Hide Article Text (OCR)
'50 SYRACUSE IlERALD-AMErJCAX. Sunday, Domr.lt;jr v/rsi j•y Jack SlctfiryAN ARTICLE in a national magazine written by Milton Gross describes the National Basketball Association ihnsly: It js a league. which, despite the brilliance of its performers, is monumentally snafued.” However, when it comes tune to electing monuments to things snafued Gross's article must stand at the head of the list.Here's one example of Gross' superior snafuism. He refers* to the 24-second rule and writes, “in the same breath the (the league officials) hailed it as the millenium, which probably means that by the time you read this the rule will have been killed.'’ It's only the best rule to hit b.i'ketbuli in the last decade.1 asked Leo Kerris, executive vice president of tlic Syracuse Nats, to look over the article and give me a few of his reactions. Leo complied and while he read the article three times he stopped and laughed aloud at some of the ridiculous statements.FcrrK’ opinion was that the article wa* nit overall criticism ot the structure of the league. A league, which 10 years ago was in its infancy and today is watched by 1 $0,000,000 x la the medium of television. A certain amount of stumbling, while growing from a Ily-by-night operation to the status of a major league, doesn’t call for as much criticism as the nrlicle b-vi-l* at the N.B.A.Tolled Death Knell Too SoonLAST YEAR NMLA. basketball was carried on the Dumont television netwoik. It’s Nielsen rating was 21.7 and that is acknowledged a* little short of phenomena! for e first year operation. The ratings revealed that the video viewers of professional basketball inci cased each week. And it was just good enough to cau*c the Natrona! Broadcasting Company to buy up the television rights.'JTie article strikes at the 24 second rule and quotes -lor Lapchick as being agin it.** Yet, today it is being acclaimed as the simour «( professional basketball and many college coaches, including Fordham’s astute Johnny Radi, believe it should be written into the rules goto ruing college basketball.ON 11 NEW YORK newsman, seeing the rule in operationfor the first time, described it, A sheer work of genius. As a |*C result of it tiicie have been more one and two-point ball games V5 fdecided in the final minutes of play this season than over before in the history of the league. The trade-a-foul-for-possession-of- j thc-bait strategy that marked previous play in the N.BA. and | fwhich is spoiling college ball, now has been eliminated. jMany of the coaches in college bail have applauded the rule iand think it is the only sensible way to give a losing team a ] fair shake in the late stage* of a ball game. ‘JOfficials Rule With Iron BundTHE ARTICLE recommends that the X.R.A. hire a regular staff of officials and have them supervised. The N.BA. has seven regular officials c:t its payroll and fill in officials who are supervised by the highly efficient Jocko Collins.The article crilicircd the league's release of former official .supervisor I'at Kennedy saying lie was fired because the New York Knickerbockers defeated the Boston Celtics in an overtime game and the Celtics disapproved Kennedy's handling of the game.Fciris said the statement i« absolutely false. He prai-cd, j^. and said the league did, loo. Kennedy for being on excellent I official, but said Kennedy couldn't carry that excellence over into IT. an executive capacity. Something on the order ot Roger* (j Hornsby. A great baseball player, but no gicet shakes a:Ferris claims that no officials in any sport have more authority than do the wht-tlc footers in the N.B.A. The article protests that he referees in the pro loop have little or no authority. If any player protest* a decision he is automatically assessed a foul and a scoend offense call* for an automatic 525 fine. Even the captain of the team is prohibited from disputing a decision except during a legitimate time out.The piece states flic league is a ma*s of confusion and then rjuotcs North Carolina coach Frank McGuire. My boys sec more good basketball over TV than they are able to see watching other college teams in action in and around Raleigh.” Seems a bn contradictory.If It’s Good for New York—It’s Great;GROSS SCORES the N.BA. again saying the coaches’ skills are directed at beating the rules. He mentions pairing a small man with a big man in a jump ball situation and other such manipulating. 1 always assumed it was part of a conch’s duties to gel the most out of a situation. If being one step ahead of the other fellow is bad then Lou Boudreau should be blacklisted from baseball for initiating the Ted Williams shift. And it ought to be illegal to pinch hit o left har.d batter when a right hand pitcher comes on the mound.Of course the fact that the Kiuck got humped out of the X.r...V. playoffs in lt;hc lir-t round tn-.t year wouldn't hate any bearing on the New York writers' criticism of the league’* playoff system, hut it does coinc in for a hit of abuse.Originally the playoff system, which gave each Scam a game on us home court, was hailed by the New York writers as revolutionary and the greatest thing since bottled beer. But when the New Yorkers lost four to the Celtics and the Nats ihe word playoff suddenly became a horrid one.Gross deplored the number of rule changes made during the course of the N.BA.’s growth and pointed to them as a mark of weakness. Meanwhile the colleges stumble around and refuse to admit the pros are miles ahead of them with such innovations as the 12-foot lane and the 24-second rule.It is a safe bet thot the league will soon announce a new I' playoff regulation. It will give the first-place winner of each j; division a bye and include only the first three teams in the playoffs. Should New York happen to win it’ll be hailed a* a j success. Lord help the rule makers if the icprcscnlatives of j the higgc-t hick town in the wo: Id elmuin io.-e, ■It’ll Get Bigger and BetterTHE ARTICLE refers to the Nals-Knick game in which Sid I Borgia and Johnny Xucatola came in for abuse. It must have j been the fir*t ume an official ever wa* IYd. I can remember well a picture of a major league umpire flat on his back with an irate fan punching the daylights out of him. And how many limes during a season do the fans jeer and cheer a* players restrain a Leo Dumber itom punching an umpire? Action of that sort Is anathema in basketball it would seem.Professional basketball has reached major league status In ! a very short time. It ha* made mistake* and ,-r««-sn(- ipains. it it continue to grow and probably will make more [ mistakes. But in the meantime it’s o far cry front the mess i It is depicted to be in the article called, What's Wrong with i Big-Time Basketball,”
Newspaper Details
Syracuse Herald Journal
Syracuse, New York, US
Sun, Dec 26, 1954
Page 57
Full Page
Clipped by
Sarah K.
NA, 30 Apr 2024
Other Publications Near Syracuse, New York
Syracuse Journal
Syracuse Evening Herald
Syracuse Herald Journal
Syracuse Daily Courier and Union
Syracuse Daily Courier
