The Portland daily press., 1895-11-20
THE FIELD OF SPORT.
Football Matters.

IOOtUSli IhabtcTss
Yesterdays Bangor Wing says that
Manager Skillin has informed Manager
Houlihan that the Portland boys would
not play the proposed third game on the
Bangor grounds under any circum-
stances" 1t also says that therefore, the
supremacy bewteen Portland and Bangor
will not be settled this year because
Bangor will positively not go to Port
land" also that it is evident that Port
land is more than satisfied to break even
with Bangor this year and is afraid of
having decisive game. -
The Wing also says, Bangor would
like to $50 the matter settled, and can
guarantee Portland the squarest kind of
treatment here without the slightest in
reference from the crowd. 1t has been
clearly demonstrated in two years. ex-
perienee that the Portland crowd always
interferes with the play and decisive
game there would be sure to have I'M
pleasant results If the game were played
on neutral territory it would mean big
financial loss and neither team is pre-
pared to meat it,"
The communication between the two
managers is as follows:
Yesterday Manager Houlihan tele-
graphed that he would give the Portland
team half of the gate receipts and ex-
penses il they would play there next
Saturday. This was very liberal offer.
1t was guaranteeing the visiting team
more money than the Bangor team would
get out of it, for they would have to pay
the Portland teams expenses out of their
half Of the gate receipts. Why should
Bangor make SO liberal an offer if they
on their own grounds? Or are they so
afraid of the interference and injustice of
a Portland crowd on the. grounds. here,
that they are willing to pay literally in
order to escape this great danger and yet
have the decisive game played?
Can the Dangers guarantee the Port
lands at Bangor "the squarest kind of
treatment from the crowd without the
slightest interference?' The disgraceful
record of the Dangers at the field sports
contests between the two schools at Ban
gor last summer would certainly seem to
negative this statement.
But can the Portlands guaran go the
Bangors square treatment on our
grounds? Certainly not. The sympathy
of the home crowd cannot be suppressed
whether in Portland or in Bangor. Also
our own record is not wholly clean. Ban
gor had reason to complain last year.
s..The fact is, that each team has reason
to fear that it will be at disadvantage
if it plays this third decisive game in the
enemy's camp.
This wrangling and backbiting and
hostility and incorporating warfare
between the High schools of the two
largest cities in the state, supposed, to
represent the best class of the rising
generation of those cities, is a spectacle
that cannot be very edifying to the people
of Maine, and is not very creditable to
the ideas of what true sport really is, as
that idea exists at the present time.
The value of victory in athletic sports
ought to be because it is the result of
superiority. But if the accusations Of
these two High school teams against each
other have any foundation in fact,
victory, ostensible victory, and that only,
is to be desired, regardless of how it is
obtained.
After stating his offer for the proposed
game at Bangor, Saturday, Manager
Houlihan said, ANSWER by Tuesday or
we will have nothing to do with you"
In an interview yesterday morning
about this matter, Manager Skillin said
81 do not consider it my place to come to
the Bangor terms for another game.
Portland is in the position to dictate
terms and not Bangor. Our team has
practically defeated them on their own
grounds, and if they have any doubt as
here and try it again. I have given them
until tonight to answer me and if I do
not hear from them by that time I shall
get out my posters and advertisements
for game with Hebron, who wants to
play us on Saturday"
Now the situation is, that Bangor has
come here and played a tie game, and
we have gone there and played a tie
game One team has no more reason to
demand that the third game be played on
it's home grounds than the other has.
Each team is afraid, and justly SO, that it
will be at disadvan tage if it plays this
third game on the others grounds
Neither can afford to play the game on
neutral grounds, and therefore in all
probability this third and decisive game
will not be played.
It is really too bad that such is the
situation. 1t would be very refreshing