Evening Star Newspaper, February 2, 1930, Page 86

e, THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FEBRUARY 2, 1930. | < SPORT PROTEGES HO GO FLOP. Retiring Champions All Seem to Have a Weakness for Trying to Pick Young Hopefuls as Their Logical Successors to Fame and Title, but Records Show That Little of This Pet Talent Ever Lives Up to the Predicted Greatness. ICKING ’em is different from punch- ing ’em. Thus it happens, strangely enough, that most of the greatstars of sports able to outshine the field in their own performances, have flopped dismally in judging new talent, The protege who basked in reflected star- light have almost always curled up and died when exposed to the more pitiless spotlight. Great sport stars have a habit of making extravagant claims for their proteges. But usually they find the phenoms folding up on them and nothing left for themselves but an engraved certificate of membership in the Lemon Pickers' Association. You'd think Jack Sharkey, the Gabbing Gob, would know a heavyweight walloper when he saw one. Sharkey is not merely a puncher. He is ring-wise and fast with both hands and feet. He has made a deeper study of the technique of battling than the average modern ©On siich a basis, you'd think he would choose his protege somebody who would cut a wide swath among the heavies. BUT the Gabbing Gob has been disillusioned. He was sure he could pick ‘em right And in Joe Vincha he was positive he was sponsoring a future heavyweight champion. Vincha did & little boxing in his native Lithuania, but only as an amateur. He de- cided America was the golden haven for sock specialists. He had a difficult time assem- bling enough money to deposit him in the land of his dreams, but finally he stepped on Amer- ican terra firma at New York City. It was logical that Vincha should make him- self and his mission known to Jack Sharkey. The Gabbing Gob is of Lithuanian extraction. Sharkey has not been in the habit of pick- ing proteges. Vincha is his first offense, but he’s likely to be the last. When the Lithuanian amateur introduced himself, the latter ordered a workout. ‘VINCKA showed impressively. Like many LY piffers who are busts in bona fide action, he was a wow in rehearsals. Sharkey was fascinated. Here was & heavyweight who had a punch and who was speedy with hands and feet. An uncut fistic gem, in Sharkey’s opinion. Sharkey's manager, Johnny Buckley, was called into consultation. Buckley was also enthused. He felt he had within his grasp another big money maker. The protege could be nursed along for about two years, and then primed for the big shots. After Sharkey had worked out with Vincha practically every day for about four months and had polished off some of the rough spots the strategy board decided to give Vincha his professional start. The debut was under very auspicious circum- stances. Within several rounds, Vincha's op- penent sank gently to sleep, and public procla- mation was made by Sharkey, Buckley et al. that here was the official birth of a coming champ. When Sharkey would be ready to for- sake the heavy sugar he would have a protege to step right into his footwear. . So it was all settled. ' With Sharkey directing his movements in the ring and daily giving instructions in work- outs, there seemed a rosy fistic future for Joe Vincha, the Lithuanian Larruper. Vincha triumphed so easily in two preliminary bouts, the strategy board arrangsd to display him in his first main bout. The members of the board made a survey of the heavyweights and chose Tiger Tom Dixon of Dover, N. H., as the sacrifice. It was expected that Dixon might be allowed to stay vertical for half the scheduled 10 rounds because the bout was booked for his home town. But that would be pll. In his workouts Vincha flattened several veieran heavies and also stung his mentor. It was a hard task to induce other millers to work out with him. | A CCOMPANIED by Sharkey, Buckley and Al ! Lacey, Sharkey's trainer, Vincha drove over the Dover road, and when he climbed into the ring he had taken a leaf out of his master's book and confidence was oozing out of @very pore. Vincha went out in the first round to end the fray pronto. Dixon apparently figured him- self as without a chance of beating this highly boosted phenom, so he worked under wraps for the first session. Vincha was the aggressor, and he went to his corner at the close of the ghapter sure he would finish his adversary within several more rounds. da the second stanza Vincha again set the pace at the start. Toward the close of the round the Tiger clawed Joe up a bit, but Josef weathered the storm, although he was a trifle unsteady when he parked himself on his stool. It looked to Sharkey as though Vincha had the failing of every amateur. He was prone to fight himseif out in the early rounds. The Gabbing Gob advised his protege to coast along for a round or two and then crash Dixon. In the third verse the Tiger leaped from his lair and tore into Vincha. Onme hard clout on the button and Vincha was draped on the floor. Sharkey yelled at him to get up and cover up. Yes, Vincha staggered to his pins. But he was trundled to the floor again by another claw from the Tiger. He got up and was promptly returned to the boards by Dixon. It was at this point that Sharkey decided all was not well and flew the distress signal, 'HIS disaster didn't shake the confidence of Sharkey in his protege. He decided it was an off night for Vincha. Sharkey and his manager and trainer went into a huddle and selected one Pietro Corri of New York City, via Austria, as the delayed sacrifice. Corri had been in America for several years, but nobody had arisen to predict a champion- ship for him. He has been defeated by a num- ber of the also punched. Sharkey arranged to have his protege in the ring at