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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 1917)
The Omaha Sunday Bee OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING. DECEMBER 23. 1917. The Bee's Special Sunday Sport Pages All the Latest Sport N ews All the Time FORMER ROURKES PRINCE RETURNS !LONG, LEAN FRED FULTON IS MAN HEAR UNCLE SAM'S I TO OLD LOVE, THE CALL TO COLORS! BIKE RACE GAME Lou North and Ray Miller of the 1916 Champion Omaha Team Enlist With Fight ing Men. Lou North, star pitcher for the Omaha Western league club during 1915 and 1916, has entered the ranks of Uncle Sam's fightine men. North has enlisted in the aviation corps and soon hopes to be fighting battles in the air for Uncle Sam in stead of on the base ball diamond North last year finished the season with Milwaukee. He was sent to the Brewers by the St. Louis Cardinals in the deal that brought Marvin Good win into the big show. Now both North and Goodwin are in the same branch of service, as Goodwin enlisted some time ago. North's pitching in 1916 was one of the big factors in the championship success of the Rourkes that year. He was the leading hurler of the club and the Western league both and in the post-season series between Omaha and Louisville that year he was the only Rourke hurler to earn a victory over the association champs. Rav Miller is another member of that championship team to join the trmy. Ray played first base for the Kourkes that year. Miller played with a number of clubs last year, including Cleveland, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and a nine in the Arizona copper league. He finishel the year at Kansas City. Benson and Thome Lineup Is Complete; AfterState Title The old Brandeis team, indepen dent basket ball champions, is gone, but a new team, the Benson & Thornes, has taken its place, and judging from the lineup it will prove even superior to that famous Bran deis quintet. Two former Brandeis players are on the new Benson & Thome five. They are Bob Koran and Warren Ritchie, one of the best pair of guards who ever worked together on a local floor. Roy Platz, George Parish and Kenneth Klepsar, all inombers of the Creighton team last vear: Ed Burdick, former Central High star and now coach at the Uni versity of Omaha, and a Young Men s Christian association physical di rector: Merritt Klepsar, former Cen tral High player, Rube Cronestead and John Reel, coach of the Belle vue team, are other members of the team. The Benson & Thornes are after the state championship and have is sued a challenge to any quintet ' in Nebraska. Manager John Reel may be found at Douglas 8182 if any team wants to accept the challenge. Games have been scheduled with the Central Furnitures and Fort Crook, and Reel hopes to announce a game with Camp Dodge soon. Penn Will Stick to All . . . a m I Sports uurmg war renoa The athletic authorities of the Uni versity of Pennsylvania have decided to stick to their policy of continuing Hthletic sports during war time as far as possible. At a meeting of the Penn Athletic council it was unanimously decided to go on with the various intercollegiate activities, and furthermore it was de cided to hold the Penn relays as usual next April. It is likely that the relay meeting will be run under conditions modified to suit the times, but the main point is that the games will be held at Franklin field on April 27, 1918. Just what changes it will be neces sary to make to fit the times remains to be seen. One of them w ill certainly be the allowing of near post entries tn the championship events especially. W hereas, beftere last spring Penn's task was to find a place on the pro gram for the hundreds of teams that wanted to take part in the races, next spring it will be something of a task to fill the events that are run off. McBride of Griffs Spends 16 of 36 Years in Pastime When a man has spent 16 years in professional base ball he is entitled to !c called a veteran of the game even if he is only 36 years old. Such is the case of George F. McBride of the Senators, who was born in Milwaukee on November 21, 1881. It was in the City league in Mil waukee that lie made his first repu tation. In 1902 he played third base for Milwaukee and Kansas City in the American association, after which he spent a couple of seasons with the Western league, playing with Peoria and St. Joseph. The Pirates drafted him from St. Joseph in 1905, but Fred Clarke soon swapped him to the Cardinals for Dave Brain. After that he was sent hack to Kansas City, but in 1907 he was bought by Washington and he has been there ever since. Leslie Davies, Golf Pro,. Is to Wed Christmas Day Leslie Davies, golf professional at the Lincoln Country club, and well known in local and state circles, is to wed Miss Lois Loughlin of Lin coln Christmas day. Davies formerly was at the Happy Hollow club in Omaha as. assistant to Charley Johnston. Jast summer. Leslie won the professional cham pionship match at the state patriotic tournament at me umana vuuiury club. Tom Murphy Buys Number Of Yearling Trot Nags Tom Murphy was in Kentucky last -ck arranging for the shipment to 5 training quarters at Poughkeepsie. r" V . of a number of yearling trotters that look to be worth train for the Vvear-old stakes next ran. ocvcrai oi Ti.'