European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 20, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday March 20, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 19 commentary the line on fishing it s the reel thing it is a fact of life in this country that most sports when you take part in them Send your blood pressure soaring your heart pounding your lungs bursting and your senses racing. Even running a leisurely Long distance can be counted on  your blood pressure 100 Points Over Normal and your pulse rate 50. But if you re looking for the sport that will slake the competitive urge and refresh the inner juices but Calm the blood pressure Down to a snooze and still the racing pulse Cotton Cordell of the ouachita River co dells advises you to throw away your running shoes and rackets and get a pair of hip boots and a pole. If you want a Short exciting life get a race car or boxing gloves. If you want a Long tranquil one get a fishing reel. Cordell who has been fishing the Waters of the world since he was Able to walk which makes that 55 years wants to know what other sport can boast of a president of the United states and the head of the new York mafia As enthusiasts Calvin Coolidge gave up the presidency to go fishing and Cotton remembers growing up As a boy in hot Springs ark., and seeing Frank costello no less sit Ting in a boat trying to coax a bite out of the Bass on a Man made Lake there. Owney Madden used to buy bait from him at a time when a Hundred Fri agents were looking for Madden. God is a Fisherman in the View of Cordell and Man is never happier than when he is wading up a Trout Stream with a new Fly Rod or tossing a Hook into a boil of Yellowtail off the Fantail of a party boat. As a Fisherman i have wet a line now and again but believe me Hemingway was never going to write any books about me. The trouble with it As a sport is that in any Given situation there always seem to be More fishermen than fish. And although Man May be the More intelligent creature on land the reverse is True in water. The fish has the Home court advantage. Man has been trying to out think fish since biblical times. It is a sad commentary on our civilization that pollution has killed More fish than Hooks have. Cordell has iv1ade a career out of evening the Odds. He was once described by a press agent As the Man who thinks like  not in a poker game but Ina boat. In your boat. The trick in fishing Cordell says is to put something in the water that looks to the fish like a four Star restaurant. This is done by an artful combination of movement and color that makes the fish think he s onto a pizza with everything to go. This is Cotton s special to make an eggshell look like an Melet. He did this initially by snatching dog hair from the Tail of his English setter and fastening it to a Jig. The fish did everything but follow him Home. Cotton turned his discovery into an Enterprise that now has factories in Taiwan Al Savador and Arkansas. They use Deer tails now instead of dog hair but Cor Dell who sold his business to an Alabama conglomerate thinks the fish arc still Over matched. The real great plus in fishing is it Breeds optimism in a Man Cordell says. There arc no pessimists on the ends of fishing poles. A Lunker is just around the next Corner. And optimism is the secret of Long life. That May All be so. But i can t help remembering the Fisherman i once encountered who had left his writings on the Bulkhead of a fishing boat. If not a Pessimist he was at least a realist. It was his version of the old Man and the  under the heading of alibis this lavatory poet listed you should have been Here yesterday. It will pick up tomorrow. It s too Cloudy today. The Sun is too Bright today. They Ain t hitting sardines today. Boy if we Only had sardines today the sea is too Choppy. I wish we had a Little chop today. They re too deep today. They re too near the surface. He concluded with the world s greatest lie which he identified As i really did t mind not catching any fish today because the fresh air Sunshine and boat ride were  maybe that s the secret when nothing s going on neither is time. Los Angeles times Thomas Hopes to Pound out Une a photo Pink Lon Thomas. To fight Trevor Berbick by de Schuyler or. A boxing writer Pink Lon Thomas plans to enter the ring for his world boxing Council heavyweight title defense against Trevor Berbick sat urday night to a vocal rendition of a pop song called hanging on to  i m a Man of Many things. Countless songs and endless dreams goes the rhythm and blues Ballad. The Singer is Pink Lon Thomas. The song of which Thomas has made a demonstration tape is the beginning of what Thomas Hopes will Lead to a career in music. One 15-year-old music Lover who listened to the tape rated it not  it seems Here that musically Thomas would be a Clear Winner Over smoking Joe Frazier whose singing was. Well enthusiastic. I m very serious Thomas said. I m going Back into the studio