The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-03
GAN He BEAT Y0ST?
MANY Football Men Think Stage
Will Turn the Trick
-: This Year.
Michigan and Chicago Still Favor
ties, With Minnesota as the
Dark Horse.


Dark Horse.
Artho the early season games to DATE
have afforded little chance for comparl-
son between the foremost OF the Big
Nine teams. the rooters generaly nave
picked Michigan and Chicago as the
eleyens most likely to win first honors.
The majority favors Michigan. But
the majority Is ofttimes an minimizing
animal It bases it's Judgment, largely
on the previous years results instead OF
on the showing of the present season.
Does Minnesota beat Wisconsin, The
next wear the public offers odds on Min
nesota and quite likely Minnesota loses.
Then the following season the wise pub
lie shifts again and gives odds on the
badgers-and quite as probably the
badgers lose.
So with Michigan and Chicago. The
public says "Yost can't be beaten But
the public has said that about many
other coaches and many other teams-in
fact about successful men in all branches
of sport Yet sooner or later every
one Of these invincibles meets his mas
ter. Yost Is no more invincible than
any other coach He may not be de-
feated this year, nor the next, but he
will lose out some time just as surely as
the sun continues TO TlH5 anu bot
A goodly number of the wise ones this
year figure that Stage Is the man and
this Is the year to clip Yost's feathers.
And on paper Stage certainly has the men
to DO the trick. He has no Heston, per-
haps, but he has wonderfully good
looking bunch Of veteran material. He
has unauestionably the best balanced
team in the west at the present writ
Ing. Last year he lost mainly because
his men were green. Yost's tricks beat
them. But those husky freshmen who
formed Stages team last season have
gained in experience. .Yost must de-
wise new tricks to fool them. and Yost
this year has not a Weeks to carry out
his stratagems. Granting that Yost has
beat him. say the admirers of the "old
man." Il
r. aye, there's the rub. The little
''tf' which plays SO important part in
these ante-mortems is that West Point
game which stagg has-unwisely, many
believe-scheduled for his team. That
game comes just twelve days before
the Chicago-M1chigan contest. After
that long eastern trip, and that bruis-
ing struggle, will the n1aroons be able to
put up their best game against Yost's
men? No one can tell positively until
Thanksgiving Day, but most critics be-
Heve that that same West Point game
But while Michigan and Chicago are the
favorites, there are other teams which
cannot be counted out Of the race until
they are actually beaten. Wisconsin has
a look-in; SO has Minnesota. So have
Illinois and Northwestern, tho until proof
to the contrary Is at hand, their chances
must be considered simmer than those of
the badgers and gophers What Of
these teams? =
OF the four, Minnesota looks strongest
at this writing. In fact, the material at
Northrop field is Of the very highest class
IT Is quite possible that Yost's wings NAV
be clipped before , he meets Chicago
Stln. the situation at Minnesota and
Michigan Is so similar that for the pres
ent 4ost must be held to have retained
the advantage he had last year.
Michigan, according to latest reports
from Ann Arbor, has, or rather expects
TO nave, from six to nine old men back.
Minnesota has eight. Minnesota's new
material is excellent, but SO, from all
accounts, Is Michigan's. And in the indi-
Vldual ability Of the old men, Michigan
mas an advantage. Minnesota has M
Heston, and mona Of the gopher veterans
can be held to have a marked adyantap e
over Wolverine. The situation at Ann
Aroor is still much in the dark, and will
De until Michigan has played one or two
games, and 1t can be seen just how rnanv
OF her old men get into line, and Just how
well her new material conducts itself
ulluer IRE. But until the progress Of the
season gives evidence Of unexpected
strength in Minnesota, or of unexneoted
weakness in Michigan, the wolverines
Will remain favorites over the gophers
wisconsin Is still an unknown GUAM
t1ty Most football fans, however. are
henas DAGGER stock short But five OF
!ast years veterans are working under
Coach curtis, and none Of these WAS a
e'ar last year, altho one, Vanderboon,
promises to make a record this season
With a coach who has to win his snur,
ana small amount of veteran material
ehe badgers are picked to lose to Mich
lsan' chicago and probably Minnesota.
Illinois occupies a position in western
football much like that of Columbia OF
Sorneil IN the east. Her team has often
beaten one or two of the "Bie Four" y,
Inc course OF season, but has never vet
oeen able to cause the best of the Quartet
much trouble. In fact the institution Is
hardly large enough to turn out a. cham
plonship team. This year Illinois ia one
OF the four universities whic hare er.
perlmentlng with new coaches. More.
over woodruff. who is working with iii.
nois' brings a record Of failure-failurt
"AAA9 NJ iiihdLll Success, 1t Is true, bu
failure nevertheless-from the east
Whether he will be successful IN th.
west IS question which, like manv 9TH.
ers' Will only be settled when the season
IS ended. With a comparatively rreer
ounch or material, few expect Woodrur
TO finish better than fourth. and gen
orally his team Is rated even lower
northwestern also, after running IN tn.
rut for several years under the Holliste,
regime Is trying a new pilot. McCorn
ack IS highly spoken of, but until h.
proves his real ability the purple will No
be classed above any of the Rig VOW
3 30 also with Iowa, which has had bu
one nrst class team in its history. AM
which, like Illinois, appears to be to
small an institution to get into the Ar.
DIVISION, except when a majority Of ~
otner teams are unusually weak.
Friendly athletic relations will contin,,
between the University Of Wisconsin an
the University of Chicago for anothe
: TOUR years at least. Manager Kilpatric,
3, OF the badger school was at Marsha,
neld this week and after a long consul
tation with Coach Stage agreed to rene
the existing agreement for football dates
Inc contract covers a period Of fou
years and Is very much similar to I'll
old one which ends with the game on 0c1
81, this year. =
According to the new agreement wis
consin will play in Chicago in 1904 d
Thanksgiving Day. In 1905 Chicago wi
journey to the badger camp Wisconsi