SPORTS.
Willie Recla, the great Finnish runner, now touring the United
States recently broke his own world’s record for the three male run.
His time was 13 minutes, 56 and 1/5 seconds. The former record
of 14 minutes 1 and 2/5 seconds was made by him earlier in the pres
ent season.
All the big league base ball teams have reported to their South
ern or California practice grounds. The Giants and the Senators
start North on jkarch 21st, playing exhibition games enroute.
Spain, the land of bull fights, is facing the possibility of
the disappearance- of the royal spcrurt. Soccer football is making a
strong bid for its place , and where a football game and a fight
take place on the same day, the arena will be almost deserted while
the ball field will be full to overflowing.
Emil St. Goddard won the Eastern International dog race held at
Quebec recently. His team went the distance of 120 miles in 12
hours and 49 minutes. The race was run on three successive days, 40
miles being run daily.
The -Hew York State Boxing Commission has received a challenge
for Jack Dempsey from Tom Gibbons and Harry Wills for fights to be
held this summer. They will try to prevail on the champion to ac
cept one of the fights before his announced retirement. If he fails
o agree to meet one of the men, the Commission is considering bring
+2^ c^ia^^enSers together, and then announcing the winner of
the fight as Demysey’s successor to the heavyweight crown.
Tex Rickard ha# concluded negotiations for a one year lease of
the Yankee Stadium and has announced his outdoor program. Rickard
has matched Delaney and Berlinbach for the opening card of his fis
tic program which will be staged May 22nd. Wills and Gibbons will
meet m the ring either June 23 or June 24 to establish who will
challenge Dempsey.
Reports from Washington that Charles A.Stoneham’s majority hold
lngs in the New York Giants has been sold to a syndicate headed by
John Rmglmg, the circus man, were denied by Judge Francis X.Mc
Q,uade, treasurer of the club. The linking of Ringlings name with
the sale of the Giants has ^een done on several previous occasiois.
He i8*.? c^?se personal friend of John McGraw and the Giants have
used the circus man’s town, Sarasota, Fla. ,for spring training for
the last two seasons. &
John M.Ward, former Captain of the Hew York Giants, 65 years
old, died in Hew York March 4th.
The great Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi is charged with being a
professional by a New York newspaper. A prominent Finnish runner
is quoted as saying that Nurmi had not done a stroke of work that
is holding a job, since 1919; that the Finnish Government is'behiad
him, practically subsidizing him and that the Finnish-American Ath
letic Club of New York is permitted by rules of the A.A.U. to assess
each set of games m whicg Nurmi appears, a "certain” amount to cove*
the cost of bringing him to this country.
It is also charged that the A.A.TJ., which is supposed to handle
every cent of money connected with Nurmi’s competition in track
meets, produced no specific data when asked to show detailed ac
counts. The reason for the papers
sire to have a ”general clean up”
in this country.
investigation was given as a de
of ohe amature athletic situation