The record-union., 1897-10-11
BRUSHING UP THE GRIDIRON.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE FOOT
BALL SEASON.
Local Players Getting Themselves
in Readiness for Coming
Games.

wheel meets, held on the fastest track on
the coast, have attracted great crowds;
the gentlemanly exhibitions of the
manly art Of self-defense" have been
appreciated the Irish race horses,
whose season is again opening, nave
attracted the coursing fraternity, and
the all-interesting, ever-suryiving ma
tional" game of baseball has been the
theme of all. The lovers of the rod and
gun win probably have no reason to
complain, and. all in all, Sacramen-
tans have reason to congratulate them
selves on the opportunities they have
enjoyed in outdoor pastimes.
Football now makes its bow to the
public. and asks its little share of pat
ronage. Sacramento has never yet
evinced particular liking for the game.
Why is this so?
Ask the average person, Sacramen-
tan or otherwise, if he knows anything
about the game, and the answer is,
mo: I have never seen one"
In fact, it may be news. even to those
who have seen the game. that the So
called intercollegiate" football game
is purely an American institution.
The game has been condemned as
brutal. When mass plays were unlim-
tied and the term mass speaks for
itself-there is no doubt that the physi
cal strength of the stronger team, as
opposed to that of the other, gave rise
to this cOndemnat ton. But as Walter
Camp, the famous football writer and
editor, says, in expressing his wish to
see the play more open, Not because
close play is more fruitful of injury,
nor because it is not scientific, but be-
cause it makes of mere brute froce an
ascendant quality, and tends to the in
PRODUCTION of plays that show too wide
a discrepancy between mind and mat
ter" Not, by any means, should So
called mass plays be thrown out, but
restrictions only are asked for, and
they are rapidly being brought about.
People do not care to see a game OF
which they know nothing, and as an in
troductory it may be well to give here
a short summary of the rules Of foot
ball:
It is a game which can be we'll Illus
strated off the field. and the blackboard
forms quite an important part OF the
college football mans education. And,
by the way, statistics go to prove that
the average college football player IS
ahead of his colleagues both in physical
and mental culture.
The game is played on rectangular
field 100 by $50 feet. The goals, COM
posed of two upright posts, set is feet
6 inches apart, with a crossbar 10 feet
high. occupy the center of each goal
line, or the end of the field. The ball
is kicked off at the center of the field,
the object of the game being, primarily,
to force the ball behind the opponents
goal line. thus scoring a touchdown, or
four points; the ball is then brought
out into the field, close to the goal, at
right angles to the point of touchdown
and the scorers are accorded a place
j.. kick at goal; that is, the ball is placed
on the ground and one of the scorers
B team attempts to kick it over the goal
If successful, two more is added to
the points already scored, play being
resumed as before by a kickoff from
the half" or center of the field. The
goal can also be secured by "dron-
kick or ''punt-out," technicalities cas-
lily overcome when one studies the
game Definite rules are laid down to
restrain the ball within the side lines.
As to the participants in the game:
There are eleven players on each side.
To illustrate: Take eleven chips, or
card counters, and place seven of these
in a row The center one is your CEN
ter: those on the ends are the right and
left ends, respectively; on the right and
left of the center are the right and left
guards. and between the guards and
the ends the right and left tackles are
placed Immediately behind the cen
ter place another counter. This repre-
sents our quarterback; still further
behind we have our right and left
half-backs, and in the center, behind
all the team, the eleventh man, called
the funback, takes his stand.
Taking into consideration the fact
that in a scrimmage the ball must be
put in play by the center to the quar-
terback. and thence from him to some
other man behind him, the opponents
being meanwhile restrained. is there
not some room for play and
generaIship? If one side has
the ball and is hard pressed. the
usual play on the last down is a snap
back by the center to the quarter, and
thence to the fullback, who from his
position. has a chance TO kick the ball
toward the opponents territory.
This play. however, as a rule loses
the ball. On the other hand, if mat
ters are about even, and it is desired to
retain possession Of the ball. it may be
passed to. say one of the halfbacks on
a snap back, he being sent through be-
tween center and guard, guard and
end. or round one of the ends
BY mastering the above primer of the
game. even the most enthusiastic
football fan can go out and under
stand the object the boys are driving
at
Up to this year it has been hard to
find a suitable ground for football. Ag-
ricultural Park was by no means suit
able during the winter season, the
grounds heretofore have been so slop-
py that it has been hard matter for
the players to stand up. It is hoped
that the new recreation grounds at
Oak Park will be temporarily trans
formed into a gridiron.
The local High School team, which
has in former years made most
creditable showing is now stronger
than ever. They are hard at it every
afternoon at Fifteenth and L streets,
about fourteen or fifteen of them, try
ing for positions. They average about
an even $50 pounds each. and are a
stoeky, gritty lot of young men. They
are by no means inexperienced in this
line Of athletics. the majority of them
having played already two or three
seasons, and there is not the least
doubt but what they could make a
most creditable showing against any