Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-08-20

Each one of these changes while in,nor
tant is not change such as To effect
the style of the game. The changes are
all of nature that will tend to improve
the sportsmanlike spirit of the game and
to make it more scientific. Some of the
changes are also aimed at weak points
in the Old rules which furnished opportu-
mites for inferior teams to gain time
against their superiors The general
character of the changes are therefore
such as Will not be observed except by
| the close students OF the game and by
the players themselves. The changes will
not affect the general style of the game
| and hence will not be noticed by the av-
erage spectator.
The first change in the old rules re-
lates TO the exchange of the possession
OF the bah in case of a foul. Formerly
the side which had the bali lost possess
sion of the pigskin in case OF offside
play. The rules committee decided that
this imposed too severe penalty upon
team for an offence that was often
slight and sometimes unavoidable. and
which always depended upon the umpire
seeing the man who was offside. Fo.
these reasons the rules committee have
changed this rule to read as follows:
Either side making an offside play suf-
fers as penalty a loss of ten yards. the
ball remaining in the possession Of the
side having it before the foul was made
Thus under the new rule the ball will
not change hands in case Of offside play
In case the team having the ball is with
in ten yards of their opponents goal line
and at that point the team which is on
the defensive commits an offsde play,
the penalty is halved. and the team
making the foul is only penalized five
yards. Football experts consider this
change 4 good one. \ ball is rarely put
in play when some player is not offside.
1t therefore devOlves upon the umpire to
decide whether the infraction Of the rule
| is deliberate ana intended to spoil the
| play of the opposing team. The rule is
| Of necessity largely scretionary with
the officials. ana at the same time ac-
| cording to the old code. was one of the
most severe penalties that could be i'm
posed. It was made to check rough play.
ana it has apparently served its purpose
ana can be done away with ana a more
| lenient rule substituted. The new rule
will not according to experts detract
II VII ZIG SGllt bdl Will ltil'4 ~ ht tI't
game when it is played fairly ana square
| ly less liable to hinge on slight and
sometimes unavoidable foul.
| The next important change in the old
| rules is the result of the Yale Harvard
game of last fan. It Will be remembered
that Yale in this game resurrected the
old 2O-yard rule in order to hold posses
| sion of the ball when She was within
striking distance of Hlrvard's goal.
Rather than give UP possession Of the
| ball Yale dropped back twenty yards ana
retained possession Of the ball. This in
cfdont revealed to all football players the
| possibility Of making use Of this rule to
/ delay a game and prevent 4 stronger
team from scoring. Yale had no such in
| tcntion at Cambridge last fan. Her OBJ
| jeJt. on the contrary, was to use the rule
| in order TO keep possession " the ball
when the Yale team was in striking dis
lance of the Harvard goal. There was 50
much talk about thc rule that the rules
committee decided that it needed some
amendment. The committee therefore
have revised the rule 50 that it II in cf-
feet rs follows:
\ team cannot take advantage Of this
rule second time unless the hall has
changed possession after the team using
the 20-yard rule has first taken advan-
tage Of the rule.
| In other words. according to the new
rule, team can take advantage Of this
rule once in order to retain possession Of
the ball, but on failing to get the nee
essary five yards in four downs after
using the rule the team cannot use it a
| second time and a third time and so on,
in order to retain possession Of the ball.
| The third change in the rules deals
with the question of side-line coaching.
which was brought TIP BY the Yale
Princeton game of last season. After
| Princeton's fragrant breach of the rules
Of side-line coaching in this contest a
great many football players advocated a
rule that would keep every one off the
field except the two elevens. The rules
committee have modified this suggestion
| considerably. They have formulated a
rule which says that only five represen-
tatives. including the attendants of each
| team. shall be allowed on the side lines
and shall be allowed to get up ana down
and move along the field in order to
watch the play. All others inside the
| ropes must be seated and remain seated
| throughout the game. The penalty for
| coaching from the side lines shall be q
| loss of ten yards to the team whose rep
| resentatives have been guilty Of the
coaching. In limiting the number Of men
who shall be allowed to stand up ana to
move along the side lines to five the rule
! committee made this allowance: That
| the head coach. the medical adviser and
the trainer ought to enjoy this privilege.
| To this number they then add two more
privileged persons, whomsOever the man
| ayers Of the teams desire. 1t is believed
| that this rule ana the new penalty for
| coaching from the side lines will settle
| this question, which has long been a sub
| iect Of considerable comment.
The fourth and last change in the rules
| is a rather novel one ana has never been
brought up in the big championship
| games. It relates to 'unsportsmanlike
| conduct" The rule is in substance that
in case Of any unsportsmanlike act by
member of a team or by a substitute or
/ sympathizer Of 4 team, which intcrferes
with the play Of the opposing team the
umpire may impose a penalty Of ten
yards upon the team whose player Or
| svmpathizer has been guilty of the act.