The Washington herald., 1922-12-21
GIRLS INVITED
TO COMPETE In
NOVEL CONTEST
Eddie Bratburd to Introduce
New Wrinkle in Washington
Basketball Circles.
By BILL C0YLE.
VTYHO is the best foul shooter
wv in the District

"ThO Is the DeSt 1oul shooter
" in the District!
This question is to be
answered in a tournament to be
staged by Eddie Bratburd, boss
of the champion Yankees when
not sleuthing for police news.
Unlike many other such con-
tests, this one will be different
In that there will be no entrance
fee, and any player-male or fe-
male-can register without part
ing with a dime.
In order to give every player
in the Capital a chance to show
their wares In pegging from the
free line. Skipper Bratburd will
string out the tourney for a month
or more.
His idea is to limit the number
of contestants to about twenty each
night the Yanks play after the holi-
days at the Coliseum. Ten Eel
lers" and ten girls will be allowed
70 toss for the iron rim each night
until every player who cares to
enter will have the opportunity Of
proving that he or she is the best
one-point collector in these parts.
trant nine throws preceded by three
practice shots. The contestants
Will be divided into classes com
posed of collegiate players in one
group, another for high school
boys. one for the unlimited class
and the last one for the juniors.
WILL AWARD MEDALS.
Medals will be awarded to the
winners of each group, according
to Brathurd's plans
A contest of this kind will no
doubt arouse a lot OF interest among
players and followers of the court
sport. as well as add a lot of spice
TO Bratburd's attractions at the Col
iseum. II will probably tend to
improve this department of the
game in the District.
A glance over the box scores
Of games played in and around
Washington is convincing proof that
foul tossing is neglected or the
District sharpshooters do not COM
pare with the tossers in other
cities.
Here. where basketball is played
under the intercollegiate rules, every
team should have a capable free
tosser. He is easily the most valu-
able player on anv team il he can
shoot 'em successfully from the
chalk line
In the first place, il a team has
player who can step up there and
hoOp eight out of ten tries the
squad draws penalties to give
their man a chance at the mark.
In professional basketball circles in
bygone days, when the one-man
foul-shOoting rule was still in
vogue, the players practiced all
sorts of stunts to fool the officials
in calling fouls on the opposing
side.
II was an easy matter. as only
one official handles "a game. and
some OF the craftiest players got
away with murder. The game de-
veloped into a foul-shooting duel.
In the old Central League. which
operated in and around Pittsburgh
fifteen years ago, Mckeesport won
two championships in a row mainly
through the wonderful tossing Of
Andy Sears, who was rated as the
peer of them all. When the old
Central loop hit the rocks, due to
inflated salaries, the Mckeesport
team invaded the Eastern League.
pldylllS dt ISShOlHSr anu "On dHOtn-
er pennant-
When Sears was at his best he
seldom missed. He could make
eighteen out of twenty tries any
night in the week. In a game
against Troy he made twenty-five
IN one half without a miss in es-
tabliShing a record.
Joe Fogarty. now helping to
coach Yale, was another wizard in
this department. besides being one
of the best the game ever devel-
oped.
The ability of the stars like
Sears. Fogarty, Harry Hough and
a flock of others forced the pro-
fessionals to adopt the each-man-
shoot ot-his-own-foul idea II was a
sweeping change. but helped to
popularize professional basketball.
Few teams in cities where pro-
fessional basketball is the leading
winter sport play under the COL
legiate rules. They contend that
the game is much snapper under
the professional rules. Their argu-
ment has a lot of weight back of
II Judging by the way basketball 10
forging 10 the front. especially in
New York City.
Two weeks ago New York
sports writer. in speaking Of the
advance of basketball. said more
than 30 900 persons paid to see the
professional games in the Big
Town over A weekend.