Evening Star Newspaper, December 26, 1926, Page 66

PAID RACKETERS FAIL AS BIG DRAWING CARD Commercialized Foc maller Amount cess—Horse Racing Prosperous. HE cause of amateur sport re ceived a jolt and the profes- siona! branch of athletics was correspondingly flattered in 1926 when the greatest woman lawn tennis player in the world and a few of the leading Anterican lawn tennis specialists accepted offers from C. C. Pyle to play tennis for money. Of the Americans who decided to commercialize their genius for the game, Vincent Richards stood out as {dentified with the little group of wogld leaders. Tilden, Lacoste, Cochet, Borotra and Willigm Johnston. His defection fromn the amateur ranks will be found to have heen no slight blow: to-amateur tennis, in that interest in tourneys will he affected by the loss of one of the few plavers who could take the court with even chances of beating any star in the werld. Miss Mary K. Browne. another of the new pros, is a former national women's champion, but she passed the peak of her game several vears ago. although still ranking in the top fljght the courts, and when States Lawn Tennis Association sent a team of woman stars to England and Framce tiis year Miss Browne was selected &5 the eaptain The other star amateur to listen to to the siren voice of the professional promoter was Howard Kinsey. These players, with Suzanne Len- glen as the chief attraction, have been touring the couptry, and reports of the success of the venture have been conflicting. In some cities crowds have turned out and in other places comparatively small gatherings have reflected lack of interest in the pro- fessional game. 1t is probable, though, that when the barn-storming is finished the pro- moter's end will have amounted to enough to pay expenses, with perhaps a profit for him. In any event, it is certain that professional tennis has by ne means set the country on fire and present indications make it doubt- ful that great interest will ever arise. —_—— PRO FOOT BALL DIS- APPOINTS Professional foot ball did not live up to expectations. Considering the number ofegridiron stars of various colieges who were lured onto the mer- cenary gridjron, it would seem that if ever the game was to get over it Wold have been this vear. A better showing probably would have been made had there not been two rival major foot ball leagues in centers where crowds attend intercol- legiate foot ball struggles. The con- flict of games among the professionals divided the support, which, had it been concentirated upon one eleven in each kity, might have enabled the teams at lean:. to pay expenses. As it turned out clubs failed in vari- ous cities and either went out of exist- ence or were. consolidated with other ¢lubs of the same league. There was 8n absence of big money threughout ‘the circuit, and when crowds of several housand attended games they were, ainly of the bl-cent class. There is talk of a merger of the twoleagues next sessom.and if this is effected one will have B fsirer basis for judgment as to the present strength and the future of professional foot ball than now is possible. I BIG YEAR FOR TURF l Contrasted with mercepary tennis and foot ball, the old-established pro- fessional sports thrived as never be- fore, Horse racing flourished through- out the country, mosy’ tracks report- ing record-breaking crowds and gaie receipts. No incidents sufficiently se- rious to.causé more than a.ripple oc- | curred on any of the important tracks, and the sport of racing thoroughbreds | enters upon the year of 1927 with the impesus of a brilliant 12 months Jying immediately behind. Curiously. enough, the great center of interest in the 1926 season related to a horse retired several vears ago, the great Man O' War. ‘When this greatest racer of all time was gent to the stud at the height of his career,. having no more rivais to beat, the action was regarded as an experiment. For yarely do crack racers reproduce themselves in such manner as to excite special interest. But Man O' War has done just that. In 1924 seven of the first.of his drop won a total of $29,865. Next year, with 21 descendents in training, the total winnings were $213,833. This year the winnings of Man O' War's progeny attained a total of over $359,000. ’ Two Sons Are Champions. And two of his sons have won hon- ors this season as the champlon two and three-year-olds. Crusader, of the three-year-old