..,, ,,. hv Siliko (2:11), himself a winner of the 3-year-old section of the Veteran Promoter, Who Got Start in Omaha Years Ago, Tries to Stage Comeback in Salt Lake. Jack Prince, promoter par excel lence, globe trotter and party to many sport ventures attempted in Omaha, is trying to revive the old bike game which he started on a career of world wide popularity in this city more than a score of years ago. Prince, in company with Hardy Downing, has built an indoor saucer track out in Salt Lake City and will start amateur and professional com petitions sooon. It was more than 20 years ago that Jack Prince came to Omaha, intro duced the bike racing game and made this city a center of the pedaling sport. His track was out at the Coliseum and he staged many suc cessful races. Later Price went east, invaded Chi cago, New Vork and other cities. He took Omaha riders with him ana the local speed boys cleaned up. Goes to Europe. Prince finally went to Europe and built bike dromes in many of the larger cities across the Atlantic. When the bicycle game began to wane as the gasoline engine came in Prince delved into other promotion schemes. He built saucers for motor cycles. His best one was built here in Omaha, but it was not until after this game had gone to pieces, so the ven ture was a flivver. Then Prince went in for automo bile racing and he conceived the idea of the board track for the four wheeled steeds. Again it was in Oma ha Prince started work on his first track. He built the East Omaha speedway, which was an innovation of startlintr proportions. Other cities fol lowed, Prince himself built tracks in other towns, and now the board speedway with the high-pitched banks arc regarded as the "dope" for motor car speeding. Returns to Old Love. Prince also dabbled in wrestling. tugs-of-war and many other ventures. But none of them were as successful as his crowning achievement, the bike saucer. So, despite the fact that bicy cle racing has been on the toboggan for these many years, Prince has re turned to his old love. It is said if his Salt LakeCity track proves a success. Prince will return to his old stamping ground Omaha, and build a track here and attempt; to make bike racing the big sport in umaha as it was more than a score of years ago. JONES READY TO TO FIGHT JESS WILLARD FOR TITLE' SELL DENVER TO OKLAHOMA CITY Lanky Plasterer From St. Paul Has Won Right to Meet Champion by Recent Knockouts. Fred Fulton, the long, lanky plas terer of St. Paul, is the man to meet Jess Willard for the heavyweight championship. As far as one can think, there isn't another heavyweight roaming loose in this fair land that is worthy to stack up against Fulton. Of course, he's going to fight a number of gentlemen that are heavy on the hoof, but no reputation would be risked if one would assert they will all be easy for him. Boxing, like every other little thing, needs many victims, otherwise the battlers and their worthy man agers would be compelled to labor as other honest men. This is naturally repugnant to those involved in this sport or profession. It's Up to Willard. Scanning the horizon, the only an swer is that Jess Willard. the tank town circus proprietor, will be forced to give Fulton a whack at the crown. It doesn't make any difference if Jess says the public doesn't demand the match. That may be the way Jess looks at the situation; but the dear public would be immensely gratified if he'd step outside the can vas and mix up matters with Fred erick Fulton. Not that the dear public loves Frederick so much that it would be terribly pleased to see him massacre Jess Willard, but it wants the big fellow to get busy as long as he's wearing the crown. There are any number of sports that-, l.i i. .. -it: i . v WOT3IU IJC WllllIlK LU IVJU3C1I ULI Ull dough to get the two big fellows in the same ring stripped for action. Not that these towns would go into bankruptcy to stage the proceedings. but would be willing ta stand a good B. R. ptr -our. J "it t fit v V ' & its: w Billy Miske All Swelled Up Over His Defeat of Dillon Billy Miske, St. Paul light heavy weight, is all "swelled up" on himself since he defeated Jack Dillon. Billy told hi home town newspaper boys that the JJilion victory cost him plen ty of money, as it has made all the stars afraid to face his fire in the ring, He named as dodgers Mike Gibbons, Tom Gibbons, Fred Fulton, Frank Moran, Bill Brennan, Battling Levin sky, and Charley Wemert. Note carefully that Miske made no reference to Kid Norfolk. Mavbe that was because Norfolk gave Miske a real beating over the 12-round route at Boston just before Miske outpointed Dillon. Not only did Nor folk beat Miske, but he won the ref eree s decision. Patrons Begin to Catch Fast Horses for Walt Cox Walter Cox, the New Hampshire driver who won more money than any other reinsman this year, expects to have a particularly strong stable in 1918, since in the horse game nothing succeeds like success, and the driver who heads the list of Grand Circuit reinsmen, provided his position at the finish of the campaign is due to the work of several horses and not merely one star trotter or pacer that could get big money with almost anybody in the sulky, can have his pick of horses for the fqllowing season. The latest one to be bought by a Cox patron is the trotter Loyal W. (2:10), which last summer, in the hands of an eastern man, won nine straight races, not meeting defeat until he went lame. He is by a son of Parole (2:16), a member of the Mambrino Chief fam ily, which strain does not furnish a great many modern trotters of class, but Loyal W. may be the exception to the general rule. This Is Hard Luck Country For Boxers of Australia' Australian fighters are not having any luck in this country. Les Darcy was branded as a slacker and then hounded to his death. Mick Kline', a fairly good middleweight in Australia, has proved to be a third rater in the United States and is having trouble making expenses. And now Fred Dyer, a good welterweight, who won a number of bouts in the east, has run afoul of the jinx. First Dyer was arrested the other night in New York and was charged with being a deserter from the United States army. He had no trouble in disproving this charge, but now he has been called in the draft and ordered to report at Camp Upton, Yaphank, L. I. Dyer will endeavor to have the draft order annulled on the ground that ne is a British subject. Little Chance to Replace Cricket With Base Ball American dealers who may have been planning to invade the British market with base ball goods, now that many Americans and Canadians are in England, received little encourage ment from the report of an investiga tion made by attaches of the Depart ment of Commerce into the possibil ity of base ball supplanting cricket. A request from an English sporting goods dealer for quotations on 50,000 base balls was said to be no real index of public opinion, as he doubt less was prompted by the presence in his town by a large number of wound ed Canadians tan on the In these momentous tunes there are not so many folks that would grow excitably enthusiastic over the melee. Still there are enough to make it worth the while to Jess to settle down and do a little training. Willard will be compelled by the force of circumstances to get out and do some defending, otherwise the show will kind of simmer down. The dear public is mainly attracted to the colossal show by the magnet of the name of Jess Willard, world's champion. Fulton Lacks Courage. When the dear public is convinced that the world's champion is passe as a fighter, then the well known rasp berry will become very prominent and annoying. And the raspberry is such a thing it makes every promoter vairy, vairy seeck. When this battle, comes to lifeif it ever does there will be a slight chance of the title changing hands. Though Fulton is possibly much clev erer than Willard, lie doesn't possess the stamina of the champion. Again, his heart isn t as big as that of Jess That orean never failed to play an important part in every big scrap that ever took o ace. so it should figure just as prominently in this muss if it ever happens Just the same, the dear public would delight to hear of the match, for it's getting very much tired of paying homage to a champion inai shudders when the word fight is men tioned. Jess is Slacker. Tt wouldn't- have taken Jeffries long to accept Fulton's challenge if Fulton had shown up when Jeff was champion. That is just tne diner hptwepn Willard and other title holders. Jess is not a naturs.1 fight ing man. ne cioesn i iaic any imm nrp in (rivintr us skill a