New Britain herald., 1927-12-03
Revival of Roller Hockey Brings
 Arguments on Merits of Sports

home games, and among them have been large number who have never before seen a heavily padded man with a wire mask over his face. set himself up as a target in front of a cage 10 be bonn mbarded by a crowd of other men. Naturally, the veteran rooters are thrilled. They are in their element. They cannot believe their eyes as the speed demons Of another day flash past in the flesh, a little grayer about the temples and undoubtedly a little slower on the sharp turns, but out their play
 ing, nevertheless. They had given up hope several years ago and now the thing they yearned and longed for Is within their reach, and yet, they cannot turn to their neighbor and be sure, as they were in the old days, that he will agree that the old polo game is the greatest ever inside four walls.
 The basketball fan will tell you, among other things, that the tap ld il-l ldb pl l4lt lill Ibl'i i'dil h1 u is whirled from hand to hand and the "pat-pat- pat as it is dribbled about the floor, with now a brilliant shot from the side of the court, sending the ball into the hoop where It spins for a moment and then swishes down through the net, to the shouts and cheers of several hundred threats, cannot be ap- proaChed for sheer identification. When the score is BPS, or 44-40. and there are two minutes left to play, and the star forward on the home team receives a short pass from center. and dribbles and then passes to his running mate. eludlns his guard in the same movement, to take a return pass on the dead run and flip the ball into the basket for two points. A minute later he finds his mates covered and while the seconds are being ticked off and the championship is at stake, he lets fly from beyond the center of the floor, only to see the ball strike
 the rim, hesitate and bounce into the hands of a waiting opponent.
 Dashing into the fray. the sterling five man defence of the fighting team goes onto the offence and
 with ten seconds to go, the tying basket is scored. There Is barely time to line up. The whistle sounds. The ball is tapped. From center to
 forward 1t is whirled so fast the
 spectators hardly see it. and then,
 with a jumping. upward, twisting
 movement. the hero losses it clean
 ly through the cords and the game is won. That, the basketball fans ln- sist, is the game to see.
 But along comes the fellow who
 "razzed" Hughe Rorty in Hanna's Armory on Christmas Day many years ago because the estimable Mir
 Rorty called more fouls on Fred
 Jean than he called on the Hartford center. This fan. was red in the face
 and purple about the neck where
 his collar suddenly became except
 ionally tight, a few evenings ago because Si Mcdonald did not stop
 Lawlor, the New Haven halfback, from embracing Jack" Mercer much after the fashion of a grizzly bear. He told everyone within range
 of his voice what he thought Of the New Haven halfback and the
 referee and all others who were not helping New Britain to win. and he
 is still able to tell the packers of
 basketball against roller hockey just
 where they err and why.
 He wants the sporting public to visualize Kid" Duggan's pompadour
 standing up straight a la Gene Tun- neu, as the skates of roller hockey s fastest skater roar under his speed.
 He has the hard red ball before him. . guided by the crook of his stick
 held at arms length before him. He
 needs one goal to win for Walling- ford and there are forty seconds to play. Around in back of his own i cage he skates, but there is the op-
 posing rusher waiting for him. He l reverses but the rusher dogs him. 1 The crowd is in an uproar Five sec | onds have passed and the "kid' has
 not started. Suddenly flashing ] straight out with his eyes glued on ' the ball. he makes for the side bank, swings completely about and is gone i up through the center of the rink, now 10 the right, now 10 the left.
 as the sticks of the opponents are 1 thrown at the ball. The center Is
 outwitted and only the halfback re-
 mains. Duggan makes for the side
 of the rink and the halfback follows { him, intent on keeping him away l from the cage. Behind the flying , rusher comes his running mate. In stinctively, Duggan senses that he ! is to be boxed in. Risking everything, 1 he passes the ball, six inches above ! the skating surface. His mate jug ] gleS it. stops, swings around and as l the halfback rushes at him and the other opponents skate Up at a mad : clip with their sticks flashing in ! threatening gestures. the second { rusher scoops the ball back to Dug gan. who catches the goal tender off | his guard for just an instant and i drives the ball into the cage. The
 referees whistle sounds The game 1 is over.