The Washington herald., 1922-03-29
CHANGES WOULD RUIN BASKET.
BALL. ....


SUGGESTED changes in the bss-
- ketball rules as recommended by
the District board of approved ON
cials would Just about ruin basket
bah II Incorporated in the rule book.
The suggestion must have been
made by the officials without an
iota of interest as to how the Spec
tators and players would take them.
From the officials standpoint, they
are probably for the good of the
game. II they were not, the arbi-
tiers would not even have considered
them But the Officials are wrong in
not having looked at matters from
the viewpoint of the spectators and
players, at least of the District, and
taken them into consideration before
adopting the measures they are 60
ing to put before the national COM
mittee at its meeting in New York
on April Il.
The ofIieiaIs wasn't to abolish
the dribbIe. without q doubt
the drfbble. when correctly
played, Is the most spectacular
feature of basketball. Even
more so. we believe. than the
netting OF q long shot, always
an applauded feature. We know
of nothing that will bring such
q thrill rs . eourt-long dribble,
the player employing both
hands, change of pace from
slow walk to q real sprint, and
lodging tactics to keep control
Of the ball.
We say the dribble n to has
ketball what the Asteal1 f. to
baseballD what the long run
without interferenee L. to foot
ball, and what the. .GarFfson
finish" IL to q running rsce.
We know of no movement ON
foot to eliminate any of these
Others! Then why pick on the
dribbIef :.
Basketball Is just receiving rec
ognition here as a major sport. II
may be considered as in its infancy.
A death-blow would be melted out
here il the dribble were to be eIimi-
mated. Who would turn out to see
the Yankees perform IL they could
not employ the dribble? With each
they become more and
more adept, and who will gainsay
that a neat run by Ingley, or Ford.
or Sauber. or any of the others is
not all that could be desired from
the interest standpoint?
Further North where basketball
for years has been really popular.
we know the proposed ruling will
be laughed at And especially will
this be true by that great majority
which are governed by the profess
sional league rules. For some rea-
son or other the professional rules
must be better than the amateur
The playing of the game under
these rules Is even extending to the
colleges. Bucknell. playing in
Washington early this year. could
not show its real class for the rea-
son that its game here was its first
this season played under the
amateur rules
II IT Is true that the dribble is
spectacular in the amateur game.
then it is doubly so in the profess
sional. In the latter. both hands
may be employed, in the former
only one.
So much for the dribbIe. The
local board also went on record
as uesfrtns cnanEe IN inc
scoring system, to allow three
points for a court goal and one
for n free toss. We know that
the passage Of this measure
also was not unanimous md
that, In the cnse of the other,
there was quite n hit Of oppo-
sition to IL. We agree with the
opposition. Will not q tendency
develop to stop. Mt all costs,
the man attempting to shoot
basket The penalty may mean
one point, OF, mt most, two, but
the basket, II made. would have
meant three. And there you
are.
LOCAL COLOR FOR LEGION MEET
DLENTY of local color is being
painted on the program of the
A IL