real test, Hp is naturally mild, peaceful and in clined to take the easiest trail, ne has made plenty of money and neces- ciiv rinpsn't drive him. winara is about at the point where he can real ize his old ambition ouy a nne ranrh stork- it with black cattle and live the life of a cattle king instead of a fighting man. less should be successtui m tne business of handling live stock Its said that he has deftly avoided the expense of letting his circus eat its head off in winter quarters by mak ing a deal with the camp commander at Fort Johnson (near his winter cir cus home) and leasing all his horses to the government for $6 a day per team and teed! jess seems to-dc a fairly capable business man; quite different from the poor boob with the syndicate" of managers. CADDOCK GIVES BROADWAY A LOOK But His Feet Stick to the Track BRIGHT LIGHTS CONTAIN NO GLAMOR Twelve Floor Games Are Carded for Ames Aggies Ames. Ia.. Dec. 22. Twelve college games comprise the basket ball sched ule of Iowa State college this season. Coach Wolter has been working the souad hard the last two weeks, and. although war activities have taken many promising players, he hopes to have a' strong team. This schedule in cludes the following games: January 4 ('on at Ann?. January 17 Ami1 at l.awrom-i January 11 Amps at I.awrewc January 1!) Amos against Kansa at Manhattan. Ffbruary 1 Ames at OrlnnH!. February 9 Ahiph at Iowa City. February 16 Missouri at Ames. February 16 Missouri at Amt. February 22 Orlnnell at Ames. ' February 23 Kansas AkkIph at Ai March Jl Iowa at Ames. Broadway, that street of the Great White Way where ice tinkles in the silver wine buckets, champagne flows in mellow streams, lights splash in taxi trails, jazz music onesteps the hand to the purse and the car bonized grape juice flies, have no appeal to Earl Caddock, heavy weight wrestling champion of the world. Caddock a week ago paid his first visit to old Broadway, lie was in the big city to wrestle a couple of matches in the wres tling tournament which closed there last night. Clad in his private's uniform of the LTnited States army, Caddock, in company with Gene Melady, Jack Curley, Louis Meyer and James P. Sinnott, started out after the midnight hour had chimed to see the night life of the me tropolis. He visited the bizarre show at the Palais Royal, Rector's and several other of the gilded palaces opening upon Broadway and flanking it on every side. Earl took it all in, but it didn't make him dizzy and he was obviously tired when dawn came over the horizon.. "We don't stay up so late out my way," he told his companions, "especially in the army." At Rector's, Meyer tried to get Caddock to dance with May King, hostess" at the celebrated cafe, but Meyer was out of luck, for the mat champion said "Nay, nay." Too bashful was the explan ation given. Karl says that he likes New York, but the big town didn't daz.le him as it has so many other mat and ring champions and he admits he wouldn't find any fun hitting the high places along the great stfeet where the ghosts lurk in waiting lor such as he. Caddock, however, made a big ger hit with Broadway than Broadway did with Caddock. The New Yorkers took an immense liking to the Iowa lad and de clared to their way of thinking he was the real champion. RIVAL ARMY CAGE STARS READY FOR CHRISTMAS FRAY Floor Quintets Representing Forts Crook and Omaha to Tangle at University of Omaha. ONE-ARMED GOLFER STARTLES SOUTH Louis Martucci Shoots 18 Holes Under 70 Despite Fact That He Has Only One Arm. The exhibition phase of profes sional golf in the south this winter will receive fre.-.h impetus throueh i i decision of Cyril Walker of Shacka iiiaxon aim 1,0111s Martucci, the one armed "pro." of the South Orance mi 1 t 1 Field club, tb join forces. Already J J 1 1CSC two have i;l;irtcfl in arrnnrrp men Christmas night when the basket matches and the chances are they will ball quintets of Fort Omaha and Fort Crook tangle on the floor at the Uni- be given an opportunity to display their skill at a number of the favorite versitv of Omaha for the basket ball i stopping places championship of the Omaha army! Miice Martucci has lieen appearing posts. j open tournaments he has attracted J he hort t.rookers, smarting trom no end 01 attention, r. very where lie thr defeat at the hands of the bal- goes the gallery wants to see how he loonists on the gridiron, are thirsting 1 performs mirach's, such as with one Earl Caddock Visits His Aged Grandmother in East When Earl Caddock, world's wrestling champion, journeyed east a week ago it was for two reasons. One was to take part in the wrestling tournament at New York; the