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Show getting into shape includes getting over awkwardness, gaining speed and finesse, etc., etc. We wouldn't say it can't be done but the odds against such a sudden change for the better in any fighter are almost al-most 100 to 1. Of course, that doesn't mean the odds on the contest con-test are 100 to 1. One must take into consideration Baer would have some slim chance even if he failed to improve at all. Then too, the champion may have slipped since their last get-together. Yes, Louis could be on the down-grade and that would give the younger Baer his chance. COMMENT ON SPORTS By Ed Sims I RACING... THE ENI OF THE TRAIL One by one tho bright stars fade. And so, mnny months after mighty Seabiscuit won the last race . of his career the Santa Anita of 19-10 aild was retired, his one-time sta-blemate, sta-blemate, another groat race horse late in 1941 strikes his colors, ending end-ing a long and brilliant career. Kayak II. who always played second sec-ond fiddle to Seabiscuit during the hitter's golden reign, will soon be retired at Willits, Calif. The great seven-year-old Argentine Argen-tine thoroughbred had run a total of twenty-six races when an injury to his right foreleg forced his trainer to exclude him from the list of contestants priming for the coming $100,000 Santa Anita handicap. han-dicap. Kayak II won 14 of his 26 races, crossed the line second eight times, was third once, and only o !T tl8JaUcd to place 1st, 'ul, or 3rd. For a time, some expected ex-pected Kayak's earnings to surpass those of Seabiscuit, all-time high monney-winner. Those hopes were destined to remain forever unful-lilled. unful-lilled. THE MUCH PUBLICIZED SANTA ANITA OF 1940 Doubtless, had Seabiscuit not run in the 1940 Santa Anita, Kayak Kay-ak II would have won first place. Stories still circulate around that Kayak II was the better horse, that Seabiscuit was given the "right-of-way" over his less famous sta-blemate. sta-blemate. Whether or not these rumors are true or false, many fans adopted as their martyr gallant gal-lant Kayak II. It has become to a lesser extent identical with the theory that "Dempsey could have beaten Tunney if." The memory of a beloved hero is many, many moons in the forgetting. Kayak II earned over two hundred hun-dred thousand dollars for his owner, own-er, C. S. Howard. In 1939 the Ar- now the boxing world will have a chance to see what young, gawky Buddy Baer can do against Shuf-flin' Shuf-flin' Joe Louis. Buddy has already had one crack at the champion which ended when his explosive little lit-tle manager refused to permit the little giant to venture back into the ring in order to continue the leather-swinging with Champion Louis. There were cries (as usual) of "We wuz robbed," etc., etc., but no one, probably including Baer himself, him-self, really thought there had been any robbery done. If Baer was robbed, he'll have ample time to prove his theory when he engages the Dark Destroyer again. A DIFFERENT SCHOOL OF THOUGHT Many believe that while Baer won't be able to lick the champion, cham-pion, he will be able to put up another an-other good fight. Some even adhere ad-here to the belief that Baer is the only promising white hope and has been for some time. Bill Brady is one of these who believe that Buddy is more dangerous than any other opponent Louis has yet faced. It is pointed out that Baer can give as well as take. His only weakness is his lack of coordination coordina-tion and awkwardness. Those faults can be trained out, one supporter has stated. This theory is advanced by Baer's followers: fol-lowers: That if the big boy is trained and handled properly, there's no telling where he won't go. If he can get into top shape in time for his coming crack at the crown, he'll knock Louis' block off! But this getting into shape will be hard for Buddy, especially when gentine five-year-old carried the Howard silks across the finish line first in that great race at Santa Anita. The year 1939 was destined to be Kayak II's brightest year in which he earned a grand total of $170,875. Since then he has never completely regained his old win ning stride. At the ripe old age of seven, a great race horse ends a great career. One by one the bright stars always fade. BOXING... "WE WUZ ROBBED" A little more than a month from |