Keene, N. H., against Corri. With all his strategy board in his corner, Vincha toed the mark. For the first round Vincha had a wide bargain but after that it was all Corri. By the time the seventh round had rolled around they were rolling the senseless Vincha over the carpet to his eorner. Vincha exposed a very glaring defect. It was his utter inability to collect a stiff punch on the chin without losing control of his dogs. As a picker, Sharkey had proved himself a swell puncher, PERHAPS it was friendship that influenced Tris Speaker in favor of Les Nunamaker, Nunie had been playing second fiddle to catching virtuosos on the New York Yankees and Bceston Red Sox for several years., It was while he was on the Red Sox roster that he became friendly with Speaker, then one of the leading outfielders, hitters and baserunners of the American League. The star outfielder and the second string backstop became pals and roommates. They had one hobby in common—hunting. After the American League activities, Speaker and Nuna- maker went hunting for several weeks. Speaker thought Nunie was a stellar catcher. He resolved that, if he ever develcped into & pilot, he would give his pal a full opportunity. Speaker was sold to the Cleveland Indians, and later was appointed playing manager. His first act was to retrieve Nunamaker from tihe brink of base ball oblivion and attach him to the Indians. Spoke gave his pal a splendid chance to dis- tinguish himself, but Nunie was pagse, both in fielding and hitting. For several years Speaker kept Nunamaker on the Indian crew, with the Old Bill Burgess felt sure he had a conqueror of the Channel in Egyptian Ishak Helmy, but Helmy (left), though a huge man-mountain, has never been le to duplicate Burgess' earlier feats. veteran catcher about as valuable as an extra leg to a cow. Nunie was never able to justify the confidence placed in him by Speaker. As big league re- ceivers go, he cannot be included in the top flight. Speaker has been recognized as one of the starriest fielders and hitsmiths in base ball history, but he badly misjudged his friend's ability. ORDXNARILY, a canny judge of base ball material was Fred Clarke, himself a star outfielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates and later manager and vice president under Barney Dreyfuss’ regime. Clarke picked up a pitcher in the Western League, whom he was sure would ride rough- shod cver the bludgeon wielders of the National League. The recruit's name was Marty O'Toole. He had a fine record in the Western circuit and Clarke was certain he had something in the nature of a gold mine for the Pirates. Clarke was all set to Introduce a new phenom to the Big Show. A record sum was paid for O'Toole and he began his service with the Pirates. Instead of being a puzzle to the batsmen of the older of the major leagues, the rookie fell flat and was eased out of the majors, never to return. United States-born hockey players are scarcer than dinosaur eggs in the professional league. It is recognized by the franchise holders in the Jack Sharkey, and, at left, his manager, Johnny Buckley. They picked Joe Vincha for a coming champion, but saw him knocked kicking. various circuits that the predominance of Canadian-born players is a big drawback in the pregress of the ice game as played in the United States. What is wanted is players who are citizens of the United States, but they can’t be had. Lester Patrick, manager of the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League, was sure he had a budding star in Myles Lane, Patrick had been a great hockey star himself and you'd think he'd know. So after giving Lane the up and down at Dartmouth, Patrick decided here was what was wanted by the Rangers. But Lane proved miles away from the objec= tive set for him by his sponsor. While he had been a star in intercollegiate hockey it was found impossible by Patrick to keep him on the Rangers through a season. He was only taking the place and pay of somebody more helpful to the club. SINCE 1911, Bill Burgess has been recognized as one of the outstanding coaches of mara- thon swimmers. Each Channel swimming pericd, he has maintained a training camp at Cape Gris Nez on the French shore of the Channel. It was in 1911 that Burgess swam across the Channel and he did it from Dover to Calais, whereas modern swimmers try an easier route from south to north, Burgess was the second person to make the swim, thd, first be- ing the late Matt Webb. It took Bill 22 hours and 3%™minutes Nobody ever accused Burgess of disseminating bedtime stories about swimming and swimmers. He knew. So, when he espoused the cause of Ishak Helmy, everybody interested in swimming shook the bubbles out of his ears and stood at attention. Helmy had come from his native Egypt, ses cure in his expectation to swim the English Channel. A giant in height and poundlage, he had all the natural assets. Back home in Egyptian waters, Helmy had done considerable long-distance swimming, but his ambition was to swim across the English Channel. It was 10 years ago he first decided to try his luck on the Channel—and he's still trying during the swimming season of each year, HE has made 20 attempts to swim from Cape Gris Nez to the English side\of the strait. And has not penetrated more than half way across. He would swim strongly for a few miles and then fade. Burgess believed it was the cold water to which he had been unaccustomed in Egypt that spelled the giant's doom for several years He, therefore, had the Egyptian train in the Channel water all during the Summer and Fall, with an occasional try at the course. Despite the years of effort to harden him to the frigid water, Helmy seems unable to respond to this treatment. In his most recent Channel attempts he has had to quit the grind earlier than when he made his debut.