other was to see his aged grandmother who lives in Newark, N. J. Earl's grandmother is 93 years old. It was the first time he had seen her since he was a child and it is said he enjoyed his visit with his grandmother more than his visit to the nation's metropolis. Buffalo Business Men Dig To Keep Base Ball Going Buffalo will keep its club in the In ternational league, it is now an nounced. The club is in debt and there was talk of dropping it and selling the franchise, but business men have decided to make up the deficit and try it again. for revenge and they plan to get it on the basket ball court. But the Fort Omaha five is nothing to mourn about, and the Fort Crook- ers will have a scrap on their hands to win. Both teams have several college stars in their lineups. Hiatt, captain of the Fort Omaha quint., is an old Oregon Aggie player. He played on the Oregon Aggie team which battled the Cornhuskers on the gridiron two years ago. Hiatt plays forward for the balloonists and is said to be a Moor wizard. Hickman of the Omaha crew is a former Oklahoma Aggie foot ball anil basket ball man. Copp of the saint crew is a former Illinois university star. Kraetauex is an ex-church !.,.. rl.,, ni..,.,tv.j ;. .1 1,,., .u-seiii uiraien in arm driving a ball 220 yards and ottcn further. I he mashit is a will ing servant in his hand and with that t luh he can pitch a ball dead to the flag as frequently as any two-handed expert. Some one once said he believed golfers would get more satisfactory results in putting if they used one hand. Martucci doesn't appear to feel the loss of his left hand when on the green, for he can roll the ball into the hole in a manner most disconcert ing to an opponent. Ever since leaving Essex county and becoming identified with the club at South Orange, Martucci has continued to play round in low figures. Unless he gets down in the 70s he feels peevish. Walter is -'lie of the best players at orated in tne m troponian Fort Omaha regular Indiana Men. Sergeant Trent and Private Pa nantaski of Fort Crook used to be members of the Inidana university quintet. Private Wood also hails from Indiana, but played his basket ball at Purdue instead of at the state 1111 i-1 versity. Horton played with the Mis souri university live. Rhodes was a Kansas freshman star and Sergeant Stout is an old army player. Paxton and West are former high school men, hailing from Duluth and Phila delphia, respectively. The game starts at 8:15 Christmas night. E. S. Burdick, coach of the University of Omaha, will referee. The proceeds of the game will be di vided among the athletic funds of the two forts. The teams will line up as follows: FORT OMAHA KllKT ( HOOK. Hickman C .'.(' i I ,,rl on Hiatt F V Tr.nl Krantauex F F. Woml r"opp '!."', Ithmirs Muszyedskl G.j'l Weal Shackamaxon dining the past fall he deflated well-known professionals. Gene Mclady Tells East That the West Is Place (iene Melady, Omaha sportsman and manager of Earl Caddock, gave the sport critics, experts and en thusiasts of New York something to think about when he visited the metropolis, a week ago with Caddock. Melady casually informed the east erners that the west was the only place where they know a real cham pion when they see one. Westerners now will doff their hats to Gene for having the nerve to en ter the easterners' den and tell them where they get off at. Makes, Tentative Agreement With Oil Town Men; Hanlon Holland Scrap is Near Settlement. Developments in the Western league situation are gradually bring ing order out of chaos and before February rolls around it is believed the Dickerson loop will be fully pre pared to make ready for the approach ing 1918 season. The Ed Hanlon-Jack Holland scrap over St. Joseph is said to have been settled, llanlon now is in Okmulgee, Okla., and Holland is reported "somewhere in the ame state." John Savage of Joplin announced that Holland told him he and llanlon were about to come to an agreement over the disputed franchise, so it is believed the settlement already has been made. llanlon, it ,is the supposition, will take over the St. Joseph franchise anil Holland invade one of the new- towns to be brought into the circuit Keports from Oklahoma t itv are that Hugh Jones of the Denver club has made a tentative deal with E. M. Duncon ot Oklahoma I itq. Jones Willing to Sell. When the Western league decided it would invade new fields, a resolu tion was endorsed recognizing that each franchise, whether established or afloat, is the property of the man who holds it. But Jones apparently tired of base ball and its many risks, is said to have agreed to sell his Den ver holding