Show Tunney Knockdown Gives Scribe be His Greatest Greate t. t Thrill By JOE WILLIAMS IS Special to La The Telegram NEW yORK ORK Jan 2 22 One 22 One of ot the Atlantic City newspapers s sen sena sent senta a young lady to the hotel to Interview interview inter Inter- view me while I was Iwas was wasat at the resort resorts s sawing wing off ff large layers of salt seas seasoned ned atmosphere As a starter she wanted to kno was the greatest thrill I ever had as a sports writer I wasn't sure m myself sel I had never given it a tho thought I finally finaly final final- ly y decided it was vas the night Demp- Demp se scy sey floored Tunney at Chicago Im I'm sure that was vas at least o one e of ot the major thrills of my my pr press ss box career I found lound myself on my feet yelling madly for the old man Mauler t though ough I had picked Tunney In my dispatches Except for lor that one brief flare- flare up in the seventh round it was a pretty dull dun fight I think hat made it an enduring thrill was the spectacle of oC Dempsey who had been performing like a tired old man suddenly recapturing I some some of his youthful fury and fi fire e. e For a few fleeting seconds he was the tiger man who had cut the massive Willard Villard to gory ns years ears a ago o at Toledo This dramatic metamorphosis of ot a human organism suggesting the chemical magic of a screen- screen land Dr Jekyll gave the knockdown knockdown knockdown knock knock- down an eerie touch and made it sharply distinctive The illusion was heightened when Tunney 1 abetted by Iy the long count got to I his feet and nd Dempsey coming over to meet him wa was again a 3 tired old man The strange miracle miracle miracle mira mira- cle had come and gone between deep labored breaths of a desperate desper desper- ate warrior The young oung lady said she re remembered remembered remembered re- re the knockout She was pulling for Cor Dempsey and she was sorry when he didn't win his championship b back a c k Tun Tunney n e y shaded Dempsey in looks but there was something about the theold theold theold old geezer that excited the gals gal What sports event d do 1 you ou like to cover best 1 the young lady asked This was wa easy The Kentucky K Derby This is a story that transcends the running of or the race It embraces the whole clil citi By gradual degrees an entire community works itself into a burning frenzy over a horse horoSe race until on the day dayot of the therace race absolutely nothing else matters Year after year the citizens citizens' go through this same h hysterical experience experience ex ex- a arid and d i if anything th their ir intensity of oC emotion becomes keener No other community in America becomes so rapturous or downright batty over a horse race This is understandable to those who are familiar with the racing background of the Blue BlueGrass BlueGrass BlueGrass Grass state To the casual student student student stu stu- dent of oC human Behavior the mass manifestation would probably be bevery bevery bevery very puzzling There are two spectacles I never tire of the of-the the West Vest Point corps on the march and the Derby day show Who Vho is your favorite sports star she wished to know I hadn't given this much thought cither either I did have a a- a lot lotof lotof of favo favorites ites among the gal swimmers swimmers swim swim- mers mere but if pinned down I might be forced to confess my ray y interest was not restricted entirely to their paddling around in the pools Babe Ruth Yes I think JilL Ill have to settle on the Barn Bam as my favorite sports sports' guy The Barn Bam the precious gift of being h himself r at all times Not all the of or sports feel they can afford to be themselves themselves themselves them them- selves always no no matter what the circumstances There Is 18 always a n nod to Emily Post and the publics public's publics public's publics public's pub pub- lic's reactions As a result the the and the Littles lose some ome of the s salty Uy lustiness the swashbuckler who rides the headlines is expected to toha ha have ve The Barn Bam rolled through a long and tripping career almost constantly constantly constantly con con- in the glare of or the white whito lights and at the finish he was essentially the same gangling kid that came up from Baltimore Interested Interested in interested In- In only in baseball unchanged unchanged unchanged un un- un- un changed unspoiled unspoiled- and I might add unsigned |