We swing the axe today. In fact, the column swings a
double-edged hatchet today; one keen edge being aimed at
the sport moguls who try to draw the line between profes
sionalism and amateurism in tennis, and calling the first named
a bunch of bums, and the other blade being saved for the
decision of the Portland group in refusing to allow varsity
eligibility for frosh.
1 lie Lawn Tennis Association in general aggravates the
column. Lots of tin rolls in from the matches which it spon
sors and yet none of it seems to roll out in the general direc
tion of the players—the lads responsible for making it.
Very Queer Tactics
But let one of the hoys step out of line just for a second
and the axe lops them off of theamateur list. And the most
amusing part of it is the proceedure in which the lopping is
and the axe lops them off of the amateur list. And the most
done. The busy spring season is usually over before the axe
falls. The heads then bring their charges and kick the ques
tionable player out. But come next tennis season and they find
it in their hearts to reinstate the player. It’s a nice way to
^ keepr'the boys in line.
Their latest action—that of “frowning” on a proposed
gigantic open tennis tournament pitting outstanding pro
fessionals against top-rating amateurs for a war charity—
may tread on some people's sense cf patriotism. That match
would draw plenty of tennis fans and would contribute a lot
of money to the coffers of the war charity.
But the reason for the “frowning” on the tournament, as
given by the U.S.L.T.A. head. Holcombe Ward, is the payoff,
lie said, “The professionals haven’t proved they are able to
control their own players, and it is possible abuses might
creep in which wold be detrimental to the amateur game.”
A Gentlemen's Game, They Say
Of course, tennis is a gentleman’s game—-they say. That’s
quite a compliment to a lot of people. Tennis is one of the
most universal sports in the world. You find courts scattered
all over—just as plentiful as the hand lot diamonds which are
the womb of many great baseball players. And Joe Doakes,
the stocky blond kid who you see out on the court viciously
swing a bit of wood and cat guts at a fuzzy pill, isn’t worrying
about “abusing” somebody.
The main body of players competing in the top brackets
of amateur tennis today aren’t gentlement—they’re just a
nice bunch of guys who like to play tennis. They play the
game fairly and keep it friendly but as for being simon-pures
—well, if they can make an extra penny, why shouldn’t they
allowed to do it.
The inference of the Lawn Tennis Association head is that
the professional ■ players are bums or facsimiles. Yet three
years ago most of them were amateurs. Kovacs, he’s new this
year—Budge, two years in the pro ranks—most of them came
ii]) the same way.
The discontentment that has been brewing in the ama
teur ranks needs something just like this war charity deal
to make it boil over. The verbal attack laid down by Kovacs
last winter when he grumbled, “Amateur tennis has gone
to the dogs; there ain’t any money in it any more,” shows
the discontentment.
The higher-ups are going to have to pull their heads in and
make concessions or their association will blow up. And tennis
too grand a sport to be tarnished this way.
Frosh Not Eligible—Why?
I wonder why the athletic meeting in Portland refused to
grant eligibility for freshmen in varsity athletics. Of course
at this time only the decision is known and the reason for the
decision may justify the action. But unless there is a good
reason the action seems out of place with the present war
program.
Many of the other schools in the country have revamped
their programs to allow freshman participation. And with
the prersent demand by the army for men, and the natural
shortage it will leave in college, the change in the eligibility
seems like a good idea.
The change in the required hours or semesters will help a
little but as far as football is concerned it won’t matter greatly.
Freshmen will need 36 hours before becoming eligible and that
^rill be a chore. They might enter school spring quarter, take
18 hours, then repeat the program during the special spring
session and be eligible but the procedure would mix up their
schooling. I'm glad the Oregon coachess were unofficially in
favor of lifting the ban because the column feels that this
action would have been the right one.
27 Baseball Hopefuls
Report for Frosh Drill
By HARRY GLJCKMAN
With exactly three full teams
numbering; 27 players turning;
out, Coach John Warren’s Uni
cersity of Oregon freshmen base
ball aspirants continued practice
Warren had his Ducklings
strung out, the batterymen work
ing out in McArthur court, and
the infielders and outfielders
practicing on the dirt diamond.
Work consisted of batting prac
tice and conditioning exercise.
Schedule Not Ready
No schedule has been an
nounced yet, but four games with
the Oregon State Rooks and sev
All men interested in working
as freshman baseball managers
are asked to report to Don
Shreve at the equipment cage in
the Igloo this afternoon between
3 and 3:30.
eral topnotch state high school
teams will probably be included.
Portland produced nine of the
contenders, including Richard
Atiyeh and Aubrey Cromwell,
Washington; Bass Dyer, Jim
Pryor, and Henry Voderberg,
Grant; LeRoy Erickson and
Bryce Sidesinger, Jefferson;
Harold Locke, Roosevelt; and
Bob Signer, Lincoln.
