The St. Louis Republic., 1900-09-09
GRIDIRON WARRIORS
PREPARING FOR BATTLE.
Likely Looking Youngsters Being Selected to
Represent the Local Schools---New
Rules Adopted Will Not At
feet the Came

This week the football warriors will don
their padded togs and the preparation for
the gridiron battles will be begun. The
season is shorter than that of any other
outdoor sport. but so much is crowded into
It and the contests are so filed with excite
ment that In about two and a half months
the patrons have had their fill. The very
shortness of the season enhances the pop
ulariry of the game, for every football lover
feels that he or she must crowd in much
excitement as possible in the few games
they see.
Everything pertaining to the game is rap
idly being prepared for the opening of the
season the latter part OF this month Some
ambitious candidates for positions on teams
have been at work several weeks on pre-
liminaTy training. In a few days all the
footbaliers will be industriously working un-
der the direction of their respective coaches.
Then better idea of the probable playing
strength of the various local teams can be
formed.
The new rules adopted for the game this
year will affect it but little, and the average
spectator will not notice the change they
will make. They treat purely of the finer
points of the game, points which to the
player are of great Importance.
There Is not likely to be anything new
and startling sprung this year. Football has
been reduced close to science that
there is little room for surprises. The V
shaped wedge and the revolving mass plays
attracted much attention, as did the guard =
back formation used by Pennsy lvania. All
these plays were Innovations. Pennsyl-
vania's play has had the longest life and
has not yet outlived its usefulness. They
were all invented for ground-gaining pur-
poses. Several years ago the greatest stress
was laid on the necessity of inyenting
eround-gaining plays. In fact this was car
ried to such an extent that the big teams
of the East became stronger IN oHense
than the defense, their main object being 10
score as often as possible without much re-
gard to the number OF times they were
scored against. Consequently scores were
large. In the last few years conditions have
changed and the idea now is to prevent the
other side from scoring and score yourseii
when you can.
The defensive work has received more
attention than the offensive style ever did.
with the result that it is much more scien-
tiic. In the War Department, when gun
is invented that surpasses all others IN huri,
in. heavy missiles to a great distance ana
with such force that II Will pierce the
strongest kind of armor, some one gioss
forth from the throng of millions and tells
how TO make steel that cannot be affected
by the gun. So it is in football When the
famous attacking plays we're brought OUT y.
the defense must be strengthened For
some time Pennsylvania guards PACK
played havoc with every line II was nuriea "a
teams has been developed TO such an ex-
tent that 1t vies with the attack in point
of power. The many low scores in the
games last fall 90 to show the real power
of a strong defense: in many OF the big
games there was no score on either side.
1t is doubtful II any one play would sue
coed against any first-class team. The game
has narrowed down to one of cunning and
strategy. This has been great benefit to
IL, as Ii Is now combination of science,
manly courage, strength and endurance.
Professor staeg, the football coach Of Chi