The San Francisco call., 1896-11-24
RAIN PREVENTS
PRACTICE WORK
Stanford Men at Congress
Springs Are Kept
Indoors.
Light Exercise and RehearSlng
of Signals Will End the
Training.
Students at Palo Alto Confident That
Berkeley viii Be De-
feated.

CONGRESS SPRINGS, CAL, Nov. 22.-
To-day was put in very quietly by most of
Stanford players Some studied and some
read. while a few bfaved the rain and
Started out among the hills. If the
weather had been pleasant all the men
would have taken tramp in the noun
tains. as that was the plan.
Yesterday was a busy day for the play
ers. An hour and a half in the forenoon
was devoted to signal practice and in the
afternoon the men lined up for thirty
minutes hard playing, the last of the
. season until the match with Berkeley.
The rest of the time from now on will be
devoted exclusively to light practice and
signal work.
Considering the condition of the field
the practice was fair. Burnett 90 took
Fickert's place temporarily at guard and
distinguished himself by getting into
every play and tackling all over the field
During the second half of the practice
game he was tried at tackle and continued
his work there. Cross says that if week
or two remained before the game Burnett
would certainly force one of the other
Varsity players to surrender his position.
The greatest misfortune since the team
arrived here is the severe iniuring of
w Il tackle.
His accident will make 1t impossible for
him to play on Thanksgiving and J. B.
Rice '97 has been substituted. Rice has
been putting up very strong game up
here-stronger than at any previous time
this season. He has also developed greater
speed and aggressiveness.
Fisher and Searight have both been
putting up good games as halls on the
J., varsity and promise TO be in good con-
dltion when they line up against Berkeley.
Cotton is playing his usual good game at
fullback and can be counted upon as g.
sure ground-gainer. Jeffs and Straight at
end are doing better work than at any
time this season. The playing of the
;latter has improved in marked degree
since he arrived at the springs.
: This is great place for sleep on account
OF the absolute stiffness which prevails
most of the time. The men retire at 9
O'Clock and sleep until 1880 the next m orn-
ing. All the fellows are determined to
win that game if good play and hard
: work can do it.
= STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CAL. Nov.
: 23.-No Nothing is talked about here now ex-
. cept the chances for a good day for the
football game and q victory for Stanford.
News In The CALL from Congress Springs
.: to the effect that the men were putting up
better ball than at any previous time this
season caused the utmost rejoicing. En-
thusiasts feel more and more confident
that Berkeley's boast of few weeks ago
that Stanford wouldn't be in it will prove
a most distressing disappointment to the
boosters.
1t is calculated by those here who think
they know something OF the two teams
that Berkeley will be outclassed in the
line. Simpson, the Berkeley tackle, will
firrd his hands full with G. Thomas, who is
: an aggressive player and especially strong
ct stopping any attacks en- masse on his
position. In case Jack Rice takes Har-
.rington's place, his lighter weight is a dis
advantage, but no man more thoroughly
understands the work of a tackle than
Rice or uses his weight and his unusual
strength to better advantage. He tackles
much better than Harrington, but Is not
$50 strong a runner with the ball nor so
effective in interfering.
The ends of the two universities are
probably evenly matched ami Berkeley
has the advantage back of the line.
Whether that advantage is as great as her
admirers think remains to be seen. One
thing is certain, in backing qualities the
Berkeley backs are no better, and if they
excel at any other point, it must be in
end running, in tackling and in punting.
Should any of the Stanford backs be laid
off, they could be replaced almost without
exception by players who are but slightly
their interiors.
College songs and college yells are taking
up the evenings now. After the evening
meal the students gather in the dormitory
to practice songs and yelling for an hour
or so. Some of the yells this year should
be most effective