The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-17
PLANS FOR WINTER SPORTS.
TEAMS BEING ORGANIZED FOR IN
DOOR BALL AND FOOTBALL.


Football Rules ChanEcd-Alteratton
Chiefly in the Way of Clearer Deli
nitions-Besides the League of In
door Ball Teams Already Organic
ed There VIII BE n Number of In
dividuaI Teams-Basket Ball to lie
PLAYED Extensively This Season.
Probabilities That There Will BE
several Local Football Teams-Sol-
diers at Fort ScreVen Also TO Get
in the Gnme-Wil1 start Practice
as soon as Cold Weather Comes.
Now that baseball practically is over
attention is being turned TO winter
sports. Already there have been organ
lied a league of indoor baseball teams
and the probability is that there will be
likewise a number of individual teams,
to be formed shortly. Also the Y. NJ. c.
A. will have a basket ball team that
will be unusually strong and with
which it is hoped to arrange series
of games with association teams from
both Charleston and Augusta, but the
winter game par excellence is FOOTBALL
and the outlook for number OF teams
in Savannah and, consequently, many
games, was never better.
There are at present in the city
number of men that have played this
game at different colleges, and they, II
is thought, will form the nucleus Of one
or more teams; in addition several
Young men that played on one of the
lighter teams last year will reorganlze
this season. and il is not improbable
that the High School also viii have
team The soldiers at Fort Screven
will have one or more teams, ana as
they have unlimited material from
which to select, the teams ought TO be
good ones. They have already got
some of the players selected and will
begin practice so soon the weather gets
a little cooler.
The game will be played slightly. diff
ferent this season from what 1t was
last year because of several alterations
in the rules.
The exact alterations by the commit
tee are as follows:
In Rule of the Guide, Section (d)
there is further definition of a safety,
namely, that a safety is made when
the ball, kicked by a man behind his
goal line, crosses the extension of the
side line behind the goal line. 1t was
generally supposed that the rules did
not provide for such a contingency
but as matter of fact, they did.
When a man, standing behind his own
goal attempted to kick the ball out
and made SUCH poor kick of 1t that
the ball did not cross his goal line at
all but crossed what would be the
extension of the side line and thus
went into touch by the existing rules
the ball was dead as soon as it crossed
the side line. But also by another rule
when a ball was kicked out of bounds
ii did not go to the man who first OBJ
tanned possession of it, but the oppo-
nents. Hence a kick of this kind would
result in the opponents having posses
sion of the ball in touch. But then they
must bring it to the point where the
side line was crossed by the ball and
there put it in play. The result would
be that they would bring it down be-
hind the kicker's goal, and immediate
ly upon putting it in play there, they
would hold it on the ground, and thus
secure a touchdown. In other words,
a ball which kicked by a man behind
his own goal line did not cross the
goal line, but crossed the side line,
meant, if the rules were followed out,
touchdown for the opponents This
seemed rather a severe penalty for the
misplay and it was determined by the
Rules Committee that such play
should be ruled a safety instead of
touchdown for the opponents. Hence
the new rule.
The second alteration is under Rule
10 of the Guide, Note. This formerly
defined ahead of the ball" as between
the opponents goal and a line parallel
to the goal line and passing through
the center of the ball " AS matter of
fact this was inconsistent with some
of the other rules where the forward
point of the ball is taken as the line.
The rule was therefore altered so that
If AfraO IN he
former edition, it reads, passing
through the point of the ball nearest
the goal line of the side not in possess
sion of the ball"
The next alteration occurs in Rule
IL of the Guide, section (e). The diff
f!culty that caused the alteration in
this rule has not been appreciated very
much in the big games in the East,
but there have been occasions even
there where the delay of the game was
prolonged unreasonably. AS a matter
of fact 1T was found that although the
Rules Committee intended that no de-
lay should result over two minutes. an
cbstreperous team would make it more
nearly four minutes in this way: Act
ing under Rule II (e) that no delay
arising from any cause whatsoever
should continue more than two min
utes, they would delay, supposedly for
injured player, for the full two min
utes. Then the referee would tell them
time was up, and they must play. But
they would manage TO occupy nearly
two minutes longer by refusing to play,
claiming under Rule 2S, section (g) that
the Referee could not give the game
forfeit to the other side until fully two
minutes after he had ordered them t.
play. Just before the expiration of the
fourth minute they would play. With
this contention in mind. the Rules
Committee added to Rule u, section
(e) the following: Amy delay thereaf-
ter shall be penalized under Rule q (e)
Is (c). 1t means that after the con-
sumption of two minutes five yards
shall be given for further delay of the
game this in no way interfering with
the Referees making them forfeit the
game at the end of two minutes of such
delay In other words, they will lose
distance If they do not go on at the
end of two minutes more.
Rule 10, Section Cd first line, the
word kick" is changed to read punt,
or drop kick" for further clearhess.
Rule H. Section 90 the words are
inserted after the words fair catch
when kicked after touching the bah
in at the side line This was an
omission in the former rules.
Under Rule II there has been added