ABOUT WALTER HUSTON, HENRY VAN PORTER AND ME

 

Bob Burns, who has a mean uncle and ought to know, says that Walter Huston played
the devil in his last picture in the guise of Mr, Serateh. Another picture is "The
Man Who Pyayed God", A report of a sub-committee of the National Basketball Coaches
4gso¢intion, which has been sent to me by a friend indicates that the writer o° “he
repcrt knows of these movies and has assigned me the role of Mister Scratch aml has
cast himself as Mister God, The dram. outlined in the report attributes to Mister
Sccatch anc his Satanic co-workers a sinister influence on the development of bas-
kevball into the unpopylar, unskilled and uninteresting game that it is, To Mister
God is assigned the omniscient vision to tell the National Collegiate Athletic Asso
ciation who they shall appoint on the rules committee and how appointments shail be
made, to tell the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations how
they shall conduct their business, to tell the manufcturers of athletic equipment
what they may or may not advertise, to tell the high school, ¥ MeC.A. and Canadian
basketball groups how unimportant their views are, and to tell the National Baskot-
ball Committee what it my do. Even a code of ethics is set up for the group. This
dast is an inspiration which is the climax to the dram. The question might be
asked as to whether the code applies to the sub-comnittee as well as to the Rules
Committee ~~ but as set up, it works only one way. That adds novelty,

Letts Get Personal

 

I did not start this personal angle. The sub-committee needs 2 devil to chase
around the bush. Otherwise, tilting at windmills gets monotonouse The sinister
high school representatwes on the Rules Committee (the whole 4 of them on 2 ccm=
mittee of 18) are obliging cusses and have been tagged "it", I will play Mister
Seratch if that will help clear the atmosphere. Family names hive been dragged into
the above mentioned report, so this statement is in order. The Porters my or may
not have come over in the Mayflower, I have never traced the ancestry. There are
probably about the average number of horse-thieves up the family tree. The name is
common and ohe group may have originated in Africa and another in Kamehatia. The
family line that named me (before the Scratch handle) is engaged in many occupations
but I have never been able to find any of my line (even o fifth cousin) who is or
has been in the business of making mule shoes or toilet seats, or basketballs or
basketball backboards. or playground equipment. Probably some of us would be ona
higher economic level if we could have profitted from these industries. I donty
know, They probably have troubles of their own. The maker of the sub-committee re=
port makes a dirty minded insinuation in connection with the name of a J, E, Porter,
I have never had the pletsure of meeting the gentleman. He may be alive or dead.

In the latter case, Mister God ought to be able to contact hin.

Andy, of the radio team"Amos and andy} grew up in my home town of Peoria, Illinois.
He lived in the next block, One of his characters is Henry Van Porter. The sub-
committee ought to look up that sinister connection, It would be a great catch
phrase, "Campbellts soups harbors the Devil in black face,"

The Porters have always been interested in basketball and this particular one has
coxched, managed tournaments, conducted interpretation meetings and done other odd-~
jobs in helping develop the game for. more years than need be mentioned. Like hun»
dreds of other game enthusiasts, I have given these efforts freely and witheut re-
greg, . if time is worth money, someone owes me a lot of cash but no one seems to
have. got around to telling any paying teller about it. Some lucky individuals write
a basketball book or get their autograph stamped on a basketball and thus cash in.
Lack of industry or something has kept me from doing this. Besides, basketball
books go out of date when a rule is changed and molded balls do not carry autoe-
graphs. tn common with thousands of other lovers of the game, my returns come
through a satisfaction in sceing « great game keep pace with progress in related
industries and institutions. I am convinced that the rules changes of the last