Show st PORT has an odd way of hook u ing ng up time and space on one night lately we ran across an australian sportsman in new york wh who 0 felt fairly confident that jack bromwich and dinny palls could take pretty good care of the tha davis cup next pe cember next we had lunch with deals beals wright the famous U S tennis star W wryght r I 1 g h t defeated both norman ra brookes and tony wilding on australian turf in da vis als cup play back in 1908 when they w were e r e considered i unbeatable although australia retained tho the cup 32 3 2 grantland rice here was a gap of 38 years in time and miles in space with the davis cup the main item of conversation 1 I think we have an excellent chance to hold the cup our australian friend said bromwich Brom is good but in my opinion 19 y year earold ear old dinny palls is eyen better or he will be better with the 0 or 10 months of play and training ho he has left before next december some good advice from sir norman brookes wont hurt bromwich Brom Is still in good form an excellent player and a stout competitor and we may have others by the cup date against this strong australian pair the U S must bank largely on frank parker billy talbot im and possibly kramer and schroeder if they can get out of service in time to reach former form louwill you will discover no big bill or little bill in this group the pair who brought the cup home in 1920 after world war T 7 but irwill it will be an experienced team that can at least put up a good front beals wright bright and 1908 australia and 1908 are a long way and a long time back beals wright remarked we took a foolish gamble because only fred alexander and myself made the trip I 1 kept wondering what would happen if either of us should get sick or injured we had no substitute I 1 had two great matches with norman brookes and tony wilding an and d was lucky to be at my beat in both contests unless conditions have changed the U S team must be ready to face two important factors one Is the intense heat in december when we played the temperature was degrees while it was a dry heat still is what you might call a bit warm I 1 recall an intense desire to take a drink of water through the matches which of course I 1 db you drink any water or anything else while the play Is on the second factor Is the turf australian turf Is quite dif different ferenti from ours and En glands where the grass has a much lighter or thinner texture australian turf Is much stronger much more rugged this means your you r spikes are likely to W stick affecting your ankles and your log leg muscles I 1 dont think my legs were ever quite as sore I 1 had to go in for rubber soled shoes beals wright is the son of the late george wright who played S shortstop hort stop on the unbeaten reds of 1809 a team that won 65 55 games lost none and was tied once george wright played professional ball until he ha retired in 1876 the year that gave birth to the national league he was also a brilliant cricketer and a good golfer late in s life calls tilden greatest I 1 asked Be beals alsto to name the greatest tennis player he had ever seen in his 40 odd years of competition and observation ivo ive seen many great ones he said the doherty brothers brookes and wilding larned lamed mcloughlin billy johnston the french stars especially cochet the best that have come along since 1900 1000 but the top man is still bill in my opinion tilden had both speed and power on the court As far as I 1 could see he had no weakness in his championship years ho he had amazing stamina in addition to this tilden had unusual court generalship he was one one of the few men ive seen in sport who could let down and then pull himself back he had the art of keeping hla his opponent oft off balance both mentally and physically no one ever knew what was coming next pays agair 0 off several years ago hurry ry up yost famous football coach made over addresses in one sea son to high school and university gatherings the theme of his many talks was this honesty Is the best investment 1 I wanted to prove he told me that honesty kasnot was not only the best policy but that it also paid bigger dividends in every way in other othe r words that you could make more money being honest |