to the Oklahoma City men and at a price so reasonable the oil town magnates snapped at it. It is turthcr reported that Tulsa is perfectly agreeable to be the home town of Jack Holland and that the local men there will step out to make room tor the Western mogul. This being the case, the oil cities may be the new cities in the Western league, as Peoria flatly refuses to enter the Dickerson circuit unless Peoria men hold the franchise. Sioux City has practically lost out. llanlon will not return under any circumstances and Sioux City's only hope rests with Ducky Holmes and it is said measures will be taken by Lincoln business men to keep Ducky in the Nebraska capital. Yost Is Preparing for 1918 Foot Ball Season "In time of peace prepare for war" is an old adage. So in times of war prepare for peace. "Hurry up" Yost, the Michigan foot ball mentor, al ready is looking forward to 1918, wdicn his charges return to a place in the conference group, and indications point to a strong team. Unless many more of his men are called to the colors there will be an abundance of good material on hand when the 1918 practice season starts, The obstacle encountered this fall in the scarcity of real material will not be present 111 1918, according to all the available dope. minougn tne names ol the men who won their letters this year have not been announced as yet, the list is not a hard one to form. And of course ot those 14 or 15 men who will receive "M" sweaters. 11 and possibly 12, will be back in college next tan. Goodsell and Weske. tackles, are the only men Yost is due to lose through graduation, and there is chance that Goodsell w'ill be eligible to play. OMAHA SHOOTERS SEEK REVENGE ON ALEX THE GREAT Determined to Wipe Out Sting of Defeat Administered by Famous Pitcher Last Sunday. Omaha marksmen are on the war path. The object of their belligerent wrath is none .other than Grover Cleveland Alexander, world's great est ball pitcher. Last Sunday, Alexander, who is wintering in Omaha, journeyed over to the grounds of the Omaha Gun Club and participated in the Sabbath shooting there. A handicap shoot was in progress and Alexander was set back to the 18-yard mark. Little did this disturb the famous pitcher, however, for he proceeded to clean house with the assembled Omaha scattergun cracks. What Alex did to the local marksmen was nothing short of slaughter. The carnage was fearful and when the shoot was over, Alexander led the entire works and carried off all hon ors. This afternoon a poultry shoot is on the card at the Omaha Gun club. Geese, ducks, chickens and other Christmas fowl will be hung up as prizes to the winning marksmen. Among the marksmen scheduled to be on hand is Alexander. Alex took a journey over to Chicago last week, but lias returned and informed the local shots that he would be on hand. Seek Revenge. The Omaha shooters agree that Alexander is one grand fellow and he is regarded as one of them be cause he is a Nebraska boy, but he shall not get any of that poultry. The Omahans are out for revenge for the trimming they received last Sunday and today is their chance to get it. The Gun club has sent a call out broadcast for all shooters to be on hand. So it is expected that the largest crowd of the sesaon will be on hand this afternoon to attempt to gain some of the precious fowls and revenge on the famous pitcher. Marquard Wants to Join the Reds, But Ebbets Is Kicking Bill Byron Due for Gate, Rumor in New York Avers K'umor in New York at the Na i:onal leacue meeting had it that Bill p.yron will not he reappointed as an President Ebbetts of the Brooklyn Dodgers is trying to arrange another j umpire and that Bill Brennan is to spring barnstorming tour with the get his place on the Tener-Heydler Boston Red Sox. 1 taff. Matty Depends on Young Players to Collect Wins Christy Mathewson is bankinar heavily on young players to help his ieas during the iyi campaign. One player upon whom he places much reliance is J'ltclier hddie Gcrner, who was sent last season to the Montreal club of the International leamie Gerncr was one of the hardest work ers in the league and was able to win about half his frames for a team that was a failure from the start of the season. Dan Howlev. manaeer ot the Montreal club, has predicted that ijcrner will be a big success with the Keds. With the announcement that the International league is ready to blow up Mathewson opened negotiations with Jack Dunn of Baltimore and with other club own ers in that league for the purpose of picking up players. 