[Harry Rex Vonner]

I don't disagree with a lot of what you say, Leaping Lee. However, I must dispute your statement that Kouns refereed the Ashland games only because Russell blackballed him. I don't believe that at all and I doubt anyone else does so either. Ashland chooses who calls the tournament. There is no assignment by a third party. Ashland also chooses who calls each game by the way they set it up.

If Russell blackballed Kouns, which would probably only be necessary when Russell played Ashland, Kouns could still call games other than Ashland. After all, there were four games each day.

No, Leaping Lee, the truth is that Ashland chooses Kouns to call the tournament so he can call Ashland's games and, therefore, provide that extra "cushion" for which he is well known (according to what I have been told by a number of Ashland's "neighbors"). If the championship game had been close, those I talked with had no doubt that he would have made the difference. However, NCC put the game away early and the outcome was not "amendable".

His reputation seems to be that he "homers" for Ashland on a regular basis. No one mentioned whether or not he does so for anyone else or whether he hurts certain schools.

But, that is how it goes. No harm done in this case. The best team coasted to victory. Whether or not the second best team finished second or not is in the eyes of the beholder.

Good luck to all the teams.