Page
THE CHINA MAIL,
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1960.
IT'S BILL THE BOOTER'S
It happened in Tony Canzoneri's bar the day before I left New York. They put the notice of the old champ's death on the till and it told the customers how, if they went along to the funeral parlour, they would know which one was the Tony.
I watched that till through hours of dollar-forty
BALL....
Banned from baseball,
takes, and thought that all boxers should go to he aims to hit 'homer"
heaven that way: with the money still ringing in their ears.
But I was also thinking who else in New York had
money ringing in his cars.
None other than William Drought Cox, the
booter
from Broadway. He had just flown out to London to complete his £135,000 plans to promote annually a European club Soccer tournament In New York, the like of which no one has ever seen outside official competitions.
As our Football League, the Scottish League, and the Irish League are up to their ears in this scheme to recoup in the New World a little of the money they are losing In the Old, was interested.
But who was William Drought I sought the answer in C41x London.
Suspension superb
Cox has all the characteristics of my American automobile. He looks smart, he moves quickly. he knows all about credit termus, and the suspension is superb.
Particularly was Interested Sixteen years In the suspension. ago Cox was suspended for life fam holding office in American «Baseball. That was for betting in a small way on the club he owns, the Philadelphia Phillies, Now, purged this in- reinstated, discretion but not
Di
Jo
ny l . Other countries have dung the Game.
only
for British soccer
By
J.L. MANNING
admission money before he starts.
WILLIAM DROUGHT COX
to
WEEKEND SOFTBALL
Yim Laisheung’s pitching should give SCAA ladies
fifth straight win
their
By OLLY VAS
It seems a little strange to have to report, once again, that the SCAA ladies will be playing off a league fixture this Sunday against the Cheyennes whom they were supposed to meet only last week.
The fact is that someone within the Softball Association got his signals all crossed up, as they say in softball circles. The Matadors-Squaws ladies' match was brought forward one week and the SCAA-Cheyennes deferred for a similar period of time.
A pliching. between
the
My colleagues were also keni New Asin should win without alone are favoured to recount for
[the Glasts. in the dark about the switch- any diffeulty. League 2 p.c. of all "gates." As 30 games averaging 12,000 JULY-AUGUST: Five clubs over but it is sincerely hoped At 3.30 p.m. the Cheyennes The Senior league Braves must nback-to-form he has also to pay 10 ne. Pater- | 16,000 spectators. Good luck to { from each
agaiosi of Hungary July, that in future, advice on last-play the Pandas. The Cheyennes win Britnin's entry came
changes in schedules have faded fast since the league SCAA le to stay in the run- after approval of the cumpet-tainment tax, there's a sixth of him. He'll need it. Sport has Austria, Sweden, Portugal for minute
gone gone so sour in New York that Poland), and the New York will at least be communicated began some months back and ning for the 1tle. tion was given by the United his
even the top two basebal-teams Club-15 games.
by the responsible party to the are a spent force. They dit duel is expected Stater Soccer Football Associa-
have had to emigrate to Call- tion. When I inquired about this
various softball conespondents register an 11-10 victory over Braves Pedruco and the Corom tornia to buy vemselves some
Luers' "Goose" Wong, two of instrument the Pandas that handy
iny over in New York all
an extended and fundry
the best hurlers in the Colony spectatots. Will New
Rame but pick the Chinese vlcul not
Yorkers to be named or
known as the telephone.
today. now mish to Soccer to relieve
boys to reYCISE the dreision quoted direct.
the tension in their busy lives?
Ihla time, in view of their good showing against the Dodgers last week. The only thing is The Pandas will have Cyril Law In the outfeld not behind the plate,
KAVE The USSFA clearly
reluctantly, their permission
given no inancial and have guarantee.
They feared that a flop would involve their own good maze. They did not think Cox had enmigh experience of the game and that he was a bit of a well- meaning dreamer who had got his logistics wrong. On the other hand, they did not want to be the accused it holding back development of American Soe-
top pay
The onus
to £7 for part-
timers). it was this League
he is in the Broadway Soccer business with customers
So they put the onus on the Preston, Glasgow, and Belfast.