divi- sion, was easily the outstanding star His winnings amounted 83, which exceeded the 1925 figures of Pompey, $121,630. Crusader was unplaced in only 2 out of 13 starts, and in these 2 de- feats -weight conditions rather than racing form were responsible. Among the iwo-year olds, Scapa Flow, another Man O' War_product, wound up the season as the biggest winner and therefore champion of his ‘class. His winnings amounted to §8 465. This colt won the Futurfty as did’ his father before him. In six starts Scapa Flow was unplaced but once. The juveniles in 1926 were on a pret- ty even level of ability. No horse stood out as greatly superior to his rivals;-and this ndicated by the way in which the hest of them de- feated one snother in various impor- thought of Sarazen, Mrs. . &. Vanderhilt's pet. Although Sarazen at times lived up to expecta- tions, it must be borne in mind that this temperamental racer would race only when he wanted to, and when he didn’t feel in the mood he simply would not run. A great horse, though. PROFESSIONAL GOLF | Professional golf is so closely asso- eiated with amateur golf that the line ef interest often seems inseparable. Amateurs enter the open golf tourneys @nd in the course of the Winter a teurs and pros meet in special matehes. The high light of the season ide from the formal tournaments, were special matches among - American, British’ and_French pres. Arnaud Massey of nce and Archie Comp- ston of En me over here as a pair last in Florida, won a f Walter Hagen w ingland and defeated Ahe Mitchell in a special 7 hele match He also heat Robby Jones in Florida. in a match of 7 holes Harrye Cqoper-wondheniidoglio She was a vivid personality on | the United { )i B;:il Has an Even of Financial Suc- Angeles open, and Bill Mehlhorn won the $2.500 open golf tournament at Long Beach. Calif. Macdonald Smith won the Dallas open and Johnny Far- sell the Central Florida open. Mehl- horn won the South Central open at Hot 8prings, Ark. Compston won the Florida West Coast open metlal play tourney. Farrell won the Florida open. Mehihurn wen the South Flo ida open. Waiter Hagen took t Florida West Coast open. The North and South open at Pine- hurst was won by Bobby Cruickshank. Bobby Jones won the national open and Brifish open and Walter Hagen repeated for the third time in the Professional Golfers’ Assoclation match. MAT GAME IN CONFUSION Wrestling, unlike the flourishing prize ring, is in a state of confusi There are claims and counter with respeet to the championship title which cannot by any pracess of elim ination he accuratel settled. But Joe Stecher generally is regarded as having the best claim to the title. The leading wrestlers who face the new year are Stecher, Strangler Lewis, Joe (Toots) Mondt and the East Indian, Garawenko, The champions in the other classes are 1 learly defined than even in the heavyweight divi Johnny Meyers, howe stands out in the middieweight clas: POLO CREDITED WITH BIG YEAR Polo had its greatest season, with two crack British fours and the great Argentina outfit playing on Amer- ican fields in several important tourneys. Had the Argentines cleaned up in their prime objective and wen the national senior title it is probahle that the fameus American big four, international cup winners, would have been pitted against them, but as it turnéd out the South Amer- icans in the final were beaten by the Hurricanes, composed of Sanford, Pedley (n‘:l Strawbridge, Americans, and Reark, a British player. The United States Army team won the national junior title, thereby adding further prestige td the serv- ice game. Yale won the national collegiate indoor as well as the national out- door championship in polo and ¢his fine team also captured the outdoor intercollegiate title. e FOALS SHOW GREAT INCREASE IN A YEAR By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, Decembgr 25.—Regis- tration of thoroughbred foals of 1926 with the jockey club has reached the 3,500 mark, an increase of nearly 300 over 1925, and the highest figure in 20 years. In making this announcement to- day, the jockey club emphasized the steady growth of the blood stock breeding industry in the United States and Canada since 1913, when the foal registration numbered only 1740. That vear marked the lowest ebb in blood stock production in this country, following a period when | racing was outlawed at nearly every track in the country. The largest vear's foal registration on record is 4414, a mark made in 1965, On the basis of present growth, turfmen predict this mark will be | eclipsed in 1928, SUNDAY STAR. WASHINGTON. D. C. DECEMBER 26. 