The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-03-03
PORTLAND EDITOR
DISCUSSES AGGIES
GREGORY OF OREGONIAN SAYS @.
A. c. CLAIM TAINT ON SPORTS
MANSHIP.

TOO bad the fine little race for the
basketball championship of the Paci-
f1c Coast conference should be mar
red by the squabble that has come up
between Oregon Agricultural college
and Idaho says L. H. Gregory in the
Thursday morning Oregonian of
which paper he is sporting editor
Gregory's story, a document based on
sportsmanship and ringing true, is
carried in the very next column to the
story in which the Aggies lay their
claim to the conference pennant and
declare they will carry their plant to
the very door of the conference Of
ficials in an effort to get the big
moguls to bear out his demand
The SLAIN of the Aggies was termed
a taint on craftsmanship" by Mr.
Gregory and he proceeds his indict-
ment as follows:
Idaho is likely to win the confer
ence championship by a slim per-
csntage margin over the Aggies, so
Dick Rutherford, the Aggies coach,
comes out and claims the champion
ship for his team anyhow He bases
his claim on the ground that even II
Idaho wins it's final two games, or
maintain her lead and finishes the
season with higher percentage than
o. A. c., why the Aggies are entitled
to the championship despite all that
because they have played more
games
Rutherford really believes in the
justice OF his claim, nevertheless, the
impression conveyed by the manner
of its making will not help the Aggies
acquire a reputation for sportsman
ship. Both teams bave played the full
schedules adopted at the coast con-
ference meeting here last December,
and if Idaho ends the season with a
higher percentage than the Aggies,
even with fewer games played why
the really sportsmanlike thing to do
is to concede her the championship,
congratulate her and let it go at that
FavOrs Standard Schedules
Until all the conference colleges
get together and standardize their
schedules not alone in basketball but
in football, in baseball and in all
other sports as we'll, ear-burnings
similar to this one will occur when
ever a college with a small schedule
wins on percentage from one with a
big schedule. This happens to be the
first time the question has come. UP
in basketball, but it has been peril
Ously near it in football several times.
For example, Stanford university
ever since returning to American
football has played only a three
game schedule, whereas other confer +
ence colleges have had either four or
five games. Had Stanford gone thru
a season undefeated, naturally she
would have claimed the champions I
hip. and what dissenting chorus
would have arisen from rival colleges
with a record of, say, four yistories
and one defeat for the season. Yet on
percentage Stanford in such case
clearly would be the conference
champion provided no other team had
tied her
Rutherford says he will carry his
basketball plant right up to the con-
ference itself and demand ruling,
and he asserts confidently that the
conference is sure to bear him out.
Perhaps that is so, yet, even then,
the thing will leave a bad taste.
Hard on Aggies
cit is hard on the Aggies for the
season to end this way, for that big
team Rutherford has got together at
Corvallis has been going fast. 1t has
lost only two games all season. those
being it's first two conference strug-
giles of the season. both against Wash
ington at Corvallis. Since then, how
ever, the Aggies have wiped out the
memory of those lickings by beating
Washington severely on Washington
own home floor.
What ought to happen would be
for Idaho and O. A. G. to be matched
and fight it out. Idaho tried to sched-
ule a couple of games with Oregon
college at the conference
meeting, but Rutherford declined be-
cause at the time Idaho had not yet
been voted into the conference
When she was voted in. most OF the
good conference basketball dates had |
been filled, which is why Idaho's
schedule has been relatively smaller
than those of the other colleges.
But to get two teams together ap-1 (
pears impossible, inasmuch as Idaho
has been invited and has acceputed {
the invitation to represent the north
west in the national intercollegiate
basketball tournament at Indian
apolis, which opens next week. !
Idaho May Yet Lose
w. l.. Pct.
Idaho 0 1000
9rapOD AyoiaS 10 z S33