The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-24

was made up of the huskiest-looking
men I ever saw on the football field.
''Some may pick a flaw in this the
Dry by pointing to the fact that some
of the best men on teams in these uni
versities have come from the south.
That is true, but they are the excep-
lions. The ordinary, everyday ma
terial from which the football team is
made up is, drawn from the sections in
which those universities are.
THE middle-section conference.
schools are Chicago, Northwestern and
Iowa. I do not know that the climatic
conditions are SO much different be-.
one hand, and Michigan on the other,
and yet the wolverines seem to get cool
weather earlier than the maroons and
puppies. "
"Altho several times near the top,
Chicago has had only one champion
ship team, and this is all the more
strange when we consider that Chi
cago draws many experienced men on
account of: its postgraduate course
and many graduates from the Chicago
high schools who have had the benefit
of some coaching.
'It seems as if Chicago with it's
great coach and fine material, should
pionship team, but that it hasn't is,
I think, due to the weather we have
here until the first of October
weather which has a very enervating
effect on a football player :
''IoWa has had two teams of cham
pionship caliber@ Northwestern never
had hampiOnship team, but that is
not due to weather conditions, but to
lack Of proper athletic support. Thus
we arrive at the conclusion that the
middle-section teams Of the big nine
are not as uniformly successful as
those Of the north.
Illinois has as fine spirit as any
school in the west. 1t has had excel
lent coaches for it's football team, but
it has never had a championship
team
The new football rules have not
been shlpWrecked, and they are de-
serving of commentator in certain
ways after actual test on a hundred
fields in the first month of the season.
1t has been already demonstrated,
however, that they are not revolution
airy; that they are hardly to be called
sensational, and that football is the
same old game Panicky enthusi-
asts who bemoaned the threatened
"Ilildness'' and dilettante flavor which
they anticipated were about to. over
take the lively sport, shed their tears
wastefully and borrowed trouble too
soon.
AS for the spectator, it is true that
the play is more easily followed than
formerly. In midfield, from the aver
age point of vantage, it is possible to
see who takes the ball from the QUAR-
terback, where the run is directed, and
to follow the runner until he is tackled.
This is a distinct gain over the old
style scrimmage where, except when
the ball is kicked or fumbled, the on
locker cannot tell whether there is a
football, no ball, or an old high hat, as
the bone Of furious contention.
But, as a matter of fact, there are
sixty yards Of the field in which this
slightly more "open play can be exc
cuted, against fifty yards in which the
old scrimmage is allowed, so the "open-
ness is in rather short rations, and in
actual observation, the general aspect
is Of hammer and longs football,
somewhat less confused, but certainly
as desperately fought and as wearing
on the player as ever.
AS for kicking, it is not easy to up
set football tradition. The team with
the strongest punter will always do
more kicking than the other fellow,
and likewise all hands will attempt
to advance the ball by rushing as long
and as desperately as possible, and will
kick only when it cannot be avoided.
The new rules are not going to boom
the kicking game as. notably as was
expected.
Reports of rough play are as fire.
quent as they were last year. The
fullback is not jolted as rudely after
a punt, since he is powerless to put his
team con side" after punt, but 9TH
erwise Improvement is rather in the
hands Of the officials thru their in
creased power to penalize.-Ralph D.
Paine in The Illustrated Sporting
News.