The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-15
J. T. \ \ y 4 + y = + =
REPORTS FROM
THE
FOOTBALL FIELDS

and the University OF California eleven
will be played to-day at the Recreation
Grounds The season is in full blast,
and the air is permeated with football
talk-so much so that at the two colleges
there is but one subject worthy Of con-
sideration and that is the gridiron sport.
The public has now chance to see
both the university teams in action and
to form comparative judgments. The
OlympicS, the one team which has played
the California and Stanford elevens and
suffered defeat at the hands Of both, is
the minor premise from which the COM
parative judgment is formed. Every
where is heard the question which is the
stronger team, Stanford or California?
The answer to that is difficult. Neither
perfection. Stanford has been in train
Ing but few weeks. and California not
much longer. The Olympics have not
been in actual training at all, that is as
is concerned. When the University of
California eleven defeated the club men
II to 0 the enthusiasts raised their hands
and shouted that is the team. But the
following week Stanford defeated the
96ympss y to and o tine Sh9 Gbs
strength is not a positive quantity, and 1t
vii vary until the men have some other
team TO play against, so IL cannot be a
true basis Of judgment.
Stanford s team Of last Saturday showed
some strong and some weak spots. The
backs are as yet unsteady, due no doubt
10 the little practice they have had.
Fisher, Dole, Burmeister and Murphy
should develop into a strong and effective
quartet. Murphy is the same fast run
ner, and he IS difficult to equal on
clear field. However, he seems to make
a clear field every time he starts out,
and then the runner who can overtake
him must indeed be fleet of foot Muir
phys kicking is also very fine. and his
general play is full OF the dash and spirit
that won him his place at quarter. Stan
D~l h.3S dc in, ! urlya nd Sr1oith y-hN
are not only strong but who display
knowledge Of the game which is the re-
suit Of experience. Both these men are
developing very quickly. and before the
end of the season they Will, If they pro-
gress at their present ratio, be towers
on the extremities of the line. Here
ent time there is q weakness in Stan
ford's line that will undoubtedly be dis
sipated as the season advances. The cen
ter, guards and tackles are compare
lively inexperienced and will have to be
trained to their positions, but in this
Stanford does not suffer to any greater
. extent than California; and 1t is this
which gives California a favorable chance
in the big game of the year.
California is not the team 1t has been
in former years. To discover this one
needs only to see a single practice game
on the campus. Where laXity., indiffer-
ence and carelessness reigned before
there Is now close interest, even enthu-
siasm, among the players. The practice
games are full of ginger and earnest
rived from watching. game on the
Berkeley campus as in seeing a match
contest This is no new thing at Palo
Alto, but it is at Berkeley. Never before
did a second eleven wearing the blue
and gold Colors work as this one does.
For the first time in the history of the
college there is really q spirit Of COM
petition among the candidates for the po
positions on the varsity, which are open
TO all with the exception Of very few
Cochran is putting his men through
all sorts of evolutions, some new and
some Of the regulation order. 1t is very
likely that they will be used to-day
against the Olympics, and some surprises
will be in store for the spectators. The
team has been lining up with Klerfoot
as quarter TO replace Hopper, who is now
on the shelf with a lame knee. Hopper's
injury, while not Of serious nature, viii
prevent his playing for some time. He
was fast developing into an exceedingly
good quarter, and played very we'll with
the other backs, 1t is TO be hoped that
he will soon be upon the field. Another
man who was laid off on account OF an
injury IS Grelsberg, who is not yet in
good shape. He strained a tendon and
the result was an absence from practice
play in to-day'S game, however Outside
of these two men the condition of the
engaged Al Lean. the Well-known pro-
fessional trainer, permanently He re-
CeiYes a yearly salary, and will give all
of his time to the athletes of the uni
yersity.
Coach Cross expressed himself as being
satisfied with his men after the game
which brought another cardinal victory
10 Stanford. This week the work has i'm
proved at Palo Alto. There Is not so
much Of that carelessness that was noted
before Cross arrived: It is work and hard
work on the football field there and the
men are gradually reaching the point
where there will be grilling practice every
day. About the end of the coming week
the regulation full time play will begin
and from that time on to the end OF the
season there will be nothing but the hard
est kind of work.
The Olympics will be strengthened this
afternoon as far as individual playing is
concerned Back Of the line will be seen
once again the redOubtable Percy Morse
perhaps the best back who has never had
8 collegiate football training. He kept
saw that the club team needed some
bolstering up and that things were going
TO pieces he relented and IS now one OF
the Olympic team. Back of the line in
to-day'S game there will be for the Olym-
pics: Code, quarter; Morse. right half;
Wilson, left half, and Weldon full back
This quartet is the strongest the athletic
club has put in the field this year. The
line has met with many changes and will
Bandy Will still play center. The guards
will be changed and herein lies the weak
spot of the Olympic line. 1t was the in
tention last night Of the captain of the
clubmen to put Sexton at left guard and
Parker, a big 2O0-pound Hawaiian as
right guard Sexton Is not in the best
of condition and IS a little weak for guard.
while the Hawaiian is an untried man.
Erskine will play left tackle and Sheehy
right tackle unless a subsequent change ia
determined. The ends will be McIseine
and McNutt. The weakness of the latter
IN the game last Saturday was mountain
GUS. All the long runs were made around
his end. 80 N4Au
The freshmen. teams are playing for
all there is in the game There is everv
indication that the game this wear he
tween the freshman classes of both mi
Tersities will be as pretty contest as
the big game: Last Tuesday the fresh
men of the University of California do
feated the lightweight team of the Olvm-
pics on the college campus, the same team
that defeated the Stanford freshmen two
weeks ago. There does not seem to be
much difference in the strength Of tho
two teams at this day Both are DIavinp
good ball and the result should be q close
game when they meet two weeks from TO-
day. i ~
The Academic League has organized
and prepared a football schedule. To-daV
the following games will be PLAYED. Oak
land High vs.. San Jose High at Oakland.
Berkeley High VS.. Stockton High at StocE
ton; POLYTECHNIC High VS. State Normal
at San Jose; California School of Me-
chanical Arts vs.. Lowell High at San
francisco; BONES Academy VS. Peraita
Hall at Berkeley. The game in this cit~
will be between the two high schools and