luck" Bill confessed. zone
fellow I've never located called it science said nothing
I didn't have to. I'll admit certain amount of luck
was involved when spied the little roll Of bills in front
Of the Brown Hotel in Louisville day so before the
Derby.
Luck, and speed too because just as grabbed the
little wad voice behind me said, saw that money too
But your boarding house reach Short said.
walking along with the fellow, peeked at the money
four one-dollar bills
Let's split it, the fellow said but inner voice said
to me, Keep it." CD note: the other had asked
Tor tenner of Corums dough- he probably would
have gotten it,
81 went to my hotel room and stared alternately at
my typewriter and out the window. Then I wrote the
name OF different horse each of the four bills
oered them l. 2, 3, a. and began my column called it
Against Advice of Counsel"
The rest history The four horses he picked roared
under the wire in orderPonder Capot Palestniah and
Old Rockport Bill had of his happest days
Some say that on that exceptional performance he
won Matt Winn's post after the coonels death never
put in with that theory. Bill Corum would and
should have been named anyway. He was the
epitome Of a horse player wasn't hep