1926—-SPO YEAR KREMER - Acme WALTER HAGAN- leu JAKE SCHAEFER e Class AA base ball during the recent season was gaed, its races were inter- esting in two leagues and its financial returns were fair. In the Inte tinal League, the returns were very good in spots. In the American As- sociation they continued to be fine. In the Pacific Coast League they might have been better, and when the sea- son was over there were some Wwho began to agitate a divided season for their-league in 1927, a very doubtfyl experiment. o The supremacy of Baltijore was overthrown in the International League. Toronto won the pennant after Buffalo had made a very good fight with Toronto to defeat the former champions. Newark, 100, Was a good base, ball team, and the fine support fop\the game in that city, which experts had argued for years existed, if brought out properly, made a factor for prosperity in the Inter- national. Louisville Surprises Many. In the American Association the Louisville club won the championship, to the surprise of everybody except the Louisville club. There was an idea hefore the race that Loujsville could not do so ‘well after Jop Me- Carthy had left that team to be man- ager of the Chicago Natlonals, But a new manager, Willlam A. Meyer, proved to be quite as diplomatic and as successful in matching up his men, day by day, as his predecessor. The- splendidly compact circuit of the American Association responded excellently to the backers of the clubs, except in Columbus, where the team was ludicrously weak as com- pared with the other teams of the circuit and its weakness left such a gap all of the vear that the race was marred by it. Indianapolis, Toledo and Milwau- kee contributed their share to make a good race of it in the Amer- ican Association, and at one time it appeared as it the Milwaukee team might take the pennant to the west shiore of Lake Michigan. Louisville was the better finisher. Los Angeles Romps Away In the Pacific Coast League the Los Angeles team got a better than finger hold on the pennant early in the year and never relaxed it. In- stead of calling the players of the team the “Amngels,” they should be called the “Bulldogs.” Nothing could shake the grip they took In the first days of the race and they traveled up and down the season getting a fir ner hold. of the league extent. Toronte in Clean Sweep. to any course, it did not help the patronage | GOOD YEAR EXPERIENCED| BY MOST MINOR LOOPS| club in five game ifi succ on. Louisville never got a game. It was the biggest triumph for the Inter national League in the history of the dual series. The Dixie series was won by Dallas. The teams competing wer New Orleans and Dallas and agai the staunch Texas League, where | the best of minor league base ball | is played, won from the Southern Assoclatjon. Games were played in | New Orleans and Dallas and the de- | clding game wasg captured by Dallas | away from home. PerhaD® the quality of hase ball in_ the Southern Association and the | Texas League never was higher than | it was in the season of 1926, and on | patrons of games in those sections of the United States were very | highly favored by the contests which they saw. \ | - EDDIE COLLINS IS SEEN AS SUCCESSOR OF MACK By the Associated Press. Base ball men predict that Eddie Collins will succeed Connie Mack as manager of the Athletics mext year. | The 64-vear-old Philadelphia leader | aspires to win one more champlonship | before he retires, but whether he | achieves his purpose next Sunfmer or not, Connie is expected to turn the | reins over to the veteran second sacker. | Temnis Title Holders For the Past Season Event—Winner. %}L‘nfi:hfi':.’.‘.“ 4 R0t states. 5t vs, West—] o e ,.., onkers. mlx‘l‘u;—wnn-m T. Tl oul clay) —Lewis White and Men's singles (indeor)—Rene Lacoste, Men's " doubles (Indoor)—William T. Tilaon, ‘Fhiladelohis, »ad Fred And son, New York. Womew's singies . (tarD)—Mrs, Molla 8. Maiiors.: New' York, Wemen's doubles (twrt)—Miss Elizabeth Eyan, Sants Moniea, and Miss Eleanor New Ypric dvubtel (iurf)—Miss Elizabeth , Sunta Monica, and Jean Boroira, ¥ 5 Intercolleginte singles—Edward G. Chand- Jubige RS s Thoe, Sants Mon! whn Noeg, oniea. Sunlor singles (indoor) —Juline Seligaon, Lacoste, wied Ry arren Coen. Kansas City. jes (Indoor) —Frank Shields, t the end of the season the clubs of Class AA held their little world 185, - £ Ginie wingler—Miss Bouise MacPardande, Pasadena. B0-ya £220-yard Records and Champions on Track and Field OUTDOOR RECORDS—MEN. Name and Club. Charles Paddock, Los Angeles A, C.. braska University.. . in, Hahi Event Date. 100-vard dasb.. 220xard _das Semile relay.. Pole vault. 