The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-01
FOOTBALL.
now POST MORI] | MS
Gossip Of the Football Season Just.
Closed, and Outlook for
Next Year.
Chicago and Michigan Are Picked
as the Best Championship Pos
sibilities for 1903.

:. -. 4. > f.s.. xst Is
as the Best Championship Pos
sibilities for 1908.
Echoes of the football !, season which
closed last Thursday are still ringing in
the ears Of sthearooters,: and postmortems
are repeated almost daily. 4, In various
quarters excuses are made for the defeat
OF the Minnesota team by: Michigan, and
instances are pointed out where a slight
incident would have turned the scale in
favor of the gophers. =, 1,
AS q matter Of fact, however, it would
be much. better for Minnesota to acknowl
edge the: corn gracefully and admit that
they were outplayed.. This fact is con-
coded by practically all the team. ,OBrien
said Thursday evening after the, contest
It's no use, talking they played more
football than we did," and this is the
opinion of nearly all who saw. the game. ,
"A small piece Of luck ataany one of half
aydozen places Thursday afternoon would
nave. enabled Minnesota to make better
showing in the final score but could hard
~ have changed the result. Michigans
superiority was to evident to be disputed.
~. MInnesota's cIeats Too Short
1t has been pointed out that Minnesota
overlooked a large bet in not. having spe-
clally prepared cleats for use on the Slip
perry grass field. The failure Of Harris
70 down Heston on the two occasions when
the neet half back got through for touch
Gowns, is partly, attributed to the fact
tnat the little gopher's cleats did not get
.nrm hold on the ground causing him to
s!lp When he dove at Heston. This point
~ CONCEDED, however, only. indicates Mich
1San superior foresight. Coach, Yost
thursday morning sent the members of his
a, lxoy> 70
iengthened, and Minnesota should have
done the same :-0. go 1''
xAsaln When Minnesota had the ball in
TN, the second half. on Michigan's a0var7
me, schacht. according to the gopher
payers, made a slight mistake in the sig
-. ~ "iieIi minnesota tried a line plunge
Oh the third down. Had the play been
carried through Clearly, Minnesota would
nave nad frst down within easy reach of
tne goaI line. AS 1t was the gophers only
iaieo OF nrst down by few inches Thus
d possible chance to score was lost -
again with Minnesota holding the ball
IN the center Of the field, Schacht made
eighteen yards through the Michigan line
out Umpire Bliss brought back the ball
and gave it to Michigan for holding. Min
nesota was smashing through Michigan in
great style at that time, and seemed to
nave a good chance to score. AS both of
tnese pays occurred when the score was
score. - 80
All these things, however, can no more
be asci !beG to hard luck than costly
Helding error in a baseball game can be
laid to the frown of dame Fortune. The
team which 'refrains from making errors
at critical times is the team which will
win the majority of games. >s''
.s Criticism of Umpire Bliss. -
One place where Minnesota has a le-
Ultimate ground of complaint, however, is
. in the matter: of umpire Dir. Williams
r states that at the last moment, too late
to make a change he learned that UNI
pire. Bliss had coached the Michigan team
during a part Of the season. If this is
true. it was very bad taste for Michigan
tuHask for Bliss as umpire, or even to per-
NIT his selection without a fair and frank
statement Of the facts. 1872. 5000.
/ Captain. Flynn Of Minnesota asserts tina
Bliss gave Minnesota the worst of it il
all his decisions, and others Of the team
make the same complaint: Waving al
discussion of this point, Bliss should no
have been allowed to act as umpire if i
Is true that he helped to coach Michigan
= Gophers Conceded Second Place.
& Minnesota has generally been concede
second place among the western teams
Chicago writer's even are not disposed t
allow the claim Of the maroons to secon
place. The only real chance for com
parison Of the two teams is in the score
of the Illinois and Wisconsin games. Chi
cago. beat Illinois to 0, while Minnesot
won from the same team II to 5, Illinoi
scoring on a field goal That clearl
shows Minnesota to be superior. Agains
Wisconsin both teams scored II points
Minnesota earning one touchdown an
getting another on q fluke, while Chicag
got a. touchdown and a field goal. ....-,.
a two RI fha dto re 1T i'm
partial critics, however, Wisconsin did nc
play nearly as strong a game against Chi
cago as against Minnesota. Wisconsi
alumni were Disguised with the shown
OF their team, saying that the mon forge
all they ever knew Of football, and playe
like a lot of high school boys. -
Regarding the showing Of Minnesot
and Chicago against Michigan, Minnesot
gained ground more consistently throug
the wolverine line than did Chicago. CHI
caRo on the other hand held Michiga
better on straight football. The score
were, pretty, nearly alike. Michigan get
ting % points against Minnesota and
against Chicago, while on the other han
Minnesota scored, a touchdown on TT
wolverines On the whole Minnesot
nadea slightly better showing for tt
season than Chicago. Phil King of wis
consin places the gophers higher than tt
rnaroons, while Captain Juneau OF tt
badgers says the two teams are abol
even. "
Badgers Are Sore.
= There has been another revival of tt
old story that Wisconsin will try to brea
off athlethic relations with Minnesot
Wisconsin's points of grievance are tt
alleged rough play of the; gophers and tt
condition of the Minnesota field. Manag
Fitzpatrick speaks in bitter terms abo1
the gophers and there Is no. doubt TIL
soreness exists among the badgers. F.
the present, however, Wisconsin is bour
by contract to play an annual game Wi
Minnesota.
Criticism has been made also of Mi
nesota's alleged rough play at Ann. A
bor The fact that a gopher tackl
Sweeley on one occasion before the latt
had touched the ball heswas attempting
CATCH and the. instances of Minneso
players showing. back the Michigan ru
ners after the%latter had called down, a
cited Minnesota men,, however, yigo
ously deny these imputations, and attri
ute them to the unexpected good sho7
ing made by the gophers. a
Manager Mccain of the Iowa team, fc