Peck's Bad Boy

Tournament tennis players are supposed to be well-mannered young men who win or lose with a smile. Last week the U.S. Davis Cup selection committee named eleven players to the squad that will defend the trophy against the Australians later this month. A conspicuous absentee from the list was a fiery, stocky San Francisco redhead named Earl Cochell, 28, good enough to be ranked seventh nationally and the winner of last month's Southampton tournament.

At South Orange, NJ. last week, during the Eastern Grass Court Championships, Cochell announced that he would make the Davis Cup committee look silly by beating its boys. Then Cochell clammed up: "I've shot my mouth off too damn much, now I'm going to shut up and play tennis."

To tennis fans, the Cochell outburst was no surprise. His bad manners on the court and his rows with umpires and linesmen have earned him a reputation as a Peck's Bad Boy of the courts. Nonetheless, his stinging serve, precise volleying and inelegant but powerful ground strokes have at one time or another beaten most of the topnotchers in current U.S. tennis. Alrick Man Jr., non-playing captain of the Davis Cup team, is well aware of Cochell's ability. So is the committee. But, said Man last week: "We felt Earl's behavior would not make him a proper representative for the U.S. in international competition. His behavior this year has been the subject of widespread criticism. It's still possible he may be named on the squad, but his deportment will have to show marked improvement."

Man and the Davis Cup committee were counting on good play and good manners from a squad that included Ted Schroeder, Budge Patty and Tom Brown for singles, Billy Talbert and Gardnar Mulloy for doubles.*

At week's end, with his deportment showing improvement, Earl Cochell lost in the Eastern semifinals to Philadelphia's Vic Seixas, 8-10, 9-7, 6-3, 6-3.

* Others picked for the eleven-man squad: Victor Seixas, Herbert Flam, Arthur Larsen, Richard Savitt, Sam Match and Tony Trabert.

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