OCR Text |
Show Speaking IPCMStt Released by Western Newspaper Union. Despite the many problems besetting be-setting all types of athletics, the National Football league looks with confidence to the 1943 season. Pointing to the success of baseball as a pattern for the diamond game, Elmer Layden,-league commissioner, commission-er, is optimistic about the outlook: "I think our members feel that now is the time to assert ourselves, to show that pro football is deserving deserv-ing of its high position in the sports world. Baseball surely had as many problems last year, if n6t more, than now confront us. I am sure the league will prove it can survive sur-vive under trying conditions. "We won't have talent comparable compara-ble to that of last year and we can't think in these times of great unbeatable teams, but there will be no lessening of competition and games will be as ha rdf ought and exciting ex-citing as ever. Baseball Base-ball and other sports have proved that competition is the big factor." Layden added that Elmer Layden club owners always have recognized the value of competitive com-petitive sports, and that the dollar sign wasn't the only guide in affairs of the National league. "Many of them (the clubs) have lost money in normal seasons. Some of them never have realized any profit, but they still continue." New Franchises The league, as of the present time, appears to be in a healthy state. It will operate this season with eight teams, and one more ready to go to work in 1944. At a recent Chicago meeting, club magnates granted a franchise to Ted Collins, manager of radio star Kate Smith and an enthusiastic football foot-ball fan. Arrangements are being made to set up an organization in Boston. The new team's games are to be played in Fenway park, home of the Red Sox. At the same session, petitions were received for two more franchises fran-chises one from Don Ameche, film and radio star, and the other from Charles Murray, Buffalo, N. Y., promoter. pro-moter. Sideline observers were somewhat confused when one franchise was granted and the other two were held up. However, the league decided to table until its December meeting the latter two applications in order that a study might be made of the problem, not the least of which is transportation. Actually the league as it now stands has 11 franchises. Boston's becomes active in 1944. Cleveland's was made inactive for the duration at an earlier meeting this year and permission was given the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles to merge for the season. Round-Robin The fact that only eight teams of the 11 will be operating makes it possible, for the first time in National Na-tional league history, to play a round-robin tournament. Each team will meet every other team in its division on a home-and-home basis and meet each team in the other division once. The Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals, Car-dinals, Green Bay Packers and Detroit De-troit Lions compose the Western division, di-vision, with the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Redskins, Red-skins, and the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia club grouped in the East. A franchise will be nothing new for Boston. It was in the league until un-til 1936 when George Preston Marshall, Mar-shall, owner of the Washington Redskins, Red-skins, pulled out of that city in favor of the nation's capital. It was Marshall Mar-shall who made the motion that the league grant Collins a Boston franchise fran-chise effective in 1944. The Boston franchise becomes operative op-erative just prior to the December draft meeting, which will allow the new club to get in on the college player draft. The league, together with club officials, figured it would be smart policy to delay Boston's entrance for a few months to prevent pre-vent many of the mistakes which might have resulted from hasty organization. or-ganization. SPORTS SHORTS C Yankee batters use a tincture of benzoin to make their hands stick to their bats. C Both the Cardinals and the Browns give passes to Red Cross blood donors. C England's No. 1 racing stable owner of 1942 was King George VI, first reigning monarch to achieve that distinction. His horses won about S40.000. C Fritzie Zivic has announced that he will retire from the ring at the end of the year unless, as he says, "the current crop of bums gets wor? e." C All six recognized world marks in high hurdles are held by American a ' h 1 c t e s . C Lau Sr ban. Irfiiena'is 1943 football foot-ball c.'.r'.-vin ar.r! star s-bot putter, now is in the army. |