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R E F L E C T I O N S *y NELS0N duhstan NEW YORK, N. Y., May 31.— Arriving home from a recent trip, we found on our desk a copy of one of Dan Parkers recent columns from the New York Mirror, titled,* "They Still Boo Arcaro — And Heres the Reason." Attached to Dans article was a note from one of Dans enthusiastic readers. The handwriting was unmistakable — for it was that of my wife. All the note said was: "Is he right?" We would much rather argue with Dan directly than we would with our wife regarding the Mirror editor, for we have a sneaking suspicion that whatever the big fellow says is, in her opinion, absolute fact. Dan and this writer have been good friends for many years and we hope the friendship will continue for many more years. But, there are some points on which we disagree with Parker, and we daresay there are many on which he disagrees with us; Giving athletes in every calling the Bronx cheer has been going on for decades, and it probably will continue as long as sport--ing events are staged. No athlete likes to hear it, of course, and no harm is done when it is kept within the limits of good nature. But when vicious and vile remarks are howled at the ballplayer or jockey, it is no more excusable than the throwing of pop bottles or rocks, which used to be a favorite pastime, at some of the ball games we witnessed in our earlier days. AAA In the column we refer to, Dan said, "Theres a foghorn voiced Bay Ridge barkeeper who stands up near Are Racing Fans Justified in Booing Riders? We Disagree With Dan Parker on Eddie Arcaro No Champion at His Best Every Day in Year Public Often at Fault in Making a Favorite the press box at the race track and when Eddie Arcaro parades by the stands on his way to the post, bellows, Bring the horse back, Arcaro." Dan then goes on to say, "I thought of Eddies basso profundo critic recently while reading Nelson Dunstans piece about Arcaro. Nelson pointed out that although Arcaro is unique among jockeys in having ridden four winners each in the Derby and Preakness, his name has never appeared at the head of the list of American jockeys and he is constantly being booed by the fans." Dan adds, "They even gave him a crown of raspberries while the blanket of black-eyed susans was-being slung over the withers of Bold in the winners circle last Saturday. That caused Mr. Dunstan to remark it was Grantland Rice who once wrote in a poem that the crowd never boos a bum; it takes out its wrath on such as Jack Dempsey, Joe DiMaggio and Eddie Arcaro." Continuing, Dan said, "Quite true, Nelson and Granny, but anyone who took in Monday afternoons racing program at beautiful Belmont and played Arcaro-ridden favorites, would have felt justified in "booing the Pamlico hero until he burst a lung." AAA Many years ago, before we became interested in writing about turf affairs, we recall the occasion when the immortal Christy Mathewson, probably the greatest baseball pitcher of all time, became upset when a spectator called him a vile name. If there was ever a sweeter guy -than Mathewson, we never knew him, and we knew him well. On the day of an important game, he was asked by his manager, "What goes today?" Mathewson, still upset, answered, "I am how going out to pitch and probably be booed by some plumbers assistant." As we see it, Arcaro today is in the same position Mathewson was over 40 years ago. In their respective fields, both merit the term "great," and, as such, they go out on the field and perform feats which often border on the impossible. Parker commented, "Arcaro had six mounts Monday, five of them oh short-priced favorites, and didnt win a race. Certainly Eddie did not expect applause for a performance such as that, conceding that there was no important money at stake for him on this occasion, and that he was exhausted from toting home the swag of his Preakness winnings of ,311." That was unfair, Dan, not only from you, but from the fans who expect a boy to go out day after day and not experience a slump which inevitably comes to every pitcher, boxer, and jockey, on occasions. AAA Arcaro is in a tough position for, as Parker says, the booing is now so deeply ingrained in the fans that they give him "the grand concourse accolade, win, lose or dead heat." That is true and we often wonder if that segment of the crowd that does the booing fully realizes the situation they, themselves, so often create. When Continued on Page Thirty-Five REFLECTIONS I By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page Forty -Four Arcaro is on a horse that would be 3 or 4 to 1 under any other rider, they play him so heavily at the mutuel windows that the price often drops to 6 to 5 and, on more than one occasion, we have seen it go to 3 to 5. In this writers opinion, no jockey can1* be judged by one days riding any more than a ball player can by one or two games. DiMaggio has hit slumps and has been booed by the fans, although the majority of them would quickly admit that he is one of the finest ballplayers that ever wore a Yankee uniform. It is the same with Arcaro, for it, is his skill year in and out that has made him the Number 1 jockey in America today. A few nights, ago, Sherma Billingsley was interviewing Bill Corum on television and asked, "Who is the best jockey in America today?" Without hesitation, Corum answered, "Arcaro stands head and shoulders above the others. i In general, racing fans are just as good sports as those in the stands at a ball game, or at the ringside in Madison Square Garden. Only a day or two ago the umpire ruled Duke Snyder out of the game in Philadelphia, and that "ump" was razzed to a fair-thee-well by the Brooklyn rooters. Its a lot of fun to see a crowd give vent to sentiment at a ball game, but it is quite another matter when, at a race track, a crowd lets go with a lusty boo for a great little athlete after he loses a race. Show me a man x who boos Arcaro, and I will show you one who played his horse and who aided in knocking the price down. Or show me a man who boos him after a race he won and we will show you one who selected some other horse to beat his mount. If by this time you have come to the conclusion that we are an admirer of Eddie Arcaro, as a, jockey, you are right. There was a time, when this sensitive youngster wanted and quit the saddle because of the booing. His loyal wife, Ruth, would not let him quit. But, even today he" grins wryly and, says, "Im blessed if I know why they are booing me." The boys record speaks for itself. He has never been the leading jockey in this country, but although we were a great admirer of the late George Woolf, it is our opinion that Arcaro is the greatest ever seen in the saddle. He does not like the booing today any more than he did five years ago, but he has learned to grin and bear it— and go out to win, another important stake.
