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History of the A's |
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A Warning to the Boys (Unheeded) |
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SPORT
DONE BROWN by
CLAYTON BROWNE The
St. Catharines Standard Saturday
November 27, 1948 Someone
is always taking the joy out of life, in some shape or form and in this
case, it is taking the folding lettuce out of the individual pockets.
Having a decided Garden City focus, this corner will try to explain
matters for our lacrosse-minded citizenry and backers of senior Athletics.
Reference is to yesterday’s edict from O. L. A. solons that suspension
faced any individuals playing with the new U. S. A. outlaw indoor boxla
loop being drummed into being this winter, also coaches and referees. It
all goes back to 1932 – 6 era across the border, when the wise Yankee
promoters saw gold on the walls and did what the O. L. A. calls
“exploiting” Canadian stars. Playing to packed arenas and armories in
the States, at fancy prices to patrons and running as high as $3.50 a
seat, the promoters richly lined their pockets and it surely was a lush
season for the wily box lacrosse operators. They
took not only the cream off the top, as well as insisting only on the star
players of Ontario, but they raked in the milk-body of the gates and
through voluble excuses of high overhead, they got the Canadian boys to
accept as little as the ridiculous sum of 50 cents a game for their box
labor. Nor was it easy going, for they wanted action and lots of blood
spilt. Foxy
promotion colored the games past rainbow hues, with all the fanfare
possible and when a player was cut down and the gore streaming widely,
they’d rush out two white-garbed nurses, in caps, red crosses a foot
high on their starched unies, with a doctor or so and two running
orderlies to tote a stretcher and lug the Canadian boy (or his Indian
rival) to the arena hospital. Verily, the American fans ate it up, so that
a gate of $5,000 net was the night’s take. The boys got their orders
when and what to score, just to make it close. Then they’d book the same
teams right back again in a spite-fest, for more lettuce to the operators.
After
the west coast fiasco later, when Hollywood imported B. C. and Ontario
players, the O. L. A. – C. L. A. stepped into the scene and inserted a
clause in player certificates which exists today, specifying six months
suspension for individuals who jumped the border and maybe aided in
ruining summer lacrosse in our country. They put the spike in the coast
loop and it blew higher than a kite. Now
the gold bug has bitten the Rochester promoters again and they tried
talking turkey with the O. L. A. when the 1948 O. L. A. finals and Mann
Cup tests where on. The O. L. A. – C. L. A. recently insisted on
Canadian teams such as Athletics, Mimico, Tigers and Crescents being paid
lump sums which ran as high as $500 a game. But that took too much off the
top so the racketeers cut that down to $300 for this season. Athletics
officials are said to have given permission to four A’s to play for
Rochester Iroquois, providing the Athletics (as a club) got four games
there during the winter. But the O. L. A. refused that. The proposed U. S.
loop is said to consist of Rochester, Geneva, Hornell, Buffalo and Falls,
N. Y., but where in heck the last named city can play is a quiz, unless it
be on this side of the river in the Falls, Ont. arena. Knowing
what it cost the current lessees to put that in shape for dance bands, it
is hardly possible they would wire-screen the place for patron safety from
flying rubber. They do cater to pro grapplers, but no one throws a
250-pounder all the way from the ring to the scenery. However, the O. L.
A. cannot be condemned heavily for protecting its own entrants at the
hands of alleged profiteers. Rumor
says that certain senior Athletics, who hate to pass up the 30 bucks per
game offered them by the Iroquois club that seeks their illustrious
services, are for taking the chance. ‘Tis assumed they love the national
game so much they’d play it every day and night. Experience proves you
cannot burn candles on both ends, but that is their own personal affair. There
is just one tiny fly in the boxla ointment. The O. L. A. is affiliated
with the Ontario Sports Federation and six months suspension by the boxla
solons means the same suspension from all organized sport in Ontario. That
controls practically everything from chess to bull fighting and cockroach
racing. So it may be just too bad for the take-a-chance boys to be cut off
from hockey, baseball, softball, etc. SPORT
DONE BROWN by
CLAYTON BROWNE The St. Catharines Standard Wednesday
December 8, 1948 If
the advice is worth a skimpy nickel, may we suggest to two boxla officials
here that the O. L. A. is neither bluffing nor fooling in this U. S. trend
to play, if one wishes to call it that? In fact it is pretty darn certain
that someone is going to know it the hard way on Dec. 18th.
That is when the box moguls meet in Toronto to debate the issue, the
session being postponed till then. Maybe
the boys who hop the fence figure it was a case of stall the caucus
because the O. L. A. had nothing to work on. Don’t let that fool you a
holy minute. It was postponed to let them get the evidence and since the
errant ones have been warned privately to “cut it out,” the
jingle-jangle is stronger than the appeal. This
is fair notice, you foolish fellows. The O. L. A. is not kidding one
speck. It will be suspension and they’re sorry about it as well. They
know what’s going on and who’s who and what’s what and proof is they
say the 1949 season may be poor lacrosse. The reason? There won’t be a
lot of fellows playing it since they’ll be box banned, and from all
other affiliated sports as well. Don’t say next April, why didn’t you
tell us these things? |