Lone out-of-stater in the turn
out was Arthur Murphy, flashy
shortstop from Oakland, Califor
Oliver Takes
Over Today
In Football
By SI SIDESINGEI!
With Tex Oliver expected back
in the Duck grid camp today
to again assume charge, the var
sity football squad continued to
roll on into spring practice. Oli
ver has spent all this week in
Portland attending the Pacific
Coast football conference. Line
Coach Vaughn Corley has as
sumed charge of the pigskin
squad during the head mentor’s
absence and has kept the husky
backs and linemen working hard.
v The first actual contact be
gan last night between linemen
and the swivel-hipped backs on
a few running plays. Tackling
was not allowed, the runners be
ing blocked down. This served the
purpose of accuracy in blocking,
an all-important maneuver, and
lessened the possibilities of spring
V/aouaiucb.
K obi in Improves
The squad was divided into
three teams for signal drill and
dummy practice. Koch, Newquist
and Roblin, as expected, looked
very effective in their roles as
potential first stringers. Roblin
has had only one turn-out under
his belt but looked to be an even
more improved ball-player than
last fall.
Big Ed Moshofsky, Dick
Ashcom, Ray Segale, and Val
Culwell have shown plenty to
indicate that the Oregon for
ward wall will be anything but
weak. Vic Atiyeh, a speedy
211-pound freshman guard, is
not far behind the veterans
in battling for a starting posi
tion in the annual spring in
ter-squad game.
Corley also stressed wind
sprints as a conditioning factor
and a test for speed among the
bulky linemen and shifty ball
carriers.
nia. The remainder of the squad
includes John Gitzen and William
Reed, Medford; Frederick Kuhl
and Claude Lokan, Astoria; Rob
ert Aiken and Dan Plaza, Onta
rio; Merle Aden, Yamhill; How
ard Applegate, Yoncalla; Edward
Gearhard, Gardner; Arthur Gus
tafson, Milwaukie; Pete Gregos,
Pendleton; William Gallagher, La
Grande; Walter Mellenthin, The
Dalles; Euclid Paris, Drain; Rob
ert Sullivan, Salem; and Sam
Crowell, North Bend.
Weatherman Drives
Tracksters Indoors
“Rain, rain, go away.” It did,
but too late for the majority of
Colonel Bill Hayward’s track
team. The rain, along with de
cidedly cold weather, caused most
of the cinder-men to take advan
tage of the notice on the bulletin
board—an anouncement in the
basement of McArthur court
which read, ‘workouts optional
today.” By the time the track
aspirants had their eligibility
blanks filled out, they were
greeted by a driving rain that
drove most of them home.
Hurdlers Workout
A few braved the temporary
storm, however, and managed to
get a fairly decent workout.
Some of the hurdlers, and a very
small portion of the sprinters and
distance runners, worked out.
Ralph Kramer and Zenas
Butler, hurdlers, actually had
the intestinal fortitude to shed
their warm-ups before they
took their final laps.
These two, along with Bob
Simpson, will probably be called
on to hold down the hurdles this
season. Two others, Rolph Fuhr
man and Dune Wimpress, will
not compete this season because
of illness.
Fuhrman, who just packed up
his basketball togs, will be out of
commission because of a hernia.
It had bothered him slightly dur
ing basketball season, but did not
become serious until he was
ready to come out for track.
He had first noticed it on the
eastern barnstorming tour ear
ly last fall, but it didn’t seem
to bother him. It gave him
occasional trouble during: the
current hoop season, but has
reached a stage where an oper
ation will be necessary before
he can compete in field events,
and even basketball next year.
Another rail-hopper who would
have been useful to Hayward’s
minute squad, was G. Duncan
Wimpress, sophomore transfer
from Fullerton J. C. He had his
appendix removed just before the
end of winter term, and it will
eliminate him from competition
this season.
The squad has been continuing
their conditioning workouts in
preparation for the dual meet
with the University of Portland,
April 4. Cold weather and rain
have slowed the process some
what, however, and Hayward has
little hopes for success.
The complete schedule follows:
April 4—TJ. of Portland at Port
land. April 18—Oregon-OSC re
lays at Eugene. April 25—Wash
ington at Eugene. May 2—WSC
at Pullman. May 9—OSC at Cor
vallis. May 16—N. D. meet at
Seattle. May 30—P. C. C. meet
at Seattle.
OSC-California
(Continued from page four)
plete year before becoming eli
gible for varsity competition, and
made the rule to read that 36
hours of work would make fresh
men eligible.
COL. BILL HAYWARD . . .
. . . starts hts 40th year at Ore
gon.
r
Spring Term
FAVORITE
A campus classic, our all
white moccasin with
white rubber sole.
$4.95
No. 1 on a coed’s hit pa
rade is our white buck
suede oxford.
$5.95
A THRILLER!
Humphrey Bogart and
Mary Astor in
'Maltese Falcon'
also
'OUTLAWS OF
THE DESERT'
with William Boyd as
Hopalong Cassidy