60-yard dash....... 100-meter dash. 1,000-meter - dash jump.. ... + Georgetown er. Swineburne. Burgess). -...De Hart Hubbard. Cincinnat OUTDOOR RECORDS—WOME! Name and Club. Katherine Meark, Boston, elen Fiikes. Chic elen Filkey! “Pasadena & ols. Broad relay 300-yard rela; 300-meter relas. dena A « E. Nichols, N, 500-yard R'Ill-....“..l’a;_m]% A. C. (K , maden, L Congl $403ard relay......... Pasidena A R o &1, shotpu Discus throw. by nay rd hurdls 20-vard dash | ii0yard relay 0.8 A ¥. Ruppert, L. saih St. Bonaventire 6. M Sione ink. C. Stonebrik, E. Brough).. .. M, -E. Emnions, Savage $chool "G Booth, Prudent A . Eieanor Egg. Paterson. NATIONAL A. A. U. CHAMPIONS. Name and Club. : rd medley. Broad jump (standi| BIb. shotput. High jump.. e Ee e ey SR e Harrington. ‘bert Schwarzer, h, New 9BDD o aren, “John Kuck Kansas T, Willie Ritoia, Finnish-A; Finnish-American A. INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMEIONS, Name and College enry Russell, CorneM enry Russell, Cornell Cooke. Syracise. v Hary intry .. Cross-country (team). e Two-mile U e E v hupiles. ighton Dye. Southern Caiifa nneth Grumbles. Southern ¢ bert King. Stanford... ... owding. Blegs. Sy e Hauser, uge,. . Enl"h rn Califor throw arlow. Stanford Outdoor team champion—Southern €alifornia. Crogs-country team champion—8yracuse. NOW NEARING END JOESTECHER HUGGINS BACKS RUTH IN MUCH MOOTED PLAY By the Associated Press. Settling a long debated qyestion | Miller Huggins has admitted that | Babe Ruth did the right thing in at- tempting to steal second base on the final play of the 1926 series. ‘We needed an unexpected move and had Ruth made the steal, it would have been declared the smartest piece of base ball in the history of world series play, says the Yankee manager, Leading*Turf Owners And Horses for Year AMERICAN In the Amerjcan T.eague rvace of 1928 the New York Yankees won he- cause they had a smashing drive that carried them along if first place from | May 1 to the end 4f the schedule. This is one of the hardest of all thing: to do in hase ball. Thé team in front that can remain in front practically without interruption ig the target of all the other ciubs in the league. The Yankees were knocked back to second place on the week - end of April 24, and that was the only time | they were lower than first place on | any week end of the vear. | | At times the New York team was| %0 far ahead that the owners of other | | American League clubs feared a one. sided race thiat would extinguish in- terest. That did not happen, hecause the Athletics would get settied exery now and then, and Washington would occasionally stage a burst of the speed with which the players had heen equipped when they won pennants, Cleveland Lgte in Fight. Toward the latter part of the season Cleveland settled into a steady con- tender against New York, hecause the Clevaland pitehers began ta pitch bet- ter and better. But Cleveland was tae late in entering warmly into the fight, and the team had heen so badly worsied hy Chicago early=in th e that it never quite overcame the set- back. i The Yankees lost their series with BLUDGEONS GIVE YANKS LEAGUE TITLE and the pitchers turned out to be as good as they should be, judging by their make-up. Cleveland was héiped a lot by the good pitching of Uhle and the zond batting of Burns. ‘The Athietics proved early that they were not dependable. The old players from whom Connie Mack had expected most falled to come through Lamar was not strong enough for the team and Galloway lagged frightfuily Cochrane did not begin to bat as he had batted the year before. and first base never was handled as weil as it had been in 1925, Old-Timers Sink Griffs. | Washington trled an experiment in | pitching with top many old-timers The feoling around with Joe Busi cost the team enough in the early part of the year to cost it the pen nant. It would have heen vastly bet ter for Washington if it never had traded Zachary and Ballou for Joe Bush, although the trade was made figuring that