Evening Star Newspaper, December 9, 1927, Page 51

SPORTS. THE EVENIN T STAR. WASHINGTON, D. C., TRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1927. SPORTS. § &t I —— Base Ball Draft Controversy Is Revived : War on St. Louis * MINOR LOOPS QUIT PACT WITH MAJORS Final Settlement of Row May Be Left to Board of Arbitration. By the Associated Press. ALLAS, Te Concluding ings by December 9.— | ng -the major- minov reement con- troversy. ites to the Na- tional Association of Professional Base Rall Leagues disbanded today, leaving the arbitration board to discuss sev- eral questions. ¥ After two ¥ <cussion the assoclation yesterday ordered five of ite members operating under the modi- fled draft agreement with major leagues to discontinue this practice. The circuits ordered to abandon the modified draft were the American As- Pacific Coast zues voted for the reso- | lution banning the compromise draft ngreement and five the 1 tion, M ago could © jors with the underst that such men could be claimed. Plavers obtained Dby minors from other sources other than the majors were not subject to the draft. Representatives of leagues sponsor- ing the resolution contended the modi- fied pact allowed the majors to sign virtually all promising recruits each wvear and place them with the five circuits with the knowledge the young- sters would be available when wanted. The smaller leagues claimed this per- mitted the majors to obtain high prices for recruits in the Spring and to reclaim them in the Fall at stand- ard draft prices. - Adjournment found several club owners questioning the legality of the assoclation’s action and several sug- mestions for further consideration were informally advanced. One group pro- posed to put the question in the hands of Kenesaw Mountain Landis, com- missioner of base ball. however, said he considered the controversy something to be settled by the mincrs and majors themselves. formed of the action at Kanss where he stopped en route to Chicago. He declared he was holding aloof to allow base ball organizations to settle the draft question once and for all. The commissioner suggested an arbitration board of major and minor representatives perhaps couid best handle the matter. If such a plan failed he said he may be forced to act. The association also approved rec- ommendations by President Mike H. Sexton against the purchase of sand- lot and college players by the majors for trading purposes. In adopting a ondemning such practices the association found the large sal- aries offered the youngsters gave them a false sense of their value and handicapped the minors in obtaining recruits. The association will meet in Decem- 1928, at Toronto. its annual meet- | - | Fitzpatrick When Fights The Famous Kid Lavigne’s Memoirs of Were Fights! The Kid Meets Joe Walcott, “The Great- est Welterweight of All Time,” Terror of His Class. e A Ferocious Fighter, Fast, Cruel, Almost Tm- possible to Hurt, a Terrific Two-Handed Puncher. a Savage First Rot Ring EORGE (KID) LAVIGNE ¢htweight champion of the world, uded two over Joe t England’s famous 1[um:.\:h:‘h‘xfln;xk P. Rucker.) The greatest welterweight of all time was Joe Walcott, known as *“The Barbadoes Demon” and “The Giant Killer.” He gave me the two hardest of my Ii terror to the men of Welterweights avoided him poison. Even Tommy Ryan, him- self a great welter champion, couldn’t be bribed or coaxed into a match with Walcott. A ferocious fighter, fast, cruel, al- most impossible to hurt, a terrific two-handed puncher, Walcott was one of the most formidable men at any weight tha ever beat down a lcott was stablemate of Tom Sharkey, under the management of | Tom O'Rourke, when the sailor was at the top of his form a heavy- weight. Walcott and Sharkey fre- quently put on the gloves together in training. 1 have heard O'Rourke say he never was able to tell which would win in a real fight. When it became known that Sam had matched me with Walcott even my warmest admirers shook their heads in dismay. Dynamite in Small Package. Imagine a 140-pound man, only 5 feet 1 inch tall, meeting and beating into helplessness such powerful, big fellow: hoynski, “Australian Jimmy” Dick O'Brien, Dan Creedon, Carter, “Wild_ Bill” Hanrahan, Jack Bonner and George Gardner, all light heavyweights. Wal- cott slaughtered them. It was not thought within the botinds of reason for so great a fighter to be beaten by a lightweight. Such a scourge was Walcott that finally it became impossible for his manager to get even the big fellows to meet him. O'Rourke had chal- lenged “Kid” McCoy, Tommy Ryan and “Mysterious Billy” Smith until he got tired. In 1895. O'Rourke, in desperation, issued a challénge to the lightweights, Jack McAuliffe or “Kid” Lavigne pre- O'Rourke offered to bring Walcott in at 133 pounds and to wager §1,000 to $500 that the colored fighter would stop any man at that weight in 15 