Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 May 1907 — The SPORTING WORLD [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The SPORTING WORLD

Bassball Looms In View. One of the most anxious periods of the year Tor baseball fans is here. They all want to see the home team in action, to learn for themselves whether or not “the locals** are the coming champions of their league. Of course every tedm Is a championship winner—before the campaign opens. The battles In both the National and American leagues open on April 11.

The other leagues follow with their inaugurals soon after. In the American league the Chicago White Sox, champions of the world, are said by their leader, Center Fielder Davy Jones, to be ready to capture another flag. But Jones may be guessing wrong, for Cleveland and Philadelphia have very able teams. At this writing Chicago, Cleveland and Philadelphia appear the strongest outfits on paper In Ban Johnson’s league;

The A. A. U. After Grafters. There is likely to be a severe financial stringency In eastern athletic circles during the next few months and all because the Amateur Athletic union proposes to delve more deeply into the question of money paid to star athletes under the guise of expenses. This habit has been growing in a remarkable manner lately, and the promoters of track meets, both Indoor and outdoor, have discovered that It cost extraordinary amounts to transport the festive sprinter and distance man from point to point. This grafting under the term of expenses has reached a point where the promoters of track and field games are yelling for help, and the Amateur Athletic union has beard the call. There is a mail vote now in progress on a resolution to do away with the habit of paying expense money direct to the athlete and In place of it substituting a plan whereby the club represented by the athlete shall render bills and receive payment for such Incidental expenses as may be incurred by competitors. This idea was submitted by ex-President Joseph B. McCabe at the last annual meeting of the union and received hearty supporj. At that time It was resolved “that recommendation In the president’s report In regard to the payment of traveling and other expenses by club officials and not by athletes be referred to the legislation committee.” This was done, and the committee has now prepared a rule which If passed will, it Is expected, do away with what has been threatening the amateur status of some of the most prominent of the present crop of ath letes.

The Bermuda Yacht Race. The entries of five yachts in the Bermuda race for sailing craft were announced recently in New York by the committee in charge of the contest which consists of Dr. De Mund, Vice Commodore Trott and Thomas Fleming Day. The yachts are the schooner Dervish, flagship of Commodore Morss of the Corinthian Yacht club of Marblehead, Mass.; the Isolt, owned by Captain Myers of the St. George Yacht club of Bermuda; the Bermudian, owned by D. Burrows of the Royal Bermuda Yacht club; the schooner Rusulka, flagship of Commodore Bird S. Coler of the Brooklyn Yacht club, and the yawl building for Rear Commodore Frank Maier of the New Rochelle (N. Y.) Yacht club. Besides the entries of the schooners Black Hawk and Takltesy and the yawl Lila are expected. .The. * Lila started in the race last year, which was won by Rear Commodore Maier’s yawl Tamerlane,, but she was forced into Hampton Roads, Va., because of a tempestuous experience in the gulf stream. Jack O'Brian May Retire. It is possible “Philadelphia Jack” O’Brien, who is getting brain fag from juggling real estate deals, will abandon the Queensberry art after his coming bout with Tommy Burns in Los Angeles next May. “Unless the inducements are unusually good I am going to let the other fellows do the fighting,” confided O’Brien recently. “It Is not so much the fighting that I object to, but it’s the long, tedious Job of training. When a man has business worries on his brain, he is in no condition to do bls best fighting. While lam almost certain that I shall retire, I would take on Johnson when he returns to America if a fat purse were hung up." Breaks Intersoholastio Record. The interscholastlc indoor record for the 1,000 yard run was broken by George Jones of the Worcester (Mass.i academy at the annual interscholastle games recently. Jones ran the distance in 2:25 4-5. The previous record was 2:27 14k

DAVY JONES, CAPTAIN CHAMPION CHICAGO AMERICANS.