exporlnn:?d pitching was what Washington should depend npon to help it to win again. But the piteh ers who were enlisted for their ex perience had more experience than they had of success left in their arms, and the experiment wi the worst that Bucky Harrls ever attempted if he is the one gulity of trying it. b Detroit and Chicago, as they usually do, slid all over the American League map. ivery now and then bath of Philadelphia, the Athletics winping 13 sames of 22. This was hecause the New York team could not win from v Grove. The Yankees won from all other teams except/Cloveland, that team breaking even with them. The by which the pennant was 591, and 63 defeats. It was a hetter record than that made by St. Leuis in the National League. 1t was not the lowest record made in the American League, as Detroit won a pennant with .588. It was not, how- er, a 600 victory, and the Yankees rength of their triumph, they did not win from great teams. Cleveland, in the Spring season, had been rated as likely to finish about sixth if it had goed luck. It finished second. It loomed in the Spring as a team that might turn the league bot- tom side up if ever it got together The race for the National League champlonship this year A was more closely contested than that in the American League and developed more queer results and seeming inconsistencies in its progress. The Cardinals’ victery wa: hieved with the lowest percentage mark ever made in -the history of pennant winothg. The team's mark was .578, with §9 games won and 65 lost. Ninety victories usually is considered to be the minimum number neces- sary to capture a pennant in the big let ?:e west mark pflor to the past season in the National League was made by Philadelphia in 1915, with .582. Next in order comes Brooklyn, with .603 in 1900. Brooklyn won in 1920 with .604 and New York in 1922 also won with .604, None of these teams could be called a great ball club. In the American League the lowest figure for a championship team was that of Detroit in 1908 at e a great id not lead in batting as a team in 1926, but it did lead in run- making. Its run-making ability com- bined with its sturdy piteMng, and at times pitching that was better than any of its rivals, helped to bring it through. It was a persistent team, now and then a brilliant team,:an energetic team and one that had the buoyancy of youth and could fake a slap in the face and come back for more. . Hornsby Loses Batting Crown.' Hornsby fell out of the race for continuous leadership as individual batsman of his eircuit, but there was reason for it. He was badly hurt in midseason and played on, despite his injury, although he never was at his best. The best pitcher of the St, Louis team ffom the.standpoint of success was Flint Rhem, a young man from South Carolina. He was the best of his league in everything except ex- perience. He managed to enjoy a successful year without experience, but he was a fallure in the world series for lack of it. The player who helped most to unify the team was Thevenow, the them seeimed to be close enough to make the race more interesting and then both would falter. When Fddie Collins was hurt agsin, and found that he was unable t ¥, the White Sox were in bad luck, as th had been in 1925 when the manager was forced to retire. 8t. Louis and Boston wers hopeless. Iy out. Boston had no pi Louls no manager. Sisler had lost con trel of his players. and while he stuck it out to the end of the seasen he might as well have saved himself tha trouble because he could not bring his team through. It was a good geason for the Amer. fean League financially and in regard to attendance. The succéss of the New York club helped considerably. The crowds at Yahkee Stadium were large when the weather was good, and before the season was over they mounted from large to huge. e i % ol b g | e Sy o CARDS PRESSED TO COP NATIONAL LEAGUE RACE ful enough for the National Leaguers. The Chicage Cubs lmm.dl&u? start- ed to enlarge their stand at the end of the schedule. St. Louls was more prosperpus than any St. Lauis team ever had been in the National League. The poorer clubs had frequent good days, although the patronage at New York was not what it would have been if the Giants had been in the first division steadily. it o AT ROWING HONORS TO COAST CREW The aquatic stason was attended by" unp nted interest, due not only to the visit te Poughkeepsie of the