Slants on Sports

Dolly Stark, veteran big league baseball umpire and coach of the Dartmouth quintet for the past ten years, bumped into your sports scribe at Gallagher’s last night. Before long the two of us were discussing Jews in basketball. “There are no two ways about it,” said Dolly, “the greatest basketball players I have ever seen are Jewish. They’re the finest sportsmen I’ve ever met.”

Stark believes the City College basketballers the fastest his teams have ever faced. He recognizes Nat Holman as the peer of court coaches and players and thinks Lou Spindell the smartest cageman that ever graduated from amateur to professional ranks.

When asked what team in the metropolitan area impressed him most, he unhesitatingly said, “New York University.”

N. Y. U. certainly merits the praise that Stark has bestowed on it. It’s the smoothest-working court combination in the city despite the records of L. I. U. and City College. City has rolled up five consecutive victories. L. I. U. has scored an average of sixty points a game. The Violets have played only two games but their co-ordination was so perfect in both encounters that it is the best running machine on a basketball floor.

SID GROSS CAPTAIN OF TEAM

Sid Gross, the 22-year-old Bronx lad, has been elected to the captaincy of the Violet quintet. He is the only senior on the squad this year. As a regular forward last year he ended up the season with a total of 106 points. He was the third highest scorer on the team, placing behind Hagan Anderson and Willie Rubenstein. Gross is recognized as a steady, clever, cool-headed player with lots of power.

Gross and Rubenstein are the veterans around whom Coach Cann has built this year’s team. The other regulars are Irving Tergesen, Leonard Maidman, and Milton Schulman, making an all-Jewish first team. The only other all-Jewish college quintet in New York is the Lavender five.

Rubenstein, center on the freshman five three years ago and high scorer in 1931, dropped out of school for a year, coming back to win a regular post as a forward last season. He is very shifty and can shoot with either the left or the right hand.

VIOLET HAS TOUGH SCHEDULE

N. Y. U. has already sent Lafayette and Columbia down to defeat. The victory over the Alumni is not counted. Seventeen games are still on the schedule, including such stern opponents as Notre Dame, Fordham, Temple, Manhattan, Yale, Navy, St. John’s and City. The last game with City has become a traditional basketball encounter.

Last year the Hall of Famers had an equally difficult schedule but came through with their record unblemished. They trounced C. C. N. Y. in the final game. City had been undefeated up to that time, having run up a total of fourteen straight victories.

DANNY RIDGE, VETERAN FIGHTER AND BOXER, DIES

The death of Danny Ridge, news of which was shocking to all who knew him, stirs memories of the vanished eras of boxing in this town. He was a boxing star of another generation and a referee for the last ten years. Ridge, whose real name was Daniel Rosenblatt, died after an operation made necessary because of wounds sustained in the World War.

Danny died under suspension as a referee, but not under a cloud. His only fault was that he had got entangled in the curiously complex rules by which he was bound to judge the bouts he refereed. After his death the boxing commission, which had previously denied his application for a reinstatement, removed the suspension. Danny Ridge was a game little guy who gave more to life than he got out of it, and he died as he had lived, unafraid.

KING LEVINSKY MEETS BAER FRIDAY

It looks like a tough beginning of a new year for King Levinsky, Windy City Walloper and pride and worry of Maxwell street, Chicago.

A wholesale fish merchant has tied up the King’s share of the gate receipts for his four round fight—not exhibition—with the Lothario from Livermore who happens to be the heavyweight champion of the world. They meet Friday night at the Chicago Stadium.

That’s bad enough. However, on top of the prospect of not getting to spend very much of the fruits of his toil, Baer has irked Levinsky by slighting remarks concerning the King’s ability.

“That Baer’s in for a licking,” the Chicago Assassin said with gestures, according to reliable eyewitnesses. “I’m a boxer now and I always could punch.

“Baer thinks he can train for a week and knock me out,” the “keed brudder” of Leaping Lena wailed, “but I been training for two weeks and I’m better than ever. But, I won’t say anything more. I’m just waiting to get him in there Friday.”

HOCKEY AND LYNN PATRICK

Lynn Patrick, mogul of the ice rink known as the Garden and manager of that demoralized, deflated and debunked sextet known as the New York Rangers, is bellyaching to every reporter in town.

“Sure, I know what’s wrong with my team. At first I thought it might be Andy Aitkenhead. I chucked him. I got Dave Kerr. I thought it was his fault. I finally believe I know what the matter is. Alex Levinsky has been playing badly and so has Earl Siebert.”

Lynn, old boy, have you ever thought that the great Ching Johnson is just an ordinary ice skater these days; that your little Cookie is so much siwash; that you paid $10,000 for your Jewish laddie, Levinsky, who was a top-notch defense man with the Toronto Maple Leafs last year; and that you haven’t been giving Alex and Siebert a real chance to show their stuff all season?

Patrick, old man, don’t try passing the buck to two guys who can’t be blamed because your team has been very punk all year. You’ve got $100,000 at your finger tips. The Garden has six extra ash cans. Two of them can hold Ching Johnson. Four of them can manage Cookie. Use your horse sense and play Lynn junior, Al Levinsky and Earl Sibert more often. That’s what the customers and the gallery gods want.