Imperial Valley press., 1937-02-05
Bench
Warming
BY BURDETTE KINNE
Post-Press Sports Editor

You've read about the Thunder
ing Herd. the Charge of the Light
Brigade and Clusters Last Stand.
Well. I was trampled by the
laundering Herd. charged by the
Light Brigade and made stand
that would have made Custer proud.
II was beautiful day. TOO. had
lust arrived at the Mountain En-
pire high school and was looking
over the premises for a bit of sport
ing news.
just as I was about to sneak into
the high school gymnas ium
a whistle sounded Remembering
my experiences in a coast town
when a man with a star on his
lapel blew a similar whistle. l
made a break for the nearby hills.
one hundred yards across the
back country looked back to see
if the whistle blowing gent had
taken up the pursuit. I was re-
lieved to discover that the Mountain
Empire principal employs a whistle
instead of bell to broadcast the
end of a period. The noon hour
had arrived.
The students gobbled their lunches
and Immediately started a basket
ball game in the gym. Standing
by to watch / suddenly decided to
enter the fray and show the noun
taineers how the spor. should be
played.
I stepped onto the court and was
promptly welcomed TO the game by
huge, powerfully built youth.
wearing elod hoppers that would
make Primo Cameras footwear ap-
pear dainty He came numbering
down the floor with the speed Of a
runaway race car and with the
grace OF numbering elephant. SO
startled was l. that he hit me be-
fore i could move out of my tracks,
and the next minute / was picking
myself up from the floor. an art al
which I became quite adept before
/ quit. "Glad to meet you" he
shouted as he tore down the floor
in pursuit of the player who was
dribbling the ball.
Unperiurbed re-entered the
game still determined to show the
boys a few fancy shots. The OPP
ponents had the ball at the moment
and were charging down the floor
with the casaba. Three youths ran
in front OF the ball carrier so
braced to stop the forward move
ment.
When they hit 1 realized there
were great possibilities for first
class football team at Mountain
Empire. / again picked myself up
from the floor, this time in time to
watch the ball slip through the
hoop.
l took the ball on the pass in
from out of bounds and turned TO
move the ball down the floor. Three
guards closed in and / passed wildly
TO avoid being mauled. The casaba,
by some turn of good fortune, To-
Gated team mate and I took
return pass for a Setup under the
basket
AS set for the shot. a player at
the other end Of the floor shouted,
x.Don't let him shoot.
His team mates took him at his
ord. A wall of players surged
prward and buried me at the bot
om of the pile. ] staggered 10 my
ket and then TO the sidelines.
<'what's the matter, are you quit
tn'?" a player asked. 'sYeh,' an
SNered. "thc games too tame
Content TO watch from the side
lines, / began 10 wonder how the
1nountaineers could groom team
which could defeat well coached
FL Centre high five, so / decided
TO stay and watch the varsity In
action.
The high school principal Martin
by name. served as the basketball
coach. He arrived on the scene
some moments after the period had
begun and Immediately sent his
cagers through a brief shooting drill.
He then summoned the B squad
and started scrimmage.
The players rushed up and down
the floor. failing TO use even SEM
blance of an offense. They sent
the casaba flying through the hoop
a startling number OF times. how