OCR Text |
Show By LEE MUELLER Of college basketball's many superplayers ofa year ago, Rick Mount is the NEW YORK — (NE; Game after me ok Mount sits in his geld Indiana Pacers warmup svit and limbers up his neck. Up and down. Hoosier teammates dashfor the bas ket at one end. The red, white and blue ABA ball least super. rection. Up and down. Rick Mount’s blond hair gleams under the overhead lights as his head pivots on the palm of his hand. Back . and forth. Watching basketball from the bench he says, is a lot like watching a tennis match. Forth and back I guess,” said Mount that my .eck is in better ways enjoyed animalacts,’ ” a lot more money today, and Bobby Jones, the great the job opportunities for golfer, is ill and was able to after playing are greater. speak only briefly on the We didn’t make much money telephone from Atlanta: then, but oh, the vegetables “T rememberin 1953 there that came off the balcony! “We also had a great feelwas a luncheor for Ben Hogan. And I was there and got ing of friendship. We were a lot of publicity. I went to cemented together as a Ben andsaid, ‘Ben, I want team. Today, with those conyou to understand that this tracts, well, a guy doesn’t they better than those of tois your party and I’m not like his situation, he goes and can there be an- trying to horn in onit.’ ‘Oh, somewhere else. Then other “Golden Era of Bob,’ he said, ‘I wouldn't there’s the color situation Sport’? Grange, Jones, think that. My feeling is that today. In my day there were Dempsey, Holman and if a man is capable of being only two colored teams, the Casey Stengel, who has a championin one era, he’d Renaissance and the Globe spent most of this century be a championin any era.’ I Trotters. Now, the blacks in major league baseball, havethat notion myself. And are in the pro leagues and discussedit recently. I think Red Grange was be- doing great. The lanes have “If I were playing today,” ing overly modest when he been opened for everybody.” said Grange, now retired said he’d be lost in the Casey Stengel, who played and livirg in Florida, “I'd shuffle today. outfield for John MeGraw’s probablybe lost in the “Athletes are pretty much Giants in the '20s, is now shuffle. There are so many vice-president of the New great athletes today in all the same today. Palmer and York Mets andlives in Glensports that it would be very that bunch, as they were in dale, Calif: hard to stand out. More peo- the '20s. I think television “Everybody knows that has rather enhanced the ple are playing today than ever before, too. The number glorification of public fig- they’ve never lengthened the of star athletes probably ures. Now, 10,000 people football field so other people keeps pace with the growing know these golfers—and I’m are doing things they never not counting on my fingers— done before and someof it population. has to do with the talking to one who knew me. “Gale Sayers and O. J. machines, like stop watches Simpson are the greatest “All we had to publicize and you can look and say a runnersI’ve seen in football our fame was the newspa- fellow weighs 10 pounds less in the last 10 years. But you pers. We didn’t even have and it makes him faster. know, I've not seen any sound movies. It’s always “The thing I was going to fighters todayI’d even class worked out in every era that with Jack Dempsey. I think a fewplayers will stand out. say is that things are imhe’d lick the whole bunch in Even though margins might proved medicinally. Some people don’t understand this one evening. But that’s un- not be great, they have just usual. In baseball, for exam- enough edge on the field to and a fellow kicks 63 yards for a field goal with that stub ple, the Bob Gibsons and take it awey. foot and they’re saying it’s Denny MeLains and Sandy ‘Yes, after one Masters, not fair because of the speKoufaxes were as good, I'd I told Jack Nicklaus, ‘Jack, cial shoe. Should they cut off say, as the Walter Johnsons you play a game that I am the toes of the other fellas? and Smoky Joe Woods. totally unfamiliar with.’ I “And football players are “But in the '20s, well, the laid on a compliment. You more bandaged up today so know how to do tnose they run faster, too. Then First World War° was just over and everyone had been things.” they came along with the so tied down with rations Nat Holman, star of the aluminum cup and it imandso forth, and nowit was Original Celtics, the most provesplayers whoonly used overand weall felt so good. famous basketball team of to weara belt andit’s better Then sports becamea sort of the '20s, now is president of for catching ground balls.” fanciful thing. It had a lot the United States Committee to do with the ‘poets of the for Sports for Israel and press box,’ as my old coach lives in New York. Star Gridder at Illinois, Bob Zuppke, used “The records speak for FORT WORTH, Tex. (UPI)— to call them. There was themselves,’ Holman says. Grantland Rice and Damon “There were top people mov- His business associates may not Runyon, Ford Frick was ing throughthat Golden Era, recognize it, but Cloyce Box, writing sports then, and so can't escape that. Bill Til- now a prominent Southwestern was tbrook Pegler. Ter- den, Weissmuller, Earl business executive, once gained rifie men who could build Sande, Babe Ruth, Alice 302 yards on pass receptions in pictures. The mystery, the Marble. The future? Why a single NFL game. Box did secrecy of what these stars not another Golden Era. The the trick for the Detroit Lions were like made them great Mets were marvelous. The against Baltimore in 1950. menin your mind Knicks had a wonderful year. Three Rifle Tournaments Set For Springville SPRINGVILLE - The MemorialHallin Springville will be the sceneof a lotof rifle firing within the next few weeks, with the Utah Siate Junior Gallery, sent to Richard Havens 1770 Meadow Downs Way, Salt Lake City 94121 UNNY BUSINESS By Roger Bollen Registration for the shootwill start at 7 a.m. ami shooting will begin at 8 a.m. Entries should be » t Drive, Salt Lake City 84117 by than any professional basketball. “I tnink they want meto slow down and set up more pot all his Sports Illus trated ran his picture on the cover while he was stil] an Indiana schoolboy. Now he’s terns instead of free-lancing the way I did in college.” Rick Mount he said Severai observers hay said Indiana Coach Bob (Slick) Leonardis_brii Mount along “subtly” Rick gets the hang of HURRY, SALE ENDS SATURDAY NIGHT pro game. Leonard begs differ got their a body in new wn way of bree kids. Leonard said a Retreads on Sound Tire: Bodies ~ @ You fader: at Come FOR COMPACTS 50 ONE Sizes; > 6.50x13 7.00x 13 6.95x14 7.00 x14 7.35x 14 7.35x15 $ 50 LARGE $ CARS 50 i * Sizes: ONE LOW PRICE vseu ONE LOW ns PRICE x8) Sins ardoe 825415 Larger * Plus 27¢ to 46¢ per tire Estimated Fed. Ex. Tax recovery (depending on size) and retreadable tire of samesize, rice and issue you a rain check for future delivery o the merchandise. TIRES FOR Buy now ateveryday low prices “MARATHON”4-PLY NYLON CORD TIRE TOYOTA oF 5.60 15 tubeless biackwa it plus $1.60 to $1.75 Fed. Ex, Tax depending on size and old tire e Avail able with extra narrowsidewall stripe e at slightly higher pri ices ¢ Long mileage Tufsya ru bber * Starred Locations Do Not Honor BankCredit Cards, GOODYEAR —THE ONLY MAKER OF POLYGLAS® TIRES COMMERCIALTIRESERVICE,Inc. &@ Thestate gallery shoot will be held Ma 6 and 7 with March1. The Explorer tourney will be held March 13 with two classes. Calss A will be for boys 16, and 18.and Class B for 14 and15 years of age. Each Explorer competitor sould report to tourney officials no later than 8:45 a.m. on the day of shoot. Competition will begin at 9 a.m. game in town. more WHITEWALLS-BLACKWALLS Ma) «WERE A BiG COMPANY, BUT You WON'T FIND 0s COLD AND IMPERSOMIAL ! Sia*> Inspection Station No. 126 1461 North State Street, Provo—373-2283 STORE Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Daily — Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. the Utah State Gallery and the registration slated to begin at 8 Utah National Parks Council a.m.andfiring to commenceat 9 Explorer championships all a.m, each day scheduled to be held in the Entries should be sent to Carl building, located at 50 EB.2nd S. M. Retzlaff, 3931 Brooklane The junior gallery shoot will be held Feb, 27 with competition opento all junior under 19 years of age. There will be three classes including A, 17 and 18 years of age; B, 14, 15 and 16 years of age and C, °3 years of age and under. Defense, TIRE SALE eee meet you, young man. I al- good as any they’ve got today. We didn’t have that one-handed shot — I sure wish I had learnedit then. “The image of heroes is probably more pronounced today. Only a few people saw Bobby Jones or Red Grange then. I used to say to my wife, ‘Well, I suppose you think I never played basketball.’ There aren’t any movies of those games. Today, basketball is all over television. “Of course the boys make SSS “I cemember the funniest thing to happen to me. It was back in December of 1925. Senator McKinley of Illinois brought me to the White House to meet President Coolidge. He introduced me ‘Mr. President, this is Red Grange, who is with the Chicago Bears.’ And the President said, ‘Glad to passing and defense was as fat contract to beat a predicted merger between the NBA and ABA—only he is not I try to forget Life's too short to LL, ent-day stars on television every week. Heroes are a dime a dozen today. “The boys playing basketball today are far superior shooters. And our team would run into trouble height-wise, but our ball-handling and dribbling, our school early life he has been the best '3 6 thing else, has been Mount's majorproblem. This was an ticipated. But he also has found shooting isn't the whole answer to offense in championship listed at 6-4. Aryway, said, to sit around and worry.” bench. But you have to re memberI'mtrying to break in with a tough on cong AS SOS aslca NEWYORK — (NEA) — Outlined against a blue-gold October memory, Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are Red Grange, Bobby Jones, Jack Dempsey and Nat Holman. That, with apologies to Grantland Rice, summons up the so-called Golden Era of Sports, the 1920s. It was a time when legendary sports figures were manufactured right before your very eyes — as you read in your newspaperthe dazzling, death-defying, derring-do feats of the day's athletic heroes. But a handful of these stars continue to live on, truly as legendary today as they were 50 years ago. Were those athletes—those named above and the others, the Babe Ruths and Ty Cobbs and Johnny Weissmullers and Paavo Nurmis — were were like from those word pictures. Why, my idol was George Gipp of Notre Dame, and I never saw hin: play.” But today, it’s a common thing to see one of your pres- the court, about it. it makes it Mount quit talking and hall history, the kid whoquit oS er ee ror rsSoo what these great athletes “Sure, the kid they called the greatest shooter in college basket- SS “You viought or dreamed By IRA BERKOW NEASports Editor said. tough to get with it. I’m always stiff coming off the wrapped a white towel around his thin body. In the locker room, as on the floor, he appears small for a man te sign a is nce,” he “but you have work on keeping yourself up mentally all the time. Off I've been playing about 12 minutes a game,” he foot-4 Purdue All-American lavegot Are the 1920sStill The Golden Period of Sports? quietly, club. It takes some guys longer LeePokar JACK DEMPSEY The biggest itapression pants. Only Rick Mcunt—the 6 Lone SN oe RED GRANGE fuss Mount is, and has al. ways been, a very shy. soft spoken young man. a big Mount has made this season has been on the seat of his <<eee egeee ROBBYJONES condition than the rest of us put together Some where out there, people have stopped talking about Pete Maravich being a big ger flop than his socks. Somewhere, little Calvin Murphy and skinny Dan Issel and angular Charlie Scott are showing them whereit (the basket} is at not even a spectacular sub- stitute. Who wants to talk about that? Professional'y rally, he isn't_making speaking, of course. rims out, the enemy re bounds and the stampede begins again in the other di playing Naturally, he isn’t happy about it. And, just ds natu Ee EUaatLes AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING INDEPENDENT- DEALERS w ISNT THAT RIGHT. EB... ERu. UM AH GrritaT el: JOHNSON TIRE SERVICE 610 North Main Street, Springville—Phone 489-5623 State Inspection Station No. 1733 STORE HOURS:8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mon., thru Fri. - Sat. 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |