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Show SPEAKINGoTI ' SPOUTS i By ROBERT McSHANE ; Raleated by Witm Nwpapr Union Heavyweight Hopes A RTURO GODOY, the South American glamour boy, is gunning gun-ning for a third bout with Heavyweight Heavy-weight Champion Joe Louis. Just why Godoy should be re-matched re-matched with the champ is a matter which cannot be explained to anyone's any-one's satisfaction. The demand for this bout Is Just about as great as the demand that Hitler and Mussolini Mus-solini visit New York's east side. Fortunately, at this writing, the bout is still in the conversational stage. And the conversation is practically prac-tically all Godoy' s. Uncle Mike Jacobs will think a long time before he promotes a bout with as little in its favor as this setup. Sadly enough, Godoy epitomizes the field of defeated fighters now monopolizing heavyweight circles. That field includes Max Baer, Lou Nova, Lee Savold, Pat Comiskey and Bob Pastor. Tony Galento evidently evident-ly has decided and very wisely that enough is enough. The Roll Call It is quite evident that the contenders con-tenders do not fit into the championship champion-ship class. Max Baer. when the right occasion arises, is one of the most dangerous of present-day fighters. fight-ers. But that right occasion will never come for him in the same ring with Joe Louis. Nova took a horrible lacing at the hands of Galento. Ga-lento. It won't be easy for him to climb back even as far as his former rating. Dopesters wouldn't give Savold much of a chance on the basis of his past victories. Pat Comiskey's stock didn't climb when cai. nihinnoH him in thpir recent encounter. Comiskey, nevertheless, is young enough to snap back after sufficient seasoning in the big time. Pastor, sole remaining white hope in the list of aspirants, lacks the punch to reach the top. And his drawing power seems limited to his relatives and a few close friends. The solution? There just doesn't seem to be any. Time will have to take its toll and some day a now unheard un-heard of youngster will arise and overpower Of Pappy Louis. Financial Success DESPITE the American league's failure to produce the world's championship baseball team for 1940, the junior circuit has ample cause for rejoicing. The official books disclose that an all-time American league attendance attend-ance record was set in the season just closed. Will Harridge, president of the league, reported recently that the Dome aiienuaui;c of the eight clubs was 5,433,791. This shattered by 178,352 the 16-year-old record, 5,255,439. The 1940 toal exceeded exceed-ed last year's figures fig-ures by an amazing amaz-ing 1,163,189. The season got off to a poor start ... . , due to unlavor-WUlHarndge unlavor-WUlHarndge weather conditions. However, the lost ground was more than recovered when the Yankees failed to assume an early and definite control of the pennant situation. The open race that resulted result-ed for the championship attracted fans who weren't interested in last year's one-team marathon. Night Game Leader The Chicago White Sox paid attendance at-tendance was 660,336 which fact caused a wide smile to crease the face of Manager Jimmy Dykes and brought untold happiness to the members of the Comiskey family, whose finanices are involved to a very large extent. In round numbers num-bers the 1939 attendance was 592,000. The seven night games played by the White Sox attracted 214,760 paying pay-ing patrons, or almost a third as much as the 70 daylight contests. The average for the night contests I was 30,680, highest in the league. Cleveland averaged 30,159 for its after dark games. The league's 35 night games attracted at-tracted a total of 634,228 customers, for an average of 18,121.. The St. Louis Browns, who played 14 of their games under the lights, averaged 8 364 The Browns, incidentally, more than doubled their 1939 attendance. attend-ance. Bad news came to the St, Louis club, however, when Harridge Intimated that they would be limit-! limit-! ed next year to seven night games, maximum number permitted unoer , existing league rules. Detroit led the list with a total attendance of 1,112.693. New York was second with 988.975. St. Louis ranked last with 239,591. Sport Shorts BABE RUTH, playing on seven winning baseball clubs in 10 series, collected slightly more than S41 000 in series cash . . . Mike iacobs expects to match Pat Comiskey Comis-key against Buddy Baer this winter Ernie Lombards, Reds' catcher catch-er refuses to wear a hat Says it s unlucky P'nky Higgins fuU name is Michael Franklin Higgins Fritz Crisler. Michigan football foot-ball coach, studied law in his student days at the University of Chicago. |