Evening star., 1905-11-05
TIGERS CRACK TEAM
This Seasons Eleven Said to
Be the Best Ever.

Certain experts who have seen the Prince
ton team declare without hesitation that
the Tiger eleven this year Is so per cent
stronger