Jimmy Van Alen Initially it was a best-of-nine-points, sudden death tie-break which made it possible to have simultaneous match points for both players. Via a few intermediary steps this would evolve into the current best-of-twelve-point tie-break. He was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965. He was a great fan of Clement C. Moore's famous poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" which is more commonly known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas". He purchased and restored the Clement C. Moore house on Catherine Street in Newport, RI and would make an annual public reading of the poem to children during the
Clement Clarke Moore site, taking up most of the block between 20th and 21st streets and Ninth and Tenth avenues. Ten years later, Moore also gave land at 20th Street and Ninth, east of the avenue, to the diocese for construction of St. Peter's Episcopal Church. The contemporary Manhattan neighborhood is known as Chelsea after his estate. This poem, "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American", was first published anonymously in the Troy (NY) "Sentinel" on December 23, 1823. It was sent to the paper by a friend of Moore. It was reprinted frequently thereafter and published as a small book