Scorecard

NEW BROOM

The new and perhaps even permanent manager of Sonny Liston, the wistful heavyweight challenger, is a 41-year-old sports concessionaire, married and the father of six children, who has never had anything to do with boxing before—all of which sounds like eminent respectability, a commodity Liston needs a lot of.

The new man is Jack Nilon, a sharp-featured, sharp-dressed, successful businessman who operates the concessions at such events as the Army-Navy football game. He is an acquaintance of Father Edward Murphy, the priest retained to aid in Liston's rehabilitation from his criminal past.

Quick to deny any knowledge of prizefighting, Nilon explained that Liston "doesn't need a fight manager, he needs a business manager." There will, he said, "be a certified accountant to handle the money," quite as if that would prevent, behind his back, a postfight division of funds with representatives of Blinky Palermo, now at large on $100,000 bail while appealing his federal conviction as a conspirator.

In the mind of Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson there is little question that he must beat Liston if the world is to be convinced that Patterson is a worthy champion. And Liston's name, for all the coy secrecy about it, is the name Patterson whispered to President John F. Kennedy at their White House meeting last week, when the President asked him who his next opponent would be. He has said as much to others.

Well, Floyd may have to fight his manager, Cus D'Amato, first. The indomitable D'Amato is by no means convinced that Nilon's appearance on the scene has thereby dispersed the shady elements in Liston's old managerial retinue. He wants no part of a Liston fight until he is so convinced. There has to be a showdown between Patterson and D'Amato soon, and it might be worth $100 ringside to sit in on it. Until now, and despite serious differences, Patterson has remained completely loyal to D'Amato in such matters. If he doesn't go along with D'Amato in this one, he may, like Liston, have to find himself a new manager.

TARRED HEELS

The only state other than New York to prosecute in the basketball scandals of 1961 is North Carolina. Last week that state added new names and new games to the black basketball market list. Governor Terry Sanford, an old basketball fan, arranged for the testimony of Don Gallagher, a former North Carolina State star and now Second Lieutenant Gallagher, 15th Infantry, Berlin. Two years ago he won his school's Senior Merit award from the Atlantic Coast Conference for excellence in academics and athletics.

Flown to the U.S., Gallagher appeared before the Wake County grand jury and out of his testimony and other evidence 10 gamblers were indicted. Gallagher, it turned out, had received $5,500 for fixing six games.

New York authorities uncovered the basketball scandals and, with North Carolina, may be most influential in discouraging a recurrence. To fix or attempt to fix until recently was a mere misdemeanor in New York. Now it is a felony, with proportionately greater penalties. In North Carolina it is also a felony. It should be a felony everywhere.