Show good fighter can make a million L by GRANTLAND RICE ahe HE PARTY given by rocky 1 graziano and tony janaro at madison square garden was typical ot of the 1950 fight game it Is breathing but about all at the moment it Is pretty well washed out here was a young fighter known as janiro a tine fine boxer and a good puncher a few years ago at the age of 22 when he should be just J u s t grantland rice starting he Is barely able to go five rounds after the fifth round barring a flurry in the janaro was just 1 about able to hold his hands bands up but there was nothing graziano could do about it ile he break through the boxing that janiro still carried it was an interesting ight I 1 because the crowd was remembering j the graziano that used to be the j crowd expected the killing punch ait it any second only nothing hap i bened the heavyweight situation Is in M much u ch worse shape than any 0 ther other division there is practically no heavyweight division left whether or not charles has a bad rib or a bad heart he has no fan or crowd appeal and there is no one else around to help things out no one seems to care rocky G graziano raz I 1 ano should have been fighting at least once a month he be Is still only 28 janiro at 22 Is young enough to get back in training and have plenty left tor for 10 rounds there are no five round contests listed at the i moment j if it gets any worse well soon be having three round tights flights I 1 it if rocky graziano had been facing robinson in the ring last week it would have been an extremely melancholy evening for or rocky the tight fight would have been a joke there Is nothing anybody can do at this spot for the heavyweight collapse but at least those in other divisions might get fet in shape for a change and make a struggle to stand up tor for 30 minutes by and by therell be a good young heavyweight pop popping ping out to pick up the loose million he could make with about half the stuff dempsey louis and aej tunney had to show baseball mystery there Is one angle ol of baseball that has always left us in a heavy tog fog this was the pitching batting mystery that developed between 1900 and 1920 when you have fine pitching you are supposed to have light hitting when you have heavy 0 or consistent hitting you are supposed to have shaky pitching but in the first 20 years of this elastic century the game had its best pitching and its finest hitting combined for example this period sent into action such pitching stars as cy young mathewson alexander johnson joe wood addle joss ed walsh jack chesbro wild dill bill donovan nap rucker rube marquard miner brown bill dineen and a long list it was BBS nothing to win from 30 to 40 games cy young had a flock of 30 game years ears so did alex matty malty and johnson johnon earned run ave averages rages ranged from 90 b by ferdie rd fe and 1 14 by walter johnson up to 1 22 by alexander any number of pitchers had seasons under two earned runs per game here was an era of great pitching but where were the crushed and baffled hitters here are a few names rogers hornsby ty cobb and george nap lajoie shoeless joe jackson hornsby II 11 orris by once averaged a bove above for three out of tour four consecutive seasons any number of batters were above and tris speak ak er was one of 0 these so was wahoo sam crawford so wa was flonus wagner the game gam e wa was loaded with great hitters now heres the odd part today we have no pitcher around who can come even close to winning 30 games As I 1 recall it dizzy dean was the last 30 game winner back around 1934 also today we have no hitters in sight even dimly outlined against a hazy horizon anyone who can hit is almost sure to win the batting crown rival pitching arguments what team has the stronger pitching staff the rod red sox or the yankees the red so sox offer you mel me parnell ellis kinder maurice dermott joe dobson jack kra mer and charlie as their leaders the yankees otter offer attie reynolds vie vic bob porterfield tommy byrne ed lopat fred sanford and joe page as their leading snipers |