Young Mens
Christian Assoriation | —

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

GUY A. COWDEN HOWARDC. POTTER JACK COOPER WM. J. HUNT ~ CLYDE 0. SPERRY ARTHUR K. GARDNER
PRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENT TREASURER RECORDING SEC’Y Ss. P. TRACY BOYS’ SEC.-PHY. DIR.
W. M. BALDWIN A. L. DAWSON DR. ROY ELLIS’ A. L. FARNHAM a

L. H. TURN
DR. U. J. BUSIEK W. J. DYSART DON S. EVANS FRANK G. LISTER =

WILEY F. SPENCER
GENERAL SECRETARY

February 22, 1943

Dr. Forest C. "Phog™ Allen
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

Dear sir:-

I believe I am correct in the assumption that you mow as
much, or more,about the game of basketball as any living man. With
that in mind I am writing this to ask your opinion as to the proper
course to pursue when an occasion: arises such as I am about to
deseribe. The following incident took place here at the Springfield,
Missouri Y.M.C.A. this month. It aroused considerable comment and
evoked some pretty strong feeling among basketball players and fans,
not only here in Springfield but in this entire area, - southwest
Missouri. I shall be very grateful to you if you will send me your
thoughts and reactions to the matter, for your words will carry great
weight here.

Here is what happened: -

The "Y.M.C.A. Senior Independent Basketball League” for many years
has had a split season schedule, The Constitution of the League provides
that a two-out-of-three game series shall be played by the winning teams
of each half in case the same team does not win both halves of the
League. This means, of course, that the winner of the play-off is
déclared the League Champion for the season.

This year the Dr, Pepper Independent team won the first half of the
league, and the Central Labor Union team won the second half of the
league. There were six teams in the league. -- At the end of the first
game of the phay-off series the official scorer had the runnin
on his book thus: Dr. Pepper 32; C.L.U. 31. Thirty seconds before the
game ended, at the request of the captain of Dr. Pepper's team the a
referees came to the scorer and asked if the score-board on the wall—32-3l,
was correct. The scorer did not check the box score to see if it
corres ORS Se EOD the running score, but simply looked at the running
score “and saw that it was 32 - 41, - favor of Dr. Pepper. Assuming that
this funning score corresponded to the box score he answered the -
referees that the score oh the board was correct and the game ended ar?
with the crowd, both teams, both referees, and the scorers thinking /?”
that Dr. Pepper had won and that C.L.U. had Lost the games Besides the
official scorer there was another scorer, a representative of the C.L.U.e
team. His running score corresponded with that of the official scorer,
so the scoreboard on the wall, as well as the running score on both

scorers books showed Dr. Pepper 32: C.L.U.31l.

“LIFE GOES THE WAY YOUTH FINALLY TAKES”