rounds. McAuliffe, still the champion, ig- nored the challenge. When I called Fitz's attention to it he snorted, “To hell with that guy—we'll let Mr. Wal- cott alone.” Insists on Meeting Walcott. But T insisted I was afraid of no man at my weight. I urged Sam to make the match. The next day Fitzpatrick and Phil Dwyer met O'Rourke on Broadway. “What's all this stuff about that fellow of vour's doing 33?" said Fitz. “No fake about that,” replied O'Rourke. “Walcott can make 33 and be strong enough to murder all the lightweights in one night.” “You, must be going to- cook him, * ok Kk d Showed Lavinge He'd Need All His Skill and Stamina to Stay. into condition,” said Sam. do you need to boil him?” “Oh, five or six weeks'll be plenty,” was the answer. A meeting was arranged at the Gil- sey House, and articles were signed in’ the presence of the two managers, Al Smith (not the New York Governor), Jerry Dunn and Howard Hackett, sporting writer on the New York World. “How long Knockout or Forfeit. The agreement stipulated that Wal. cott had to knock me out in 15 rounds or forfeit the entire purse. It will perhaps amaze many old- timers when I record that Walcott and I tipped the scales at exactly 1311 each at 3 o'clock the day of the fight. We met December 2, 1895, at Mas- peth, Long Island. The betting was heavy. Odds were 8 to 5 Walcott would stop me. My friends couldn't resist the temptation of those odds and they got down their money in chunks. For a time the fight arena looked like the big betting sheds at Sheepshead ay. When the gong sent Walcott and me tearing in I had a new experience in fighting. Never had I met such a ferocious attack as that stumpy black boy cut loose. His muscular body seemed to grow in size and power as he hooked and swung at me, seeming- Iy determined to get it over in-the first round. “Demon’s” Savage Attack. From a newspaper description in my scrapbook I quote: The whole house was bewildered by the swiftness and savagery of Walcott's attack. It seemed that Lavigne would go under in the very first round, but he clinched and for a brief second recovered sufficiently to ward off the demon’s terrific body blows. In the breakaways Walcott land- ed several swinging blows on the head, and just as time was called Lavigne ducked a straight left for the jaw that surely would have knocked him through the ropes had it reached the spot. As I walked to my corner after that fearful round I realized that I would need all my superhuman stamina and capacity to take punishment. “Better let him set the pace for a few rounds,” whispered Fitzpatrick, anxiously. “I don’t see what else I can do,” I answered. ‘“He surely is doing it up grand.” “Fight for the body,” advised Sam. That, also, was all T could do, for Walcott had practically no neck, and when he pulled down his bullet head under his huge shoulders there was little target to shoot at above. (Next—"The Killing Pace Set by ‘Walcott.™) CHAMPION SKATER QUITS. NEW YORK, December 9 (#).—Paul Forsman, national sprint skating champion, announced his retirement to devote his time exclusively to busi- ness. Forsman won the national title at Sarapac Lake, N. Y., Jast year, N PLAYERS AGAINST CARD DOMINATION Five Teams Under Breadon Throttles Chances to Advance, Claim. BY JOHN B. FOSTER. EW YORK, December 9.—Old Doc_Apprehension moves un- casily these days whenever the St. Louis National League Club is mentioned. The old doctor calls attention to the fact that organized base ball once had to fight a trust case and wonders whether it is treading on dangerous ground again. Sam Breadon, owner of the St. Louis Nationals, has just announced that his club will operate five minor league teams in 1928, and some base ball clubs are voicing criticism of the St. Louis policy in expanding to the minor leagues. Now the players are talking of tak ing a hand in the game. The latest information coming to hand is that the players are considering an appeal to Commissioner Landis. The players have talked themselves into the be- lief that the St. Louis organization is a five-footed octopus and they want Judge Landis to cut off four of the toes. Once the judge had a so-called “base- ball trust” case come before him and there has always been an opinion that organized base ball would have got it in the thorax if the judge had rend- ered a decision at that time. Of course, any decision that he might make now as commissioner of base ball probably would be more effective than if he had made one while on the Federal bench. To Have Five Clubs. Mr. Breadon’ssannouncement said that the St. Louls Club in 1928 will sperate the Houston, Syracuse, Topeka and Danville cubs and probably the Dayton club in the new Central League. The Houston club was to have been sold, but the price put on that franchise was $500,000, which is rather cumbersome for a non-pennant winning team. The players are rebelling