Lining Them Up

News From The Western Front

Sundry bits of news of interest were revealed by Mr. Bingham yesterday morning when he met representatives of the press in his offices at the Athletic Association to tell them about his four weeks tour up and down the Pacific coast. Tanned by his exposure to the sunshine of the western shores, Harvard's Athletic Director seemed pleased to return to his local responsibilities and share with his local associates the information gleaned from the various athletic directors whom he consulted.

Of primary interest to Mr. Bingham and to the majority of those closely connected with Harvard athletic developments was a small incident which increases the shroud of mystery which envelopes the identity of Alumnus Aquaticus, alias Anonymous Aquaticus, munificent but unknown donor of the $350,000 which has made possible the construction of the University's first-class "swimmery" and indoor athletic plant. When Mr. Bingham reached Los Angeles an unsigned letter in hand-writing was delivered at his hotel room. The note merely stated that if he wished to get in touch with Mickey Riley (the noted Olympic diver whom Alumnus Aquaticus wished to have present at the dedication of the pool) he would be able to do so. Riley accepted the invitation as he will appear in Chicago at the N. A. A. U. championships the week after the Cambridge meet. But Mr. Bingham is now more bewildered than ever, for he doesn't know whether Alumnus Aquaticus is an easterner or westerner; at any rate, he feels sure that the mysterious unknown, with whom he has carried on a steady correspondence through a trust office, was in Los Angeles on the same day he was. Whoever he may be, Harvard's indebtedness to him is increased by his making possible the appearance here of such an outstanding diver as Riley.

Other Pacific Echoes

During his visit at California, Mr. Bingham conferred with Bill Monahan, graduate manager at that institution, who informed him that California had its doubts about the value of intersectional football games owing to the expense and trouble involved in taking the long trips and the time which the players are taken away from their studies. Monahan stated that the Golden Bears had no plans for intersectional contests in the future and asked if Harvard would send a team out to the coast. Mr. Bingham replied that there wasn't the remotest chance of it. Harvard does not believe in intersectional games and has gone on record to that effect with Yale . . . : Judging from the Harvard Director's conversation the crew situation on the western littoral interested him not a little. He saw the four varsity and three freshman crews of the University of Washington working out under Coach Ulbrickson, who impressed Mr. Bingham a great deal. He wondered why the Crimson crews, with such excellent facilities, couldn't turn in better performances, especially when he considered the meagre equipment at Washington. The California navy was also seen in action on the Bay. Incidentally, Mr. Bingham learned that Harvard's new crew coach. C. J. Whiteside; was highly thought of in the west.

Sound Pro Tennis

The action of the United States Lawn Tennis Association in approving open tennis tournaments should receive hearty approval from all followers of the sport. Now if the International Tennis Federation which meets next month in Paris gives its final sanction to the plan, we will at last see professional tennis on a sound basis. Incidentally it seems almost a foregone conclusion that the Paris court solons will pass on the open tourney proposition.

There can be little question as to the ultimate success of open championships. The effect should be stimulating to amateurs but even more so to professionals. A pro will have to be good to get and keep a reputation under the new system, whereas before there was no way of telling whether a pro were really capable of a good brand of tennis or not. The amateurs too will have the added spur of knowing that it is really the world's championship they are playing for instead of a mere title.

Of course there are some tennis enthusiasts who insist that the professional players of today are not on the same level with the cream of the amateur racquet-wielders. They will probably receive a severe jolt when they watch Vincent Richards and Karel Kozelub perform at Germantown next fall, but even if they are correct the inevitable result of putting the two branches of the sport on an equal footing will be an equalizing one. The good results of open tournaments may not all be apparent from the very start; but they will inevitably come out to the everlasting benefit of one of the greatest of all present-day sports.

Time Out Scores

Comparing the final list of the first ten, as released by the U. S. L. T. A. after its recent St. Louis meeting, and that compiled by Time Out earlier in the fall shows certain strange similarities. The official list reads: 1. Tilden; 2. Hunter; 3. Doeg; 4. Lott; 5. Van Ryn; 6. Mercur; 7. Allison; 8. S. Coen; 9. Bell. 10. Margin. Time Out's rating was as follows: 1. Tilden; 2. Hunter; 3. Lott; 4. Doeg; 5. Van Ryn; 6. Mercur; 7. Allison; 8. Shields; 9. Coen; 10. Bell. Mangin was mentioned as a deserving player who would probably gain official rating. Time Out still feels that potentially Shields deserves number 8 at least and maybe even better, while still realizing that official ratings must be made up on a basis of actual records. If the New York youngster ever takes the game seriously, he may surprise even the close followers of tennis.

The only other discrepancy is the changing in positions of Lott and Doeg together rated doubles champions. Doeg's record was so consistent that he was awarded the third position; on straight tennis ability Lott is a mile better than Doeg any day. BY TIME OUT.