after the fight to record three More original songs for Phil a. Yeend productions. I m working on a 45 and then on an album. There s longer legitimacy in singing than in boxing but while being a successful Singer is. A dream being the undisputed heavyweight Champion is the recurring dream for Thom As who has lived a Nightmare. Only know i tried to Fly goes the song. In his mid teens Thomas said he plunged into heroin addiction. He straightened his life out to become a Champion in a hard sport. But in the world of boxing where facts Are challenged daily by rumours it has been whispered recently that Thomas has been dabbling with drugs again. Unbelievable Thomas said. I be been recording in California and been training for two months. I Don t have times to get involved in  saturday night s scheduled 12-round fight at the Riviera in Las vegas nev., will be the first of at least seven heavyweight title defences to be televised by Hob and promoted by Don King and Butch Lewis that Are supposed to Lead to an undisputed Champion in 1987. Bob Greenway vice president for sports for Hob said that developments could Lead to More than seven fights before a Champi on is named. One such development appeared to be the world boxing association s ruling that Tim Witherspoon must give a rematch to Tony Tubbs. That s because a Trace of mar Ijuana was found in Witherspoon s urine after he won the Aba title from Tubbs on a 15-round unanimous decision last Jan. 17 at Atlanta. The rematch must be held within 90 Days from March 10, then the Winner must fight Britain s Frank Bruno the Aba s no. 1 contender within another 90 Days. The original Hob schedule called for the Thomas Berbick fight a rematch Between Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes for Spinks International boxing federation title which is set for Las vegas april 19 then defences by the three champions Fol Lowed by a fight Between the wac and Aba champions with the Winner to fight the if Champion. Greenway said Hob would have no problem handling an extra fight. No matter How Many fights there Are Thomas 28, sees himself As the undisputed Champion. I know i m the Best said Thomas who won the title on a 12-round decision Over Witherspoon aug. 31, 1984, defended it with an eighth round knockout of Mike Weaver a former Aba Champion and has a record of 26-0-1, with 21 knockouts. I Don t see How Spinks and Holmes can get More publicity than 1 do at this  but at this state of his life Pink Lon Thom As in t singing the blues. Baltimore Colts end dispute Over Home site Indianapolis up the Indi Anapolis Colts and the City of Baltimore agreed monday on a plan to keep the nil franchise in Indianapolis ending a lengthy and often bitter Legal dispute Over the Home site for the team. The Colts who moved from Baltimore in March 1984, said the tentative agreement should eliminate uncertainty As to a return of the Colts nil franchise to  the Baltimore Board of estimate approved and recommended the agreement monday Colts general counsel Michael Chernof said. The Baltimore City Council introduced a Bill monday night that would approve the Colts proposal and assigned the Bill to a committee. The Council should act on the proposal within three weeks Council Mem Bers said. The agreement must be approved by both groups before it can be finalized. A series of Public hearings on the Issue also will be held in Baltimore during the next few weeks Chernof said. Chernoff said he believes the agreement will be concluded about april 10. I can t conceive of the City of Baltimore or the mayor William Schaefer instituting More Legal Battles he said. The agreement announced in Baltimore by Schaefer and in Indianapolis by the Colts Calls for the City of Baltimore to drop its eminent Domain suit against the fran Chise and Colts owner Robert Irsay. In return the Colts will dismiss their civil rights suit against Baltimore and pay $400,000 toward the City s Legal fees. The Colts also agreed to return Memora Bilia of the team s years in Baltimore and to support until april 1989 Baltimore s Effort to land an nil expansion team. Former Colt greats Johnny Unitas and Lydell Mitchell were in Baltimore monday to applaud the announcement that team jerseys plaques and the Colts super bowl trophy would be returning to Baltimore. The Colts also agreed to discuss return ing the team name to Baltimore if the City should win an expansion franchise. The settlement Calls for Baltimore to Purchase the Colts old training Complex. The 100-acre Baltimore county site which includes a two Story building housing lock ers weight and film rooms has been vacant since moving vans took the Colts to Indi Anapolis. Negotiations for a settlement began Sev eral weeks ago when Chernoff who was instrumental in moving the team to Indi Anapolis contacted former Baltimore county executive Ted Venetoulis. Baltimore City officials said Venetoulis acted As an intermediary until the two sides were ready to sit Down and bargain