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Show T IS quite apparent, after taking a look at Bivins and Mauriello, that some part of the war services will have to provide a challenger for Louis and Conn, if these tw.) are still on top when the smoke clears away. Bivins, however, Is a good light heavyweight There is no reason why some of the various services shouldn't come through with a fine heavyweight parade. For there is no comparing the quality of instruction the army and navy is receiving for this war over the other big roundup. Army, navy, marines, air force and coast guard now have most of the outstanding talent around, teaching the uniformed uni-formed millions how to jab and hook, feint and block, use feet and hands, r ill TtfVi$ GENE TUNNEY handle a right cross and the various other details that make up a pro boxer's trade. They have been called In by the hundreds, and while they may not all be the best instructors of all-time, all-time, they at least know the rudiments rudi-ments and most of the fundamentals. Not So Many Professional boxing is one of the hardest and most intricate of all sports all competitions. So there won't be many who will finish around the front rank. It Isn't often that nature produces a heavyweight heavy-weight champion meaning one who has the size, the strength, the speed, the skill, the durability and the coordination co-ordination required to top the list. You get a Dempsey and a Tunney together with no one else close. You get a Louis and a Conn, who stand alone where other games may carry a flock of stars well matched. It is man against man in the ring not team against team. No pals can help to carry you along in times of trouble and distress. There is no rougher road to the top. But from some 10,000,000 fighting men, well taught in the way of ring skill, the harvest should be unusually un-usually large. The Other War Only two good heavyweights came out of the service side of the other war. These two were Bob Martin and Gene Tunney, although Gene at the time was a light heavyweight. Tunney's record is one of the ring classics. But I have always thought that Bob Martin might have gone a long way if he hadn't figured in a motorcycle accident that left him with a badly injured head. I have been told, by those who should know, that Martin suffered a blood clot that effectively wrecked any chance for co-ordination. Big Bob was a fine-looking prospect when he came back from France. In the meanwhile, it took Gene Tunney seven years before he was ready for Dempsey, then ranked as unbeatable. I doubt that any ring-man ring-man ever worked as long, as hard and as smartly as Tunney worked to reach the top. He was certainly no flaming ball of fire when he faced Soldier Jones on the Dempsey-Carpentier $1,600,-000 $1,600,-000 card. Gene then was just another name on the program. He was never a natural athlete in the way of speed and power. But he more than made up for these defects by his determination deter-mination to learn and keep in condition. con-dition. There was never any doubt about his smartness and his courage. A combination of head and heart Is always something to bank on, no matter what the game. Head, heart, speed, skill, power and durability are not so easy to locate in one lone human system. This present war, when it is over, may leave us a better answer than we have known before, with so many more having so much the better chance to move up. e e Crowds Will Be There Sports' winter campaigns, East and West have shown the crowds will be there. In boxing, basketball, hockey and indoor track the turnstile count has baffled even the leading optimists of the sports world. The vast fan crowd, whatever the sport, apparently no longer demands big names. They carry a yearning to see good competition to see almost any game that has action. rather rough on the roster. Former Phillies can be found in all sections of the league, especial-, especial-, ,, mm-j-m-j-ji 1 1., 'y pitchers. Gerry t seemed to have a If Jy.'-Ji weakness for bar-'JSk bar-'JSk tering Pitchers. JTl There's Bucky , V Walters at Cincin- 1 ' nati, Claude Pas- y seau with the Cubs, A Rube Melton, Kirby t wt&f Higbe and Curt Da- . , vis witn the Dodg- ers. Then, too, ' there's Dolph Ca- Bucky Walters miIIi. Dick Bartell, Benny Warren and quite a few others scattered throughout through-out the league. This isn't to intimate that Gerry was a chump for a deal. In fact, the Giants are reported to have paid $105,000 for Bartell. The Cubs anted np $85,000 for Chnck Klein and at least $100,000 more went for first baseman Don Hurst and Pitcher Passeau. Final Effect The Dodgers paid $50,000 for Ca-milli Ca-milli and $65,000 for Higbe. It was quite a while ago that Jimmy Wilson was sold by Nugent to the Cardinals. Cardi-nals. Whatever he cost the Red Birds it was money well spent. He was the man they needed to win four pennants. The effect of the Nugent management manage-ment isn't hard to imagine. Fans couldn't stand the punishment. Civic pride can stand only so much. There were times when the Phils might well have closed up shop, selling an occasional player when grocery stores ran low. At least the players" wouldn't have been subjected to the nnkind remarks of a handful of customers cus-tomers who wandered into the stands In a fit of absentmindedness. Another unfortunate circumstance was the former scene of operations the old Baker Bowl. The right field fence was so close the larger lefthanded batters could reach out their bats and touch it The Phils moved to Shibe Park three years ago but by that time the fans' indifference in-difference was miraculous. Cox isn't going to have an easy time getting players. And he can't hope to rebuild Philadelphia's interest inter-est in baseball by maintaining the status quo. He must give some other club a chance at that last-place position. |