against joining a club of a circuit which em- braces St. Louis domination. They argue that it is not right for Messrs. Breadon and Branch Rickey to have the “say-s0” over so many men. They also assert that the St. Louis club can so manipulate players as to keep under cover all those which it wishes eventually to put into the St. Louis team, and thus deny young men a year or more of service with some other club to which they would pre- fer to belong. “Who,” says the orator of these protesting players, “wishes to sign a contract to play with the Danville Club when he “knows that the St. Louis Goblin will catch him? Sup- pose a player wants to go to the Chicago Cubs. He gets hitched up accidentally to thé Danville Club and then he is anchored between Houston or Syracuse and St. Louis. “That's no way to treat a modern ball player. Why, a_guy never is likely to get to New York except on a St. Louis ticket even if he is the best ball player in the world. And you never know where St. Louis is |- going to buy next.” GULF PUMPS~anywhere~dealer or service station are beacon lights of service and quality ~Courteous at- tendants, prompt and efficient, make it a pleasure to purchase Gulf products~ That Good Gulf Gasoline Gulf No-Nox Motor Fuel Supreme Motor QOil Combined with Supreme- Motor Oil either of these gasolines insure wer and mileage ~Fill your tank, change your oil and note the improvement in your motor. At the Sign of the Orange Disc . Trust” Is. Brewing Nats Would Exact Fair'Trade To Let Ruel By the Assoclated Press. CLEVELAND, December 9.—Parti- sans of the Cleveland American League Base Ball Club, eager to know who will direct the team next today were pondering on a m received y ay from vans, general manager of the He wired friends here that contrary to reports that he had appointed Art Fletcher, present New York Yankee coach. he had not even conferred with Fletcher and that when any announcement was made, it would come from President Alva Bradley. Evans, who is en route here from a meeting of the National Association of Professional e Ball Clubs at Dallas, Tex., arrived yesterday in St Louis with Bill Friel, manager of the St. Louis Browns, but he disappeared after a conference in Friel's office and efforts to find him were unavailin; Evans had been gquoted in Dallas as confirming the appointment of Fletcher, but E: denial and | Be Indian Pilot previous statements by Fletcher him- self indicated that there were other and more likely candidates for the job. Evans conferred several times last week with Roger Peckinpaugh. Chi- cago White Sox infielder and coach, whose home is here. “Muddy” Ruel, catcher for the Washington ctub, also is being con- sidered, in the opinion of local base ball men, while Fletcher, after saying lie had not been approached and was not favorably inclined toward the job, stated that only an extrabrdinary offer would draw him to Cleveland if New York was willing to keep him as coach and scout. Mrs. Fletcher, from her home in Collinsville, TIk, near St. Louis, said over the telephone that her husband had not seen Evans and had not been approached by him so far as she knew. It the Cleveland club is considering Muddy Ruel for the position of man- ger of the Indi: 2 flith knows nothing of it. The president of the Nationals today said he had and that in the event he s, nothing | would be considered without Manager | Harris being consulted. “As a matter of general policy we would not wish to stand in the way of any Washington player bettering himself,” asserted, “but in a contingency of this sort we would want to be guaranteed playing strength in return commensurate with the loss involved.” LEONARD-RYAN SCRAP MINNEAPOLIS. December 9 (P).— There was nothing wrong with the Sammy Leonard-Alvan Ryan welter- weight scrap at Duluth iast Friday, the State boxing commission has de- cided in clearing Leonard of charges he had faked being knocked out in the second round. They are Twin City fighters. The commission, however, still s holding up the purses of Billy Petrolle, the fargo Express, and Harry Kahn, Milwaukee lightweight, while it welghs_charges that both men were under the managership of Jack Hurley of Fargo when they met not been approached on the subject | IS CALLED ALL RIGHT | ALEXANDRIA BALL TEAM PLANNED ALEXANDRIA, Va.. December 9.— With Dreadnaught Athletie Associa- tion undecided about sponsoring - a semi-professional base ball team next Summer, Gerard Edwards, who starred for the Big D's several seasons at | third base, has annofiaced that he will rganize such an outfit if the Dread- naughts do not enter the fleld. Alexandria High -School foot bail team, runner-up for the third athletic district of Virginia championship, was entertained by the Alexandria High School Pep Club, a girls’ organi- zation, at a banquet in Lee Camp Hall last night. 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