Show 0 1 P CE A AN AN N INDIGNANT non-combatant non writes in criticizing our si oil sidd guess that for a combination basketball bas bas- probably has the greatest number of players and spectators His selection was softball where as he says with says with proper facilities there here would be over soft soft- ball sail players I doubt this very much knowing also how many people play softball Bowling can claim close to But when you dig y underneath the surface surface sur sur- face there are just 1 four major sports 3 that from the reading read read- ing and the thet general interest t angle angle have havethe havethe havethe the greatest appeal These four are football baseball boxing and racing Grantland Rice From the writing and the reading angle angle an an- gle above the playing angle these are the four tour tops Hockey Bockey a fast moving game fame Is only known to a small section of 01 the country with no national following Basketball Is almost strictly local In n its appeal even if thousands play It t and millions watch It It Is al almost almost al al- most an Impossible game about which one can write with any national national na na- or general interest Track and field has only a limited reading or spectator Interest Bowling Is more of 01 a home bome and family game rame a a magnificent sport that Is largely unreadable The two basic reading and writing games of the country are baseball and football football or or football and base base- ball And just back of these we find boxing and racing One Answer In the last few months it has been beena a privilege to talk before many groups of servicemen who come from every part of the country country in In Including those who have never left the country those who have seen action those action those who have been wound wound- ed Most of the sports writers have given what they had to give for this service The usual manner of procedure comes somes through questions from the army or navy audience you face In keeping an official box score f would say that over 90 per cent of the queries thrown your way concern concern concern con con- cern football baseball boxing and racing No one has yet asked me to answer answer answer an an- any question about basketball hockey track and field or bowling There have been a few scattered queries about golf and tennis This doesn't mean that there are not sot millions interested in basketball bowling track and field together There are just as many interested In n hunting and fishing Probably more But the point is that most of the arguments are built around baseball baseball baseball base base- ball football and boxing with racing getting etting a smaller share What do they want to know about What team will win the National league pennant The American league pennant the pennant the World Series What about the Dodgers always sure fire What about the Yankees Could Dempsey have whipped Joe JoeLouis JoeLouis JoeLouis Louis How good is Beau Jack Was this 1943 Notre Dame team better than Rockne's best These are the types of questions they fire at you from those who have come along from the East and West Vest the North and South The Argument Sports Baseball football and boxing are the main argument sports especially especial especial- ly the first two For example the two major leagues represent a long parade oi of smaller hamlets and country towns from which most of the stars come Baseball and football belong to all 18 states They are writing games and reading games and on the readIng reading reading read read- ing side they appeal to many more millions than all other sports lumped together They have an appeal for the kids the veterans the men and the wom wom- en They have such names to give as Ruth Cobb Johnson Mathewson Dickey Alexander Thorpe Grange Speaker Baugh Hutson Luckman DiMaggio Feller Ted Tec Williams Gehrig McAfee Bertelli or Bertelli-or or such teams to follow as the Yankees Dodgers Cardinals Notre Dame Minnesota Michigan Southern California Tennessee Alabama Ala bama Duke Texas Texas and and we are barely warming up Out in front on the reading side this is a football and a baseball country with country with boxing and racing next in line Mel Otts Ott's Foot Action There has always been considerable considerable considerable consider consider- able comment on Mel Otts Ott's ability to hit so many home runs swinging from one foot The main answer here lere is that Mel never swings from one foot When I 1 start my swing Mel told me lately I lift my right foot to be sure that I am set and balanced on the left But if they watch closely enough you'll see that my lifted right foot is on the ground again before the bat reaches the ball This gives s me my right leg to hit against |