A most unusual call...

[Camron Rust]

Looking over some very old stories, I came across the following excerpt that many here may find amusing...


Frank Lane, a noted baseball executive, was also a nationally known basketball official who "called" many games involving UK teams. He told the following story about a game involving the University of Kentucky in the early 1930s:

"I believe the oddest decision I ever witnessed in any kind of contest occurred in a basketball game in which Kentucky participated and, possibly, ultimately resulted in the Wildcats losing a very important contest. Because it is only human to err and the fact that the chap officiating that game is a very high-class gentleman, I refrain from mentioning in which particular game this rather dubious decision was made as it might identify him. However, it did not occur at Lexington so but a few of the Wildcat adherents witnessed the faux pas in question.

During this exciting and hotly contest game wherein any single play might have been the margin of victory or defeat, a Kentucky try for goal late in the game missed, and Aggie Sale and "Dutch" Kreuter "followed up" the unsuccessful shot. Sale was just a trifle ahead of the Newport Dutchman and was actually trying a shot for the basket when Kreuter's big mitts, in a belated attempt for the ball, slammed across "Aggie's" arms. "Hacking - two shots," rang out the official's voice, synchronizing with a shrill blast from the protesting whistle.

Sale perched himself on the foul line preparatory to pitching the fouls when the captain of the opposing five, awakened to the situation that neither he nor his teammates had fouled, asked who committed the infraction. The referee, still expectantly waiting for Sale to start the foul-throwing, casually pointed out the offender - Kreuter !

The referee then realized the fact that he had awarded two free throws because of a Kentucky player fouling (?) another teammate - of course, he knew this could not be. But the argument ended, which no one in the audience ever has gotten the straight of, with the referee calmly but firmly walking to the other end of the floor and giving Kentucky's opponents a free throw - which was made ! Quite likely Kentucky's amazed team said something untoward as to the official's eyesight or judgment that may have caused this penalty, but just the same the Wildcats lost the game by one point. No, this was not in the last few seconds or minutes of play when the odd decision was made - there was still about 10 minutes to play - but this point, the margin of the Wildcat's defeat, was certainly very pertinent no matter when the weird ruling occurred."

[Edited by Camron Rust on Mar 17th, 2004 at 06:38 PM]

[rainmaker]

Great story, thanks for posting, Camron!

[Mark Padgett]

I wonder how he decided which player should shoot the free throws? Not only that, if he thought an opposing player was fouled, it wouldn't be in the act of shooting because then, they would have been shooting at the wrong basket.

OK - I'm getting technical and probably ruining a really great story.

[mick]

Thanks, Camron!

[ChuckElias]

Great story. Sure glad I wasn't involved in that game!

Originally posted by Mark Padgett
I wonder how he decided which player should shoot the free throws? Not only that, if he thought an opposing player was fouled, it wouldn't be in the act of shooting because then, they would have been shooting at the wrong basket.

Well, Aggie Sale played from 1930-1933. Back then, I'm pretty sure that every foul was penalized by a free throw. (After the 7th foul of the half, the fouled player received his regular free throw, and then received a second throw as a "bonus" if he made the first.)

So it wouldn't matter if the player was in the act of shooting or not. It wouldn't matter if the team was "in the bonus" or not. Somebody would get a FT. Of course, I have no idea how the other team got the FT when Sale got fouled