The Sauk Centre herald., 1940-03-14
Sport 8
Wags &

| Wags- & |
BY Chuck Rattle
Column Proposes
COwbell Classic
BIB Is State of Mind
PodU,nk Slips Out
SC Primrose Path
4-Team District Talk
Well, sir, I had plenty Of time
to think about other things at the
Melrose-Sauk Centre game the 9TH
er night. That is while Sauk
Centre was messing around picking
up six points in an entire game,
unheard of before in tournament
annals hereabouts. The thing
that has been most striking about
Melrose-Sauk Centre competition
of late, outside of the fact that
Sauk Centre gets beat, is the cow
bells. In fairness believe
Melrose it was who first utilized
the cowbell as auxiliary to the lung
power of the rooter section and
secondly a boon in saving vocal
chords. But Sauk Centre fans
too lately have taken to the cow
bell to give vent to the terrific
emotional upset that surges thru
the crowd as these two teams pre-
pare to do battle. ..
RaucOus clatter Of these in
ferior bells, not nicely toned,
but being for the specific pur-
pose of notifying husbandmen
where cows are hiding, Is the
one and supreme characteristic
of the Melr0se-Sauk Centre
clashes. The idea Is sim
ply this. Your columnist wish
es to propose the Cowbell Class
ic for Melrose- -Sauk- Centre bas-
ketbal competition. In such an =.
affair q trophy, modelled after
the lowly cOwbell burt now the
highly important symbol of the
two towns relations, would be
setup. Primarily we presume
the two will play a home to
home series with two games
each basketball schedule.
A scheme along these lines could
be expanded in any direction. The
teams will play for possession OF
the cowbell. In the first game OF
the season, the winner takes the
trophy, but must put it up for the
second game. Winner OF the
second, or last game, Of the sea
sons play will retain the trophy
until the following year. Nov
such a trophy obviously would on
ly be in the seasons series, tourna
ment play would be entirely ruled
out of the competition. Per
sonally, I think it would amplify
an already strong competition tha'
is the biggest crowd bell ringer ir
the 22nd district no matter the
strength Of either or both teams
It could have all the color
and tradition in a few years that
the Minnesota-Michigan jug war!
have. How about it Melrost
and Sauk Centre? Let's swing {
cowbell for q real classic. -.
A basketball team is state
Of mind. That never was quite
SO clearly exhibited as in the
recent sub district matches. -.
For Psychology In basketball is
the one prime factor. A coach,
by viewing the mental attitude
Of his boys before game, can
tell reasonably what they'll do
on the court. can't con-
tribute BrandOn's spirited win
over Glenwood to anything else
than the wrong frame Of mind
for Glenwood. Alex had little
business losing to Bertha. -.
But it's q fact that larger
towns are often subject to gaz-
ing into the stars way ahead
and forgetting the business at
hand. While some smaller clubs
on starry-eyed missions play in
spired ball to sweep the big
wigs off their feet. Last
year Upsala, a spirited, high
strung outfit, young and mex
perienced, gave Sauk Centres
champs a real tussle and by
their very gameness and fight
won admiration. And were dub
bed by this columnist the
"sweethearts" of the meet,
which term was met favOrably
everywhere.
This year they went out agains
Sauk Centre, played sleepy ball,
appeared. They awoke to possit
ilities in the third, but they neve
really pressed. On the othe
hand Sauk Centre had a health
respect for these touted experience
BOYS, and had a frame of mind tha
couldn't have stopped them.
Conversely against Melrose, Sau
Centre went to sleep. Whethe
they have complex about Me
rose this year, I can't say, but ]
each game they've deteriorated. :.
It seems physically impossible ft
a team to go out and get as litt
as six points, and think 1t is. .
It,s mental. Don't think tht