12 Sports Aces, January 1943 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

10 12 SPORTS ACES 2 Oto rr O11 Becher 1s Ot s1 OH Bre Bs Dee Bor Ba Be Boobs O11 Ore Os Or O00G 11 Br Ore Ore Bre O er He Oe Deere Or Ore Or Pr Pen Pr Pe PrP Gr BO Osh Ber Or OOP er Pr Gerdes e the room. He put his hat on the rack, laid his eyes on Sweeney. They were Sharp, appraising eyes. He said: “I’m afraid it isn’t as simple as all that—Sweeney. Even if Rock could raise the necessary funds, it would only be throwing good money after bad. I’ve dug up a party interested in buying the Raid- ers. Rock can get out of debt and still have a few bucks in his pocket.” “I won’t sell to Bo Madden,” Rock said levelly. “I’d rather the franchise go back to the league than see him get it. Mad- den’s been putting the pressure on me a long time, trying to force my hand. But he’ll never get the Raiders from me. The guy’s a heel and a low one at that.” “T don’t think you’re in any position to bring character into the picture,” the be- spectacled man said. “The league doesn’t give a damn about you. So you sell to Bo Madden. Then you’re out of it. Let the league worry about Madden.” Sweeney gave the bespectacled man a close, scrutinizing stare. He wondered if the guy was actually acting in Rock’s best interests. “Supposing Rock does return the fran- chise to the league,” Sweeney said. “No- body ean ever lay a finger on him for going out broke and honest. But if he sells to Bo Madden’’—Sweeney paused, fixed a stare on the bespectacled man— “things might happen that will boome- rang in Rock’s face. I think you’d better let Rock decide this thing for himself.” The bespectacled man’s eyes cut into Sweeney. “You’re a hockey player, Swee- ney. Your connection with the Raiders is strictly in the muscle department. You ought to confine yourself to that.” — He got up, walked into an adjoining room. Rock shook his head. “Sam Jenkins is okay, Sweeney. He means well. Sam’s been my right-hand man all along. You know me. I never was much for figures and the business end of things. I let Sam handle that stuff.” So that was the setup. Sam Jenkins handled the financial angles for Rock. The doubts thickened in Sweeney’s mind. He knew Rock was too honest, too trusting for his own good. More than once his faith in the other guy had cost Rock plenty. “Hold tight awhile,’’ Sweeney told Rock, “Maybe it isn’t too late to get the wheels turning yet.” Rock smiled hopelessly. “The same old Sweeney. Still got the old moxie and -spirit. But let me worry about this one. You go down to the locker room and get togged out. But lemme give you a tip about Angel Toland. I don’t want you running into any trouble there.” “Never mind about Angel Toland,” Sweeney said. “There’s other things that come ahead of him.” Sweeney started toward the locker room and he thought about Rock Gurn- sey. Sweeney’s mind backtracked to the debt he owed Rock. He had been young and hungry and desperate when he had first come to Rock. Rock was the man- ager of a minor-league outfit then. The breaks were beating hard against Swee- ney and Alice. E HAD spent every nickel he had paying off doctor and hospital bills because Alice had been in an automobile accident. The almost fatal accident had happened before Sweeney and Alice were married. When Alice had learned the doc’s verdict—that she’d probably be crippled for life, she had released Sweeney from his promise to marry her. But Sweeney had loved Alice and had gone ahead and married her. He had con- tinued to pour his hockey earnings into helping Alice toward complete recovery. It had been a case of everything going out and very little coming in. Sweeney’s worry and concern over Alice during the ' eritical weeks when she had hovered on the brink of death had put a snag in his play. The pink slips started coming. That was when Rock Gurnsey had given Sweeney his chance. But Rock went fur- ther than that. Somehow he found out about Alice, and Sweeney always found an extra ten spot or twenty in his pay en- velope. Sweeney did not want sympathy. But Rock was a stubborn guy. He would not listen to Sweeney’s protests. He put Sweeney through the mill, taught him the tricks of puck ragging and smoothed out EOPMIG OOOL< (E@)