OCR Text |
Show Sports Here and There by Al Ablett So Joe Louis has retired at last. I guess Joe found out on this last exhibition tour that the spring had gone from his legs, and the eyes not as clear as they should be. Smart boy to retire at this time and go into something else. But promoting isn't the safest way to invest your money. I don't think a great deal of Joe's money will be inovlved. I think Lon Wirtz, the man that owns the Chicago stadium, wanted his name more than his money. The Chicago stadium is the largest indoor arena in the world, and up to now, as a fight center, it has been anything but a howling success. There first big bout is Ezzard Charles vs Joe Wolcott. Charles is the talk of the heavyweight heavy-weight ranks at the moment, but I don't think it carries enough guns to be a great heavy. But Joe's retirement is rather ironic just when Congress is debating civil rights in this country. Here is a colored boy that rose from the rank poverty of an Alabama share cropper's farm to earn four million dollars with his hands, a man that not only has been a credit to his race but is a credit to any race. So good luck to Joe I Louis the promoter. Vern Gardner, Utah's great center, .has been named to the All American team picked by the St. Louis Sporting News. Along with Vern on the first five was Tony Lavelli of Yale. This boy is probably the greatest shot in basketball and one of the most talked of players since Hank Luisetti of Stanford. Alex Groza, the great Princeton man, on the No. team of the nation, the Kentucky Ken-tucky Wildcats. This big 6' 7" 215 pounder can do everything their is to do in basketball. Ed Macauley of St. Louis University, the only team to beat Kentucky this year. "Easy Ed" as the big boy is called, has been offered more money than any man has received when he turns pro. He is a superb ball handler, faker and passer. Earnie Vandeweghe of Colgate a 6 3" 190 pounder has averaged around the 20-point mark and has been the anchor man on a great Colgate team. Of Gardner they say and rightly right-ly so, he is the take charge guy, when the going gets tough. Vern is placed at guard and a great one he would be. The team averages av-erages over 6' 5". Vince Boryla of Denver is placed on the second sec-ond team. Now Utah and Wyoming are tied for the conference lead, since Denver beat the Cowpokes in Denver Monday night. They lost Tuesday in a thriller, 35 to 34. In a much disputed game, a double foul was called on Pilch of Wyoming Wyo-ming and Boryla. Pilch sank his shot as did Boryla, but they found that it was the Denver boy's fifth foul and he shouldn't have been allowed to shoot. Johnson John-son went in and took the shot and missed and that was the ball game. Denver protested but I don't think it will be allowed. So Wyoming has the best of the remaining re-maining schedule as Utah has to meet the ever dangerous Denver Den-ver Pioneers in a two game series ser-ies this week end. We are all glad that the games are on the Utes' home floor. But to attest to the kind of basketball played in the Skyline Six, three of the teams will play in post season tournaments. BYU, Wyoming and Utah. Not bad for us hill billies. The big league teams have gone to spring training, with most of the boys signed up. Cleveland Cle-veland might have a little trouble with Lemon and Gordon, still outside the fold. Both boys are working out with the team which is a good sign. I understand the Utah Cancer committee is trying to bring two of the teams training in the west to Salt Lake on their way east. Would be a great thing for Utah and I am sure that with a break in the weather, they would pack 'em in. How about Cleveland and the Giants? By air they're hours away. Something to think about anyway. See you next week. AL. |