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Show SP0RTS 1 COMMENTS Bv Guv Stentnt j - j It's highly possible that Joe Louis is going to be active for a long time, or until someone comes along and cops the title. Right now, the Brown Bomber is on a barnstorming tour. It's keeping him in pretty good shape, especially es-pecially over the winter months when it's so easy to accumulate rolls of surplus weight around the mid-section. Actually Louis is in training for his title fight in June. He's conditioning himself which certainly indicates that he wants to be in peak form. And if he man. If these two pick up where thev left off tv. wants to be in peak form it further fur-ther indicates that he has no intentions in-tentions of retiring after he defends de-fends his title. Louis, at this stage of the game, has no love for the strenuous work a fighter must go through training for a big bout. So, if he was planning to quit, he would be taking things easy, relaxing and enjoying life instead of being active as he is. Speaking of Louis, he should plenty of excitement in Polo Grounds this year. Too bad Citation had to come up with a lame leg or something and be forced out of the Santa Anita meet. It was a tough blow to the West Coast turf fans who were anxious to see the "All-American" "All-American" wonder horse in action. act-ion. He'll spend the next few months down in Florida resting. By summer he should be readv hold the title for at least another two years. Even though the Brown Bomber is approaching "old age" there's not one fighter around these days who would give him a real battle. Such men as Lee Savold,- Billy Conn, Joe Maxim, Jimmy Bivins, Joe Baski, Johnny Flynn and Bruce Woodcock can't be taken seriously. Joe Walcott is rated up there but Louis already has licked him twice, and could beat him again anytime. Ezzard I Charles is the best of the lot He's a good fighter and a dang-1 erous one but against Louis, "fear" might get the best of him and that would be just too bad. Then too, Charles would be spotting the champ around 30 pounds which would not exactly be in his favor But Ezzard has a punch that packs a wallop and when a fighter has rnnr or,TrfT. , to run once more. Anyway, the Calumet flash did all right in 1948, earning $709,407 for the year. His total earnings add up to $865,150. Connie Mack, boss of the Philadelphia Phil-adelphia A's, has no idea of retiring re-tiring this year or in the next several years to come. In fact, as long as his health holds out, he's going to stay right in there until he brings home a pennant-winning pennant-winning team. That seems to be his one big ambition these days. Though the A's surprised everyone every-one last season by putting on quite a battle for top spot, Mack figures that his 1949 edition will do no better unless, of course, several deals come through. The A's need a hard-hitting out-fielder and a couple of fast-stepping mneiaers if they expect to go places this season and Mack ' is willing to dish out the cash to get them. But, after their 1948 showing, no one had better sell them short. Mr. Connie has a knack of getting the most out of his boys and they may again surprise' sur-prise' this year. Though Bucky Harris will receive re-ceive a $22,500 salary as manager of the San Diego Padres, the West Coast team will only pay half of it ....the Cleveland Indians Ind-ians will pay the balance isn't that a good indication Harris will manage the Indians before long' uuj tixii nappen. wow-ever wow-ever if Louis keeps himself in condition which he seems to be' doing, it'll take a newcomer to win the battle. The New York Giants' Leo Durocher-Frankie Frisch combin-ation combin-ation isn't the first time these two served together on the sameyteam. Both were members of the St Louis Cards back in the Gas House Gang days, Frisch as manager and Durocher as captain and shortstop. They frequently disagreed dis-agreed and in 1937, after a heated argument, things came to a head. Durocher was traded to the Brook- w t? SerZl Now the situation is just the other way around. Durocher Dur-ocher is the manager and boss- |