October 31: Jim Jacobs and the Red-Header Hustler Jim Jacobs, the many-times four-wall handball champion, is a many-splendored chap. He is a high-order regular guy whom you would like to have as a friend almost immediately upon meeting him; and he is also somebody you might put in the "one of the most unforgettable characters I ever met" category. Jacobs currently is giving a series of Thursday night lessons on four-wall handball through Nov. 18 at Manhattan's West 68th St. YMCA. The lessons are free, open to anybody. This is the equivalent of Jack Nicklaus dropping by the local driving range to give golf lessons. But, of course, it is only four-wall handball, and only 3,000,000 people follow thegame, and the only ones who are impressed by Jacobs are those who have played against or met him.
There's a red-headed fellow in Toronto who will never forget Jacobs. It's a good story, and Jacobs was prevailed upon to tell it again yesterday before he conducted his class. Jacobs said, "That was at the time of the Muhammad Ali-George Chuvalo fight in Toronto. They couldn't get anybody to license the fight here and they finally had to go out of the United States to stage the bout. I went up there because I was shooting the fight, as you know. (Jacobs owns the world's outstanding film library; he made the prize-winning documentary, "The Legendary Champions"; he is, among other things, a boxing authority.He also owns the world's largest comic book collection. There will be no further parenthetical interruptions to explain Jacobs' activities because, as stated, he is a many-splendored chap.) Jacobs said, "Wherever I go, I always carry my handball bag with me. I've gone all over the world to dig up rare fight films, and I've played handball in Hong Kong, Europe, Australia, wherever. On this day I had some free time in the afternoon and I went over to the 'Y' in Toronto. There was a fellow, a redhead, about 26, working out on the four-wall court. "I asked him if he would like to play a game. I don't recall his exact words now, but he said something like, 'Sure, but I always find the game more interesting if I put a little money on it.' I told him that I didn't bet because frankly, I was very good (Jacobs was the national singles champion at the time) and because I found that I got all the enjoyment I needed without having to bet on the game. "He said that he was good, too, but that a small bet made things more interesteing for him. Well, I told him if that was the way he felt, okay, that I would play him for two dollars. I told him I would not lose, and he said that was all right. So we played. "I have always found it's most interesting for me to play a non-tournament match at the level of my opponent. I will peg my game to his and usually manage to keep it fairly close. I did that and I beat him, 21-19. "He wasn't convinced I really was better than him. He thought he had got some bad breaks. He suggested we play again for double or nothing. I said fine, that I would spot him anything he wanted. He said two points would be fair. So we played and I beat him again by a close margin. "He said he would like to play a third time, double or nothing for eight dollars and this time I could name whatever spot I thought was fair. I said okay, I would spot him 19 points. So we played and I beat him, 21-19. He was a nice guy. Instead of taking the eight dollars, I let him buy me lunch. "He said, 'You know, you are good enough to be a tournament player. The only thing wrong is that you don't have the correct weight distribution. You play with your weight on your front leg; you should put your weight on your rear leg. If you work on that, you could be a top-notch player.' " This story of how the redhead almost hustled Jim Jacobs has an epilogue. Jacobs said, "A few months laters the national chanmpionships were held in the St. Louis YMHA where I had won a previous title. There is a six-foot high picture of me in the lobby. When I walked in this redhead was looking at my picture. When he saw me, he said, 'I see you took my advice.' " Jacobs, who is 40, won the first of his nine national singles title in 1954. With partner Murray Decatur (who isn't from Ada, but from Hauppauge) he has won six doubles titles and has never lost a tournament doubles match. Until last year he won the singles title whenever he entered the nationals. Hobbled last year by an injury, he was trounced in the round before the quarter-finals. He says he will try to regain the singles championship again in March if he can stay in shape. I'm sure that Jacobs, a fierce competitor, will stay sharp and will strive mightily to regain that title. The epilogue that even Jacobs might enjoy would have him going into the final against none other than the redhead from Toronto, who would have dedicated himself to improve his game so that he could come back and avenge the loss against the champion he once tried to hustle.
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Grand Master Meets a Fan 
