Playing Tricks

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 175, 14 October 1927, Page 10

Playing Tricks

The Real McCoy is aheays |»iayj«^ tricks. In fact the exp-esam often heard in sporting sirdf*, “ He's the real McCoy,” is nportei to be founded on a bit of a "gag* the story goes, Kid McCoy wi« wandering around the hinteriaafc amusing himself by sparring wtft local heroes. He wandered into ontown where there was a pai-ticuhr boastful lad who thought he would have been a pugilistic champi:*n 1 1 f«« hadn’t chained him to ? butcher wagon. Somebody wandered up to the bin. cher boy and said: “There’s a nut is town looking for a boxing match. He is sure crazy. He think’s he’s Kii McCoy.” The butcher boy offered to fc—rfr the foolishness out of him and the bom was staged. The “crazy” ger t feinted once and then smote the butcher soeh a blow that he stretched hinself oa the canvas and forgot all about tb price of lamb chops. Coming to his senses a few minut later, he murmured, solemnly: “Boys, he’s the real McCoy!” And so he was. AS MARK TWAIN PUT IT Somewhere in his numerous volumes Mark Twain tells the story rf a billiards match. Two gentlemen found themselves in the vicinity of a billiards table and one volunteered to play th« other for a mild wager. The challenger admitted he was a good player and offered to give a handicap of some sort. “Take a cue and hit a few,” he said, “then Til know how to play and how much I can give you.” The party of the second part tooka few shots and the party of the first part said: “That’s enough. I’ll play you lefthanded.” He did, and won the game handily enough. “My word.” said the loser. ‘lf you can do that left-handed. I’d like to see you play right-handed.” “The truth of the matter,” said the winner, “is that I don’t play righthanded at all.” Into the Limelight New Zealand beavy-weigat Tata Heeney cruised round Sydney aad Melbourne some years ago beggm vanly for a Stadium engagement B had to betake himself to the Nort: Queensland sugar country to pick u? a precarious living at the game. The same Heeney knocked out Maloney, a front-rank Boston' heavy-weight, the other night, and is now matched wih Sharkey. The winner is to meet Dempsey, and the conqueror in that engagement will fight Tunney Heeney must smile grimly when he r -hinto cf his experiences in these parts, and c. the Stadium policy of preference to coons.