University of Washington and Wis- consin crews, hut to the increased number of preliminary races contested by strong_crews. . Of thé Eastern crews the Nayy and Yale held the dominant positio Oon the Pacific ‘Washington easily disposed of Chlifornia in the April regatta on Lalke Washington. t Poughkeepsie, 2fter a thrilling 4-mile thrash in. which the Navy made a memorable spurt in the last mile, the University of Washington eight won out, leading the Midshipmen by a n;,rlln s0 small that from the shore it s impossible to tell which crew hay nished ahead. Yale won the annual Thames re- gatta over a ro;x‘( Harvard crew. Since Yale and the Navy did not m it is not possible to say which was the mm{n‘ combination. ‘Waiter Hoover again ssseried his supremacy as a single sculler and other Philadelphia oarsmen captured most of the nattonal championship regatta honors. 4 CHANNEL SWIMS ° YEAR'S FEATURE Gertrude Ederle, sturdy German- American mermaid of New York. was hailed as the heroine of one of the shortstop. He has had a queer his- tory. ranch Rickey, former man- ager of the team, took him on and it was Rickey who sent him away to Syracuse because he did net, think Thevenow was qualified for major league base ball. The first thing that Hornsby did as manager was to wire Syracuse to return Thevenow at once. That was in 1925. In 1926 Thevenow started regularly with the team. Both experts and fans were slow to notice t a difference Thevenow had made in the ctub until 8t. Louls was on the verge of winning a pennant. Twe Pittsburgh Faults. When Pittsburgh made its way to first place in August the champlons had timed their flight exactly right. They were on top about at the mo- ment when it is well to assume the lead. From that time until the end of the season, if they had won a few more than 50 per gent of their re- malining games they would have won the pennant. Pittsburgh was possessed of two serious faults. The first of them was lack of pitchers. The second was too much conversation. No team in years had had a larger burden of talk to consume, and talk often kills pen- nants. Pittsburgh_suffered, too, by the loss of Glenn Wright when cong versation was thickest. Cincinnati, almest always In.the fight, might have won the vannl.n‘ Wqfll some ease, had it started with good infleld and had ail of its players maintained their normal skiil all of the year. The flop of the Reds in the late days of the race was the most discouraging performance of all. Cubs Furnish Surprise. e One great surprise in the Natlo; League race was thé fine results ob- tained from the Chicago National League team. Joe McCarthy's work A8 manager sur] that of any other manager of his cireuit, because he took an odd assortment of almost nothing and led it along with such admirable utive. skill that he found & place With the team in the first division and twice was doing ‘well ll\lu“h to make his club a mild championship threat. The Giants flattened as a result of thelr ordinary ball players and more than ordinary mishaps. There was| nothing in’ Breskiyn, Philadelphia or Roston that suggested a champion- ship u‘: k'l‘ "5’].:"“ during t)‘u % oklyn dried up. fi:?\'m net have the pla e Ay ENERg . greatest athletic feats of the age when she negotiated the English Channel in a turbulent sea—the first woman to perform the feat. Subsequently the weight of her ac- complishment was lessened by the rapidity ‘with which others succes fully spanned the treacherous stretch of sea. Where only flve men previou ly had swum the Channel in 50 years, the season of 1926 say it conquered as many times again/ Mrs. Clemington Corson of New York, a mother of two children. put her name alongside Miss Ederle’s in the swimming hall of fame. Vier- kott f Germany, Michel of France and Dereham of England also turned the trick. Michel set the record at 11 hours 5 minutes, as compared with Miss Ederle’s mark of 14:81. ‘With Miss Ederle, as well as Alleen Riggin and Helen Wainwright in pro-* fessional ranks, women's swimming championships were divided principal- ly among Agnes Geraghty, Kthel Lackie, Eleanor Garratti, Sybil Bauer, Betty Becker Pinksfon, Helen Meany and Carin Nilsson. The invasion of Arne Borg, Swedish star, presented a threat to the supremaey of Johnny Weissmuller, who retained his Ameri- can short distance titles but did not m..tl Borg over longer championship routes. * Outstanding Swimming / Feats of Year in U. S,