Next sacrifice please

Washington City

Sitting around a neighborhood Establishment last night with some of the other people from the paper and the discussion got around to the sad state of affairs the heavyweight boxing division is in these days.

Au Contrere my friends.....I contend that it is just in a transitional state between generations.....and by golly I'm going to prove it.

With the new commission in place and a the absence of dozens of "alphabet" wanna Be's you know what I mean, the fact that with I don't really know how many rival sanctioning bodies for boxing...almost everyone out there was "Champion" of something or another.....big deal...so Joe Shmuck was the heavy weight champ of Lower Central North Slobbia.....who did he beat to earn that fancy belt that probably cost $1.86?

It has taken a couple of years but, most of the old generation has retired and finally gone away...in their place is a (for the most part) younger and quite talented generation of heavy weights from around the world.

Hey, Jack Dempsey is the undisputed World Champ with 21 wins and a draw under his belt.....from there...we have almost a log jam of talented younger men that all want to take him on.....

Dempsey's people are saying that he will stage his first defence of the title next month and the opponent will be named later this week.... and there a quite a few North Americans that could be chosen....

A quick and short list has to be headed by the man Dempsey beat to win the title...young Sam Langford ....word is that after the brutal title fight of 3 months ago, neither fighter wants this fight right now.....I believe them...

Next up...well, several highly rated American boxers ... Young Stribling with a record of 12wins and 3 losses, Max Baer has been impressive in getting to 13 and 2, King Levinski at 14 and 3, Fred Fulton sits at 12 and 2 with 9 KO's....then you have Ezzard Charles 13 and 5, James Jeffries at 11 and 4, Doug Jones has been winning against some decent opponents to get to 12 and 3.....a couple of undefeated heavyweights are the young Cuban, Pedro Agosto at 16 - 0- 1 and Jack Johnson 11 and 0......the problem with them is not many are sure of their opponents skill levels... Agosto has been fighting in the Caribbean and Johnson both in South America and Australia.....

Add to these some good young Europeans and the list gets impressive...Bob Fitzsimmons is (in my not so humble opinion) the best of the lot over there the bandy legged Englishman is undefeated with 13 KO's in 16 fights...some others to watch, Henk DeBest from the Netherlands, the Germans Max Schmelling and Franz Diener, an Italian by the name of Francesco Damiani and the Frenchman Taofik Belbouli....all of these guys are knock out artists that would fit more in the "Slugger" catagory of fighter.

My guess as to the next opponent......well since you asked....I'm betting that he stays in the US group of fighters and will call out either Levinski or Fulton....they have the skills to put up a decent fight, but I can't see either one taking away his crown......

Until tomorrow......this is Specs Keller putting away his type writter.

The State of the World

Dateline: Washington City

A reporters Odyssey......

This reporter started out covering the crime scene both here in Washington City and a little to the north in Metropolis....from there it was local wars in the Raj, Africa, and South America....then to the real bloodletting of politics here in North America...

So the Publishers of this paper (you know, the people that sign my pay vouchers and expense cheques) have decided that a background of crime, war and politics makes me uniquely suited to cover the world of sports for you. Well, that and the fact that I have really offended many of the political leaders of this great country......

So, Dear readers....here goes the first of my columns covering the world of sports..at least the ones that I enjoy.....hey, if I don't care for it, I can't write about it.....so anyone out there who wants to find in depth and snappy commentary of curling or down hill skiing or how fast they can run around the cinder track....go away now....this ain't for you..

However....if you like a good heavyweight boxing match, a double header between the Red Sox of Bean town and the Kansas City Monarchs.....the latest from Belmont...or what's going on with college football.....

Buy your paper and read it here.

As to the above....last I looked Jack Dempsey is still the World Champion of the sweet science.....the White Sox are in 1st place (but it's still early in the season), the Nats are not in last place (but it's still early in the season), and it's going to be a long summer before the football season starts.....

But, as the lady says "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride"....

This is Specs Keller signing off for now

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor

Well, that wasn't the way I had intended this to start out, but oh well, will have a thread for another time line story anyway..

Welcome to Washington City.....the world is much like ours of the period from 1930 thru 1955.....as you have read, many differences in the history and circumstances though... And I can guaranty that people from all eras are going to be passing through...

This is a world that in many ways will be like the "noiresque" films of that time period.....if there is a championship fight...I can tell you that somewhere in the city there is going to be a private eye that is going to miss it and be really ticked off that his ringside seats are going to waste.

At the same time you just know there is a new opera making its debut across town and at least half the audience would rather be a) watching the fight b) at a jazz club or c) have gone out with that fun loving guy/girl that asked too late...

Since this is my world...we will have the stuff I like, and it don't have to make sense or be historically accurate....hey....get your own world....they're cheap...all you need is brain cells and idle time....

So.....

the credits and opening song have faded to dark......

ACT 1
Scene 1

Aerial Shot: above a large city.....somewhat a clear day,

The camera zooms downward....faster and faster, at about a thousand feet it starts to slow and the blur of the world starts to focus......

Center Screen.....large skyscraper..light grey marble, Gothic style, maybe 40 or 50 stories......

As the camera zooms in closer, it starts to focus on the 23rd floor.....

Pigeons on the ledge ignore the zooming camera as we go though the large window (how'd they do that?)... a large room maybe 40 feet by 100 feet.....20 foot ceilings.... a busy newspaper office..... filled with desks and bustle.

Far right in of the room.....a row of several larger desks.... At the desk nearest that window....a middle aged man sits glaring at his typewriter......he has just lit an unfiltered cigarette and blows the smoke towards the ceiling...dressed in a suit, with the jacket off and his tie loosened. Craggy face, well worn, small moustache, spectacles, laugh lines at the corner of his eyes (hint picture a Clark Gable that looks more like me).......

Meet our hero......writing his first column for the

NORTH AMERICAN DAILY OBSERVER

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