Punctured Impresario

In his first season as bullfight impresario, Dr. Alfonso Gaona, flamboyant proprietor of a chain of optical shops, has provided Mexico City with some of its best corridas in years. Sunday after Sunday, five unknown 18-year-old novilleros have pulled crowds that filled the Plaza Mexico's 50,000 seats. Last week aficionados roared with delight, carpeted the sand of the bullring with flowers, when young Rafael Rodriguez-earned ears and tail for the sixth successive Sunday.

Next day Dr. Gaona put on a private show that aficionados were sorry they missed. To learn why one of Sunday's bulls had been rejected by the fighters as too tame, Dr. Gaona took a muleta, went into the ring with the bull. The bull promptly charged, hooked him, tossed him twice into the air. He punctured Dr. Gaona's natty pants and gored him. Aficionados read the details later in their papers: a wound four centimeters deep by seven long in the right cheek rear, another six centimeters long by four deep in the left cheek rear.

Moaned Impresario Gaona from a hospital bed: "The profession isn't safe any more. But at least now I understand better the points that pester my bullfighters, and I will be at the corrida next Sunday if I have to stand up."

*No kin to the late great Manuel (Manolete) Rodriguez.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.