" 'Gawky' for Guard" by Nelson S. Bond (from Basketball Stories, Winter 1937-1938)
Nelson S. Bond (1908-2006) is best remembered for his science fiction and fantasy short stories, including "Mr. Mergenthwerker's Lobblies" (Scribner's Magazine, November 1937) which was adap[ted to radio at least half a dozen times, as well as running as a 1938 radio series, and was televised three times; Bond went on to write three additional stories about the Lobblies. Bond also produced scripts for radio, television, and the stage. He was named a Nebula Author Emeritus in 1998 for lifetime achievement in science fiction. In the 1940s, Bond made regular appearances in The Blue Book Magazine, contributing stories bout about his series characters Pat Pending aand Squaredeal Sam McGhee, as well as many standalone tales. In addition to science fiction and fantasy stories, Bond publishd over 60 stories in the sports pulp magazines. including Ace Sports Monthly, Dime Sports Magazine, Real Sports, Sports Winners, Champion Sports Magazine, Bull's-Eye Sports, 12 Sports Aces, Sports Action, Ten Story Sports, Thrilling Football Stories, Popular Sports Magazine, Baseball Stories, and Football Stories.
Bond retired from writing in the late Fifties, concerntrating on his burgeoning antiquarian book business. He served on the Board of Governors/Board of Directors of the British North American Philatelic Society. He was a correspondent with James Branch Cabell and briefly served as Cabell's literary executor after Cabell's death.
" 'Gawky' for Guard" was Bond's third sports story, and was the lead story in the first (and apparently only) issue of Basketball Stories, a Fiction House magazine edited by Malcolm Reiss, who would edit over 25 pulps magazines in his career, including Action Stories and Planet Stories.
The cover blurb pushed the story: "A big awkward kid -- the campus laughing-stock. But on the court he was cat-smooth and fate-sure."
And the actual story blurb goes: "They built Dan Carter from a clumsy hayseed into the flashiest, hottest hoopster in the Central Conference. Presto-ed him into a fair-haired wonder -- then played him for the prize sucker of all time!"
Pop Brighton's twenty-year career as basketball coach for Midland College is in jeopardy. He hasn't given the school a championship teram, or even a contender, and the alumni and the Athletic Council are not happy. for the past six years. Not that Pop hasn't got some quality players, but there is a weak spot on his team -- he lacks a decent guard. As he explained to Betty Carruthers, the daughter of his best friend who is now a coed at Midland, he needs a guard with a quick eye, sure hands, and a smooth stride on the floor -- without that, this would surely be his final year as coach. Betty, who practically grew up, watching Pop's team, wished she could help.
Betty has caught the eye of Dan Carter, a shy and extremely awkward student from the sticks. Dan wished he could be a college athlete, but his attempts on the baseball, track, and football teams all ended in disaster, which earned him the nickname "Gawky." And he now has forsaken any idea of sports to concentrate on his studies. Betty, however, sees some raw potential in Dan. She once saw him make an impossible catch on the football field during a game, only to trip over his own feet. Awkward as Dan might be, he does have sure hands. And she once noticed him to be amazingly graceful on the dance floor at a mixer, so he can have a smooth slide on the floor. She suggests that Dan join the basketball team, but has has been b urned once too often in college sports and refuses. But Dan wants to see more of Betty and she tells him that all of her frfee time will be spent with Pop and his team, os in oerder to get close to Betty, Dan finally deicides to join the squad.
To the surprise of Pop Brighton and the entire team (but bnot the reader), Dan is good on the court. Really good. Betty feels a bit ashamed that she used her looks and Dan's obvious crush on her to lure him to the team. Hal Gordom, the three-letter star forward of the team and Betty's reguar date for the past year, becomes jealous of Dan at the same time Betty gets tired of Hal's overbearing manner. Dan has made an enemy on his own team. Hal's warring attitude aginst Dan is infecting the team. Betty breaks down and tells Hal that she had used Dan's feelings for her to trick him into mjoin the team to save the season for Pop. Hal realizes that, for the good of the team, Betty must ciontinue to lead Dan along for the rest of the season; he eases up on Dan and the squad begins to mesh together and win games. Betty, meanwhile, is torn. She is beginning to like Dan a lot, which is something she had not planned on.
Now the Midland Five is working like a well-oiled machine and appear to be a cinch for the Conference title. But what will happen when Dan finds out about Betty's deception? And will Betty ever realize her true and burgeoning feelings for Dan? The season rests on these two questions.
A good example of the typical sports puilp story of a time when there seemed to be a pulp magazine aimed at every possible interest on the newsstands. There's nothing earthshaking here, but Bond does keep the pages turning.
The /winter 1937-1938 issue of Basketball Stories is available online. It also includes stories from prolific pulpster William R. Cox, Harold M. Sherman, Ted Fox, Linton Davies, Glenn Long, Harry goldberg, and the pseudonomynous house name "John Starr," as well as three articles, all signed by probable pseudonyms that had been use for sports ariticlaes over the years.used
This is surprising to me, that there were pulp sports stories. But this one sounds fun, and it seems like both men and women could read it if they were so inclined.
ReplyDeleteI told my husband about the Luminist Archive and he checked it out and found some ghost story anthologies edited by Aickmann, and he will be looking into those. So both of us are happy with this discovery.