The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-02

vanlans Eyes Are EOcused on |
Princeton.
OF all the colleges constituting the
''big four" of the football world there
| is probably not one that could have
| suffered such severe losses by gradua-
tion and faculty edict and still make
such a remarkably favorable begin
ming as has the University of Penn
| sylvania. In the first place they lost
| by graduation Woodruff and Wharton,
| the two greatest guards who ever
| played together on the field; Farrar,
| another top-notcher, and Colbert, who
was conceded to be the best halfback
| on the field last year, bar none, and
! who made n name for himself at end
| while he played there, while still at
| the university is no longer on the team
| Perhaps it was only University of
| Pennsylvania luck that made it posi-
BILE to fill these positions with first
class men, but McCracken and Hare,
| guards, are full of promise and both
know that they will have to work hard
to even equal the record of their pre-
| decessors of last year, Wharton and
| Woodruff. OF the other new faces on
the team, Outland and Carnett, tackles,
and Walker, halfback have all ac-
quilted themselves creditably in the
seasons preliminary work. The best
work, however, has been done by Hare,
a siX-foot giant, who stands in Wood
ruffs position, on the left side of the
line, next to Overfleld. He blocks and
tackles like veteran already, and
in the game with Franklin and Mar
shall he showed remarkable ability in
breaking through the line for repeat
ed gains.
In addition to this new timber the
squads which have been training at
Eagles Mere and in Philadelphia have
developed other material that is sur
prisingly strong and of unusual prom
Use, and for that reason there is still
some difficulty in naming the men for
any particular place. The line is un-
settled, but it is not likely that any
change will be made in Overfield, CEN
tire, and McCracken and Hare guards.
Outland and Carnett can be considered
as fixtures as tackles, while Hedges
and Boyle will hold the ends. Last
years quarterback, Weeks, is good for
another year. and Minds, Morice and
Jackson will look after the places back
of the line. All this, of course, is sub
| JeCI 10 Change, as plStCllCG uSNSlplS
new men or shows the old ones better
qualified for other positions.
At the best the task of developing a
university football team progresses
slowly, and the work of summarizing
the good points of one player and the
bad points of another and placing each
where he will be able to make the
best use of his particular talents is the
bane of all college coaches, and it is
not to BE- wondered at that the season
is we'll under way before the full team
is definitely decided on. Harvard has
cast all precedent in that respect to
the winds this year and has decided
on a permanent lineup some time be-
! fore the first game is slated, but from
distance it appears that this action
can be nothing more than an expert
ment perhaps merely a whim of Coach
w. Cameron Forbes. Whatever it may
be, the result will be anXiously watch
ed by the other big colleges, and if the
plan proves practicable after a thor
ough trial it will undoubtedly be uni
versally adopted, the only drawback
to the scheme being the persistent work
required by the coaches to keep up the
ambition and interest in the game of
lHpSt WIZ are llOl given pOSlllOlo dI
the first assignment of men. When a
: : position for which man has been con-
scentiously training is filled by some
one else it is but natural that he should
lose interest in his work. and it is this
: handicap more than anything else that
will keep Harvards innovation in the
background.
OF the other colleges all Pennsylva-
MIA eyes are focused on Princeton, and
the desire to see another love-feast be-
; tween these two big institutions is
, Widespread The deep-seated feeling of
forgiveness that imbues the heart of
all Quaker alumni seems to have struck
a responsive chord and found a coun-
terpart in the breasts of the Prince
tonians, and yet both would rather not
see a reconciliation than be the first
to offer overtures. Such virgin mod
: esty in foot ball circles is not very
5 lucrative, but it is very likely that some
1 unattached arbitrator will in the near
future propose a scheme of again get
ting together that will willingly be ac-
. cepted by both sides and, if the truth
g was made public, that same mysteri-
b, Gus arbitrator could be found at this
1 very time diligently at work to gain
his point.
Why these two colleges should patch
, up their wounds and again meet on
/. neutral real estate is apparent to ev-
eryOne. Why they do not do so is ap-
parent to only those who are intimate
ly acquainted with the inside work
ings Of the athletic department of both.
I Foot ball always has had to support all
I other brands of college sports, and
e greater returns are received from the
n gridiron for the amount of diversion
offered to the public than would be re-
n ceived from the other branches were
a they as paying in proportion to the
time consumed, and that only adds to
. the apparent weakness that will allow
one college to divorce itself from an
other because of a difference in opin-
ion as to the rightful ownership of a
. several millionth part Of Uncle Sam
: fortune. OF course, the money consid-
y Grafton may not cut much ice as an
. argument. but Princeton's Golfers will
}, undoubtedly need replenishing this
|, year. Her standby in former years
has been her game with Yale, but this
year the scene of battle is transferred
from New York TO New Haven, and
o from present appearances not much
= more than one-half the crowd that
! usually attends this game can be ex'
! pected.
But asi( from all that, the two P's