American Football League (ten not to mention Paris, Rome, Bonn, Budapest, Madrid, average gates 1,200, and Blockholm, and either Lisbon Or Waraw. A remarkable man you will think. He is Before I recall for you how Cox proposes to run in New York between May and August a two-section league of leading
which gave Cux their suppori.
So when he formed his inter- national League
M. Schwarez, business manager of the Ameri- can League, was put on the jay-
roll
¦
i
If there is may profit will go to the sponsoring club, New York Club Inc., of which Cox
president, and is
for which Welsh international Walley Bames, late of Arsenal, is now rce:ulting players here
so that they, too, can play in the tetiniament as New Yorkers
Confident
prolit
Each club plays each other in Rs section and the section August winners meet final.
Çox it offering bonuses of up Cox also 9239 that Ave TV to £330 for section winners, bui sponsors-beer, cigarettes, and the Football League club will tazor blades-have "nibbled" have to pocket most of this t him for screen rights. And that they
Their rules prohib|į win. this, and the pre-sale of tickets, Janý extra payment to players. will provide the money he will need in advance to buy the charter-plane Bights and
find club guarantees, Good luck to
BR will there be a Will there be even enough to pay the expenses of lying 200 European footballers to and fru|him ngain.
Crad The Atlantic, teeping them in New York for a month, and paying the clubs a quanin- teed £1,000 per game in a lotal programine of 30 matches?
Huge task
But I find all this very opti- mistic. I don't want Mr Cox
My advice
Faded fast
Now for the weekend games.
The Austers and New Asla open the programme tomorrow at 2.00 p.m. in' the first of iwo Junior league KAMPE.
The
Collegians
2
inflcted defeat on heavy
the winless Austers in five short innings during their first-round meeting.
If the Servicemen could only come up with a pitcher of sorts they might have FONIA kay against the opposition. As it
to
put
дру
The defending champlais are defensively a sironx side but their hiting leaves much to be desired.
Good hitters
Sunday's opening Pe features the Cheyennes and 'SCAA. With Frances da
SCAA. on The other hand, of Silva now definitely out
have a well-balanced hitting the game the Cheyennes have team with some playkers reatly no plicher to match the cham-able to hit a tong ball. Since plans' Yim Lal-sheung and they cannot resort to bunting champions against Pedruco they will have to rely on power at the plate. 1 p them to triumph over the Braves by margin.
So that's the scheme nat that's the man who thinks it will work.
the For my part, I ad. the British Leagues to vise look into the matter much more carefully.
, they go down heavily week In and week out which speaks to volumes for their sportsmanship trouble in They may think it's nee
have a paid junket across the In showing up regularly, know- Atlantic and
Lásk
It takes my breath away. Hut j to suffer, He has had more not Mr Cox's. He is breathing than his share uf
easily, Su, 1 American sport: confidently' and hope. are the Football League.
1a Aremendous
with one man
a private largely personal organisation to
of run an annual tournament this magnitude.
Cox will put on most of the games under lights at the Pois Grounds, where the New York Giants used to play
baseball When I asked the ground offle. staff, how much a week at would cost to hire the studium 1 was told: "The Jehovah Witnesses
dus 20,000 last summer.”
The idea
defending
should register their arth straight win.
Surprise team
The lat
the
AUTOW
game of the day the Cardinals and
The latter victory!
out 1 3-4
Mr Cox maying full well that the result of
At 11.00 nm. the Indians and Starcharts in action. for think he is going to become their game is a foregone con-
Giants meet for the first time,queezed and Uncle Sam's Soccer pioneer. Bui elusion
The Indians are the surprise over the Carte in their pre- team of the Junior league, now vitus medinst but the Cards
IT in accond spol the league are only now showing a wel- and overdue return to table but with only an outside
the title. chance for
form. The Stardusts will start Lately they have been playing some as underdogs, as they always good softball and for this reason I do,
25
Chess News
the fundamental question is not will like whether the players
Chartered bring
across the ocean like Circus performers,
wheller. is to arrange two but,
Willar Drough Cox himself has asked sections as follows:
in another context: MAY-JUNE: Five clubs from each of England, Scotland, Irc-
Is there really a Santa West Cox laughed this 10
Germany, scorn, land.
and Claus after all? And, if Soy, BX P chi; K X 8, -4
toins the Queen. New York will he be around the New York Even 50.
budget will be France, and
Polo Grounds this summer? American tight. And he bis based it on Club-15 games.
