Show I I 4 O 0 FAR 1040 1940 has been an amazing I S so season in two ways ways for for Its brilliancy brilliancy bril bril- Nancy and its failures For its Mexico Mex Mex- ico and ico-and and the good that Mexico has done for tor ball players players play play- ers everywhere I f The Red Sox J Joe JoeLouis oc ocl r l' l 4 Louis and Assault f J If have taken full charge of the spot spot- spotlight t N h I 1 light side They J i have been the out out- outstanding J s standing tan din g cham cham- Golf Gal has no c f entry with Ben Hogan Ho- Ho z gan and Byron Nel Nel- Ted Williams son the two leadin leading leading lead lead- in ing money winners trailing Lloyd Mangrum in the U.S. U.S. U U. S. S Open We seem to have the best tennis players but a Frenchman is still the Wimbledon winner What has happened in the first year after the war Except in the way of record attendances and general general general gen gen- eral enthusiasm the aftermath of World War II hasn't even approached approached approached ap ap- ap- ap the aftermath of World War I. I Not in the way of competitive tive class Can you yon name competitors today who have anything like the combined combined com corn class of ot Babe Ruth Jack Dempsey Bobby Jones Bill Tilden Tilden Til- Til den Tommy Hitchcock Rogers Roger Hornsby Earl Sande Walter Hagen Gene Red Grange Man o 0 o War We have Joe Louis But Joe Louis Lows has been the worlds world's hea heavyweight champion for tor over ove nine years We have Ted Williams but Ted Williams hit over before thelast th the thelast last war He was a great ball player play play- er or at least a great hitter before World War II ever developed a slight fever Sammy Baugh and Sid Sit Luckman go well back before World War II The fihe brief postwar period has developed developed developed de de- de- de a wild stampede to the box office But very little beyond that In baseball the batting stars today include Ted Williams Dixie Walker Walk Walk- er Dom Dam DiMaggio Vernon Hank Greenberg and a few more But these are veterans veterans most most o of them Hal N of the Tigers Tiger and Rocky Graziano have been the thi two leading stars since 1941 Against this list I haven't the thi heart to give you the names name o of those who have faded folded up o or slipped badly who badly who returning from army and navy assignments fell fel far behind The outstanding performance performance performance per per- of 1946 so 1946 so far has tar has been the Red Sox plus Ted Williams Plus the Dodgers' Dodgers fine showing against heavy odds player for play play- er The second nomination is Joe JoeLouis Louis who Louis who against Billy Conn had hac almost no opposition Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson are the two major money winners In Ingolf golf but golf but Lloyd Mangrum is Open champion and Herman Keiser Is the Masters Master's winner And Sammy Snead is British champion It is all very much confused very badly tangled up Most Class in Football In my opinion the feature par part of 1948 1946 wont won't belong to baseball racing boxing basketball track golf gol or tennis It will belong to football This applies to both the college teams and the pros This first applies to the quality of at com com- petition There will be far more class to football than any other postwar sport can even I understand that over 1 0 had been made for the Michigan Army-Michigan game back in June There will be over ticket applications for this contest at Ann Arbor Applications for the Army- Army Notre Dame game will pass the mark before September Notre Army-Notre Dame and Navy Army-Navy together could leave the mark behind if tt there was Vas only space enough The Navy Georgia Tech game in Atlanta already has two times thes the tho s seat at applications that Atlanta can handle Notre Dame Army Navy and Michigan will be a triple sellout sellout sellout sell- sell out for almost every contest The same thing will happen to Southern Southern Southern South South- ern California and UCLA on the tho west coast Also to St. St Marys Mary's and others But I doubt that Notre Dame will have the team Frank Leahy had In 1943 or that Army will have the team Red Blaik had in 1944 or 1945 The talent hasn't improved but the crowd Interest has Veterans Veterans Veterans Veter Veter- ans coming from tram army and navy service have proved nothing Some have been better others have taken a big dip cUp This has been true In baseball and it will be Just Justas as true in college and pro football There will be stars from other years who will shine and there will be stars from tram other years who will be flops There will be a professional foot foot- ball baU entanglement that will leave you fou gasping gasping-and gasping and more than a few pocketbooks flatter Batter than a thin pl plank In looking on ahead you will also see a big revival In ten ten- tennis nis interest and one of ot the hottest hottest hot hot- test amateur golf olt championships p s any any galloping member of at the Thun Thun- dering Herd has ever known Bud Ward Frank stranahan C Gary Cary golfers goUers good enough to o beat the Nelsons and the Ho Hogana Hogans g ans In major tests plus young stars moving U up This has been a rather dizzy s season ason s so far tar up and down |