Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-02-27
7CPORTS
OFORUM
BY BISHOP

1870 $3.50
the Strlbling- ShaTkey scrap viii be
announced from in front Of the Of
flee. q Ia megaphone.
The InterSchoiastic league which
has done wonderful work for the
high school fraternity Of the state,
Is nevertheless subject to much crit
iciSm, not only By its rulings, but
By the rules it has made. Harbert
davenport, member OF the Browns
vile school. an enthusiastic football
ian, and close student Of the game,
and OF the InterscholastiC league,
writes us as follows.
Il read with much Interest my
I good friend Earl MoTfiSonS excep-
tionally well written protest pub
slshed Ia your columns against the
( renewed criticism Of the manage
mcrt OF the Texas InterSchOl2Stic
league Ill It's relation 10 nigh school
football.
Tho trouble v%th sscil FRO
tests n that they 90 mt mrct
the real poInt at issue. Ihe high
GNAAVAA Isl R0@L VI NAA[ ~
iastiCe league, In SO far as foot
ball Is concerned, is 10 provide
and enforce 4 system of rules and
regulations whereby the high
school football championship OF
Texas can be decided fairly on the
playing field. The criticism against
the league management Is not
that ID makes unfair or erroneous
decisions on the eligibility cases
bro-sht before IL, which Is the
charge which Earl Morrison aud
others are defending IL, but that
10 has failed 20 provide and fairly
enforce proper regulations 10 in
sure fair play. Against this
charge, even such a capable and
willing advocate As Earl Morrison
cannot SUCCESSFULLY defend ".
when. as a matter of fact, its
championship games arc being
decided.
Ca BY mere gambling, to wit:
The toss and call OF a coin:
tb) by the utterly idiotic and
asinine 20 yard penetration rule,
the mere writing Of which into the
rule code is convincing evidence OF
NAA( 1AAAAa a. &CAAAtACA& AAEOA4ANt(
tence Of evryone having 10 do with
it.
(c) "By a system or after the fac.
/ eligibility decisions, which reverse
or render nugatory the result OF
games played on the field: and
place the victor'5 wreath on the
brow of the coach who employs the
best detective. instead OF on him
who develops the best quarterback
Take the flare up i'm 1926, for
example. Tha. year, our neigh
Dor, Eobstown, had probably the
best country hoy football team
yer turned ont by a small Texas
city. IL was R0bstown's enc
chance for football glory. RobS-
town won in southwest Texas;
Beaumont in southeast Texas. The
two teams met in the quarter fl
nails. Beaumont won, and Robs-
f0un MATURITY broke training.
Beaumont also won its scmi-final
game the next week, but was then
disqualified by the Iaterscho.astic
league for using an alleged ineli-
glble player. and Robstown, two
weeks out of training. was direct
ed by the league TO play Waco in
BcaumOEtS stead. or course,
Robst0wn was out OF condition and
could not play its game, and Wa
co won 30 10 0. Vet defenders of
the TDterscholastic league could
never he made 10 sec that the real
sufferer from the leagues bc.ated
Eligibility ruling was Robstown, and
not Beaumont. or rather that the
necessary effect cf such a decision
when made was 10 make a trayesty
ot the whole championship scheu-
ule.
The pressure Of criticism after
this 1925 fiasco. however. compelled
A change IN the system of hearing
eligibility cases: which have since
been decided ordinarily by district
eligibility committees. But the CEN
trial committee reserved the right
70 hear cases between teams playing
Championship games with teams
from other districts. and the 1923
season has brought 10 q head all tho
ansuTdities OF the new ARRANGEMENT.
Ia the san Antonio district the
game degenerated into a scramble
10 prove the other teams players
inelig.bie-aftcr. not before. The
games were PLAYED. Winning games
counted FOR little. disqualification of
teams n PLAYERS counted eveTy-
thing. out OF this welter. Main
Avenue high. fortunately the best
team Of the lot emerged victor. But
Main Avenue lost its chance TO ad-
vance by losing. not q football
game. but the toss or n coin. Port
Arthur. a third rate football team.
bot q champion coin toSSer. not
clAly out-gambied Main Avenue but
likewise Won also its semi-flral
game by calling another coin toss.
and 30 was permitted by the benef-
icent and highly moral and intelli-
gent InterschclaStlc league manage
ment 70 miSrepresent south TEXAS
IN q ~So-called Texas championship
-amc.
In the meantime. the Tyson
district developed rs usual. four
outstanding teams. Temple. Waco.
tcrsican3 and Cieburne. either of
which could have beaten Port
Arthur six tn~uchdowns. and Ahi-
'rre. probably one or two. Gle
huSne. building It's attack around
y seaman SuuyreS. beat or tied
each OF the Others C0rSicana be-
iieved Sauvrcs ineligible under
the iea~nc rules. and repeatedly
protested him. hut the district
committee as often sustained
Seuyres' eligibility.
lie played therefore. against
Waco. Temple and C~o-sicana. and
his playing deprived each Of them.
IN turn. Of the opportunity 10 beat
Abilene IN the Se.ri-finals. Vet.
when Cleburne came 20 play abb
lene. the central committee ruled
Souyres ineligible. and Abilene was
permitted 70 play. not the team that
beat Waco and CorSicana. but the
shadow az that team. Consequently.
the game for tho so~calied cham
uicnship IF Texas was PLAYED be-