1 wo of the athletes sought by Matty are Pitcher J'arnham and Inheldcr Lawry of Baltimore. English Officer Flirts With 0. B. B. Displeasure An English officer, a veteran of fighting experience in France, is now in New York and in talking about hall player enlisting, says: 1 anouhi like to kp every base ball laypr pnnilliil In thfi army. Thn bann bull playora are easily the moit popular ntlileec. and thpy should take the ".ul In flKlitlnK (lie nation's butlli-a. Tho xample thry could set would do as much ns any othor one factor In blazing a tflorlntiN nnlh In lrnnri. The next thintr thin rlian kmiwc the national commission ui have thp hotel picketed with a representative of the sacred base hall linnrl inarrli. ing up and down the lobby with a banner: "That Enirli.ih officer in 1224 i tin. fair to organized base ball." Mel Sheppard Says Soldier Lads Are Star Track Champs Melvin Sheppard, the former Olym p c middle-distance champion, who is down in Mississippi looking after the ;.thletic work of the 47,0(10 soldiers stationed at Camp Selby, near Hat tiesburg, declares that he could de velop a first class national champion ship team from the athletic material that he has observed in the various regiments form'ng his division. Noble, Hockey Player of Canada, Drawn for Army Hill Noble, president of the Mani toba Hockey association and for years one of the cleverest amateur hockey players in Winnipeg, has been draft ed in the Canadian army and will don a soldier's uniform in January. 1 Rube Marouard. former Giant and now one of the remaining stars of the Brooklyn hurling corps, will be sold or traded to the Cincinnati club, if plans now being laid by Christy Mathewson, Wilbert Robinson and the Rube himself materialize. Just at present Charles II. Ebbets, president of the Brooklyn club, alone 13 block ing the proposed dear, and though Ebbets has taken a very firm stand in the matter he may be induced to change his mind. Marquard's contract with the Brooklyn club expired at the close of the recent session, and Ebbets, who holds an option on the player's serv ices tinder the rules of organized base ball, has failed to exercise that option. He has not intimated to the Rube whether or not he will send him a 1918 contract, and Marquard contends that he is now a free agent, and, if necessary, proposes to take his case to the National commission if Ebbets persists in his refusal to allow him to dicker with Matty. Giant Rookie Enlists in Signal Corps of Reserve Al Baird, the Giants' promising young infielder, is reported as having enlisted in the signal corps of the naval reserve force at Shreveport, La. Baird is a product of the Louisiana state university, where he was discovered by John McGraw in the spring of 1916. He joined the team at Martin last spring and was carried all season, though he was not eligible to play until the expiration of the time set on the player limit late in September. He broke into a number of games after the Giants had clinched th." pennant and McGraw was desirous of looking over his youngsters, and made a favorable im pression, ne is a cicver ana a lainy hard hitter. Baird, who is possessed of consid erable means, and who played ball simply because it pleased him to do so. was also quite a foot ball player in his college days, starring at quar terback on the Louisiana team. Patsy Cline Proves He Is Contender to Crown Irish Patsy Cline has proven that he is a real contender for the light weight championship. A return match with Benny Leonard over a longer route than six rounds would seem to be the best boxing match possible at this time. Cline, like Champion Leonard, has. improved a lot in his hitting ability the past year or so. He is no longer merely a flashy boxer. He is a good two-fisted lighting man. It is too much to assume that Clme will knock out Leonard if they fight over a long route. In fact. Benny micht very well stop Irish Patsy. But Cline would have a better chance than any other lightweight in sight of giv ing the lightweight king a terrific battle, with a possibility of winning. Moran Misses Killifer More Than Great Alex Pat Moran said the other day that he would miss Bill Killifer more than Grover Cleveland Alexander next year. To the average fan this state men may seem incredible. Never theless it is based on sound reasoning. Killifer is undoubtedly the best catcher in the National league. He js not only the best mechanically, but is keen witted man, and a wonder at handling pitchers. Alexander can only be in the game every four days or so. Killifer is at his best working every day. The pitcher's work is the more spectacu lar. The catcher's will produce more results, figured from every angle, through the sweep of a season's play. KentucKy luiumj.