Show d imlig 16 S KNOX 0 of the navi na va u recently advocated a plan tor for the th training and development of ow oui youth along competitive lines in I 1 eluding a years compulsory milli mill tary service for those of 17 or I 1 it years this Is an essential plat piar that cant be overlooked while military training cant be started before 17 or 18 we still be aleve that there should be a big advance along the lines of 0 body building and competitive peti tive sports at younger ages including n th those ose I 1 14 1 and 15 yea years old 1 who in to too 0 many cases today are overlooked these young boys deserve a far better program secretary knox through their schools or from their comma i tittles than they have ever received the time to start with thesel these boys hurry up yost once told me after thirty years experience is in ili the high schools not in the colleges leges we need boys coming on with stronger legs and stronger bod les ies boys much better physically equipped in the mass I 1 one thing Is sure there will be a big demand tor for high school talent in our colleges next fall so far as football is concerned high school stars football will be almost entirely the development ot of high school players frank leahy of notre dame told me 1 I think it would surprise many millions if they know how hom many ma n y kids of 17 just out of school carried on an so sa brilliantly this last season tul tullas sas pound ford was just one of them they were at in dlana diana ohio state pittsburgh all over our football map tearing into veterans who outweighed them 20 or 30 pounds and holding their own passers runners kickers blockers bloc keri all steaming with spirit and just out of high school these are the kids we must de pend on next season for our coll college ege football and well all get our share it may not be the greatest football season deaso in ever known but it will be full of fire and action and excitement played by boys on their way to war frank leahy might have mentioned a kid named kelly on his own squad a 17 year old chicago high school entry who was one of the best backs of the year he might have mentioned glenn davis of west point who came to the army with only high school ex per lence or bill pas paschal c hal from georgia tech the best run running ining back of the pro year with the new york giants five minutes freshman ex per peri lence ence there is one weakness in this set up this is the pressure that is sure to be put upon high school ta talent I 1 the 17 year old entries all over the united states I 1 have already watched the beginning ot of this opera uon tion get its start As a guess id say the best school football state to in the country Is texas they are thicker than quail in that state the next entry is ohio pennsylvania minnesota and call fornia are close up new england so bad either in fact new england has given the game more than her share of high sc school hool stars what about the south they are more scattered down around cotton land too many southern schools lack the coaching and the money that other sections have the material Is there but a lot of it Is still in the raw ask southern college coaches 0 ches the same is true in new york city where the high school kids get only halt half a chance dont ever believe these new york kids coulden couldn I 1 hold their own if 11 they ever had an equal break the idea is to get back of high school or school football and give it a much bigger play and a much better chance than it has known so far As the army seem to be interested this is another spot where navy secretary frank knox can do a world of good how it looks for baseball baseda I 1 on a recent trip through the south and southeast one ot of the first queries offered was this what will happen to pro baseball in 1941 1944 there wa i a only one answer to this s it all depends on the progress of the war and the size of the casualty list the coming invasion of hillers Hit lers europe will supply most of the story A german collapse would make a terrific difference more I 1 to 0 the lives of our fighters but also in a minor way to all sport but germany collapsed yet admitting that all professional sport Is a pin pho point in importance against the needs of war only a german collapse at the rim of spring would help baseball by april or early curly may alay there will be too many taken it the war Is still setting the same furious pace and none of these could be turned h ha fi A in time |