First Division clubs from Eng- land, Scotland, Ireland, West
Cox had Furthermore,
to Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, undertake to pay bolli The Spain, Austria. Portugal and USSFA and the Poland, let me tell you more Sout The mun because he holds the key 10 the whole situation.
More philosopher
Cox is, believe, more philo- sopher than philanthropist. For since graduating at Vale he has written a book called "Boxing In Art and Literature" (which he described as a symposium on fighting from Homer to Hem- ingway), the "Standard All- tical Text Book," ' and he has bought and sold a nice litle treatise titled "Yes, there is a Santa Claus."
Not even Danny Blanchflower has that literary output'
Even earlier Cox ("I am called 'Drought' after maternal grandparents who left Ireland before Prohibition") showed promise. He was a credit in- vestigator for a bank.
in
In which job, he fold me London, he had to check on a Clursman selling searchlights In Ceylon. and how, the inter- ellies railway at Minneapolis had the King of England as 2 stockholder
During the war he had a lum- ber business and retirisi a low years ago. In 1943 he bought the professional baseball team in Philadelphia for around £80,000. And he bought trouble.
He sacked the manager that should put him in good standing with the Football League-the players threatened to strike, and someone squealed about his $25 to $100 bets on his own team.
Disqualified
COM-
The national baseball missioner, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, a mild man who once awarded $29,000,003 damages against the Standard Oll Company, disqualified him from holding office in basebali for life. Anzi stuck to his ver- dict, although, Cox told me in London: "Landia and since became good friends."
AN
Cox had a longer rug proprietor of a New York' pro- fessional football (American style) team and all his life he has been interested ja sport. But not in Soccer-until
18
months ago, he said. Now he is
a world-wide promoter, talking
in half-million dollars.
of
This, and the baske idea eaming money in New York in hes shrewd, hard- handed Soccer boyses to glan on the dotted The."
the summer, is what induced
our
Between October 81 and November the 'League segre teries of England, Scotland, and Ireland wrole hir" "letters in (densical terma, saying t FAVO them "much pleasure!! to accept membership of his Injeraional Legatio and “ ming to for
FOUR D. JONES
by MADDOCKS
I'M AFRAID YOU ARE
IN FOR A SHOCK. THIS, PLANET JUST AIN'T WORTH EXPLORING
FERDINAND
NANCY
!
DON'T
TELL HIM. JONES! I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, YOU" TAKE YOUR JEFF HAWKE KIT
AND GO AND LOOK
FOR YOURSELF
BRICK BRADFORD
WHY DOES THE THIRD MEMBER OF YOUR PARTY WISH TO RESTROY OUR INSTALLATION!
~ERNIE
BUSHMI
BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN CAUSING A GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE ON BARTHE YOU DIDN'T ANSWER
MY QUESTION;
THAT.
INTEND TO DO MATE
EASILY PUT
WHY DID YOU REFER TO THE
The
PLUMBER
IT IS JUST THAT! ONLY SELECTED
CONTROL CENTER | PERSONNEL ENTER
AS "THE DANGER
AREA!
THERE. HERE
-COMES YOUR
MAN NOW! NEED
I BAY MORE?
(PT PTYBALX18
OH, NOT
BRICK! BRICK!
CONE SPLENDID NOW WE CAN PINCH HIS ROCKET
AND GO HOME
PINCH
HIS ROCKET! WHAT A DASTARKLY
DEEP
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