The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1961-10-07
SPORTS
GRApHIC
BY Jim A. n,ltev

More and more the public has
soured on the return bout"
clauses that are sitting COM
netition. Under present conditions
legitimate challengers must wait
mill old age creeps up on them
before they can obtain a crack
=. the crown once title match
Is arranged and the defending
champion loses the championship.
Then follows return engage
ment with still another return
bout clause to protect the newly
crowned king should he lose his
throne.
Boxing Commissions declare
they cannot prevent such bouts
from being arranged, since in
states where this is banned by
regulations, individual contracts
are signed. The time for halt has
arrived. Commissions have il
within their power to prevent
return matches.
The courts have ruled that no
contract is legal unless the agree
ment has been accepted by the
commission in whose jurisdiction
the bout is TO be staged. Unfortun-
ately commissions shut their eyes
to the illegal process in order to
obtain the bout for their domain
One more reason why boxing
needs a National Commission to
regulate the sport. The public
should be the judge in return
bouts. If a bout has produced
sufficient interest either through
sensational ending or a thrilling
affair, no pressure through
return clause is necessary for a
repeat performance. But to make
such bout mandatory through
pre-fight agreement, arouses
the ire OF fight enthusiasts, 1t
eliminates legitimate, qualified
challengers.
White Sox Manager, AL Lopez,
has enough to do without select
ing the Rookie of the Year"
ct al, but nonetheless this is one
season when he would probably
like to be in on the voting. If he
were, he'd cast his Rookie of
the Year" ballot for Floyd Robin
son. his 24-year-old right fielder.
Robinson has done everything
expected of him this season-and
considerably more. In this, his
first full shot in the Big Time, he
has been hitting above 800 most
Of the way, has been sound in the
field, the possessors of strong
and accurate arm. and has also
shown good speed on the bases.
Chances are that Robby would
have been doomed for Rookie
of the Year laurels long before
this. Trouble was that no one was
quite sure whether or not
he qualified in the rookie derby.
A. L. President Joe Cronin re-
piled that Robinson was definitely
eligible on both basis counts.
First, Robbie had not gone to
bat 80 times in 1860, and second
ly. he was not on a major league
roster for total of As days from
the cutdown date to September /.
And SO belately, the Sex are
pushing Robby.
Too much pushing isn't actually
necessary simply because the
facts and figures speak for them
selves. Prior to games of Septem-
Der 10, for example, Robinson
was among the leagues ten lead
ing hitters with 1913 average,
plus ten homers and 81 runs
balted in, impressive statistics
considering that he had only 394
plate appearances at this point.
AT first, Manager Lopez was
inclined to platoon Robby, having
him sit out against lefthanders.
But this has been pretty much
abandoned simply because Robin
son, a lefthander swinger. has
compiled a 400 average south
paws. Against righties, he was
hitting .294.
Sepia standouts rated among
Michigan State University's top
sophomore football players for
1861 are linemen Mat Snorton,
an end from Detroit Northwest
ern, and Charlie Brown, guard
from Pontiac Central, and half
backs Herman Johnson Of Plain
Held, N. j., Dewey Lincoln of
hamtramck High and Earl Latti-
mer of Dallas, Tex.
Lucky Barton, a 6-foot-1, 30
pound senior, is the first Negro
10 captain an athletic team in
,ne history of Cooley High School.
lie will be playing his third sea-
son as a regular for Cooley.
A total of five Negroes are
attending Detroit's Cooley this
semester - three boys and two