Scorecard

PRESERVATION OF A TREASURE

The idea originated with the late J. N. (Ding) Darling, the famous newspaper cartoonist and ardent conservationist. Darling envisioned a "scenic avenue across America"—a trail paralleling the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition—from St. Louis up the wide Missouri through badlands and breaks, then westward through the lush alpine country of the Rockies and down the Columbia River through tall timber until it reached the Pacific Ocean at Fort Clatsop, Ore. This week it began to appear that Darling's dream may yet be realized.

After a two-year study the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation ( Department of the Interior) has recommended a modern Lewis and Clark Trail which would "enhance the historic, wildlife and recreation resources" along the original route. Existing roads and highways would be utilized, and new ones would be built. Boating facilities would be created on the Missouri and Columbia rivers and a hiking and horseback trail would follow as closely as possible Lewis and Clark's water and overland route.

It is a worthy proposal, one that would help to preserve and provide access to much of the country that Lewis and Clark explored 160 years ago. It might even result in wild-river status for the spectacular Missouri River Breaks, the last untouched stretch (180 miles) of the Missouri between the town of Fort Benton and the head of Fort Peck Reservoir in Montana.

We assume, however, that by "enhancing historic and natural resources," the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation does not mean the usual clutter of needless signs, concrete parking lots, barbecue pits, cafeterias and curio shops. Let all of them be conspicuously absent.

FUNNY RUBBER
The successor to the Hula Hoop, the Frisbee and the skateboard is at hand. Is it a bird? Is it a——? No, it's Super Ball, the bounciest ever. Dropped from a height of five feet, a Super Ball will bounce for 60 seconds. (Tennis balls last 10 seconds.) Each bounce of a Super Ball, says Richard Knerr, executive vice-president of the Wham-O Manufacturing Company that makes them, is 92% as high as the previous bounce. Even a Dodger hitter could knock one from Chavez Ravine to Bloomington, Minn. with the greatest of ease. Given a bit of spin when dropped, they bound about erratically. They are selling like Hula Hoops, which Wham-O originated, too—and not just to kids but to executives with time on their hands. A favorite executive game is How Many Bounces into the Wastebasket at 30 Feet and 10� a Bounce.

DR. KILDARE MUFFS ONE

It was one of those tense, dramatic moments in the dressing room of the Carter Riverside ( Fort Worth) High School football team just before it took the field against Texarkana High.

"We were pretty tight and keyed up," recalled Lou Goldstein, the Carter Riverside coach. "Some of the players cried. And I guess maybe I dropped a tear.

"Then, just before the kickoff, I asked the players if anyone had anything to say. One of them had a bad knee, and he raised his hand. 'Yes, coach,' he said. 'You taped the wrong knee.' "