Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1912 — Wouldn’t This Silly Kick Make Decent People Ashamed. [ARTICLE]

Wouldn’t This Silly Kick Make Decent People Ashamed.

The Monticello Journal did not wake up until Monday that there was a basketball game in Rensselaer last Friday afternoon and that the Monticello team was victorious. Possibly the belated report of the game is characteristic of Monticello Journal enterprise or possibly the report was withheld in order to permit the athletic -reported to devote a little Sunday reasoning to account for the reason for not having a more decisive victory. The trumped up excuse is that timeworn one ot making a fuss about the referee, and every person who witnessed the contest here last Fridayaftemoop will realize that the following criticism of Mr. Sharp, the Rensselaer official, is wholly false. The Journal says: “Mr. Sharp, the Rensselaer referee, would be a better “rooter” than an official, as his chief alm was fdr Rensselaer to win regardless of right or wrong. A great many of the penalties he called on the Monticello team were counterfeit.” In the preliminary part of the article the Journal says that "had it not been for the constant interruption of "the contest by"the referee's whist’e the score would have been much larger than for the home team.” That is right. The style of play instituted by the Monticello team was so entirely contrary to the rules, so rough and at times so intentionally vicious that had it gone unnoticed the visitors would probably have been, able to made a great many more points. But Mr. Utterback, the Monticello official, was wholly alive to his job, and he called a number of fouls against his own team and there never was a complaint from any player during the contest against a ruling by the referee. At one time Mr. Utter-

back blew his whistle and called for the Ball to toss it up between Tom Padgitt, of Rensselaer, and Turner, of Monticello,, who were struggling for possession of the ball. As Padgitt released his hold Turner jerked the ball viciously and instead of handing it to the official, as is proper, he threw it fiercely into Padgitt’s face. Mr. Utterback saw it and between the halves of the game called Turner’s attention to the, act and warned him against such act/. Schlademan and Rinker were very rough. Both are large and Strong and, they repeatedly were guilty of.fouls and real “dirty” playing. Before the game was closed Schlademan was removed by Mr. Utterback for roughness with Miller.

This is known to every person that attended the game and there was never a foul that was not brought on by a Specific violation of the rules. We are really surprised that Mr. Utterback or the lively crowd of rooters that came here with the team would go home and offer so mean and false a criticism about one of the officials and we know that Mr; Sharp, who is one of our high school teachers, has been done a rank injustice, for which Mr. Utterback, at least, should make apology. * The Journal refers to the fact that only two fouls were called In the game Friday eveping at the college. Appartherethat _ mlnbrfbulSßhontd not count, or the officials found It hard to wateh the game on the larger floor. But there were a number of fouls nevertheless and the fact that they were not called was the cause of some comment along the sidelines. But, at that, the greater stature of the college students probably gave the visitors less encouragement to undertake the fouling tactics employed in the game with our high school. • We are surprised that The Journalshould publish the criticism concerning Mr. Sharp without having given it careful investigation and this was not done or the wholly false paragraph would not have been printed,