The rules have changed! Basketball has become almost as brutal as football, and they don't wear helmets! I think it is a sign of the times that we want body slams and roughhouse play. It is fast turning me off. The slam dunk is over-played. Anyone knows if you are a reasonable athlete and 6'6" or more you can reach up over others and put the ball in a hoop. On the other hand, nothing more graceful than a two handed jump shot from about twenty feet out!
I remember well the first basketball games I ever saw. I was in the lower grade of a school house that held all twelve. The court was outside. It was dirt and rocks. The Cavanaugh Redskins played out there in winter when their skins were ALL red! Spectators stood along the sidelines. These guys wore shorts....the short kind! When a player was fouled he shot two free throws. None of this sideline in stuff. You did not hack or shove or push or mug other players. It was a fun game to watch. The best player wasn't always the tallest. Scores were in the twenties or even less. That was back in Arkansas in the fourties. (Last century). The only thing still the same in roundball is the center jump.
Does anyone out there remember such times? Am I the only cave man alive?
