[Ads-l] human wrecking ball

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> There's a 1971 ex. in the Philadelphia News (July 16), p. 40, but I don't
> feel like paying Newspapers.com extra to see the whole sentence.

In 1931 a football player was called a "human wrecking machine".

[ref] 1931 November 11, Los Angeles Evening Express, The Inside Track
with Sid Ziff: Pinckert is Marked Man, Quote Page 22, Column 1, Los
Angeles, California. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
https://www.newspapers.com/image/608476975/

[Begin excerpt]
THE OBJECT OF ALL TEAMS that face Southern California is to slow up
Ernie Pinckert the demon halfback. When Pinckert is at top form he is
a human wrecking machine for other players. After he has hit an
opponent three or four times said victim has little desire to continue
the argument.
[End excerpt]

In 1933 a boxer was called a "human wrecking car".

[ref] 1933 September 8, The Boston Globe, Primo Camera in Role of
"Human Wrecking Car at Automobile Crash" by Associated Press, Quote
Page 19, Column 7, Boston, Massachusetts. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
In the role of a "human wrecking car" Primo Camera, giant worlds
heavyweight boxing champion, came upon the scene of a motor car
collision last night and without a grunt heaved an overturned sedan
back onto its four wheels.
[End excerpt]

The 1971 article mentioned by JL applied the phrase "human wrecking
ball" to heavyweight champion Joe Frazier who defeated Muhammad Ali in
March 1971.

[ref] 1971 July 16, Philadelphia Daily News, Ali's Sportcoat not
Fireproof Anymore by Bill Conlin, Quote Page 40, Column 1,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
Muhammad Ali has already lost one race to the small voice in the back
of a tired man's head that whispers, "That's enough runnin', that's
enough pain for one day."
And when he lost the race a fighter must win every day in the gym he
also lost the tactical edge of swiftness he needed to elude the human
wrecking ball that stripped away his title last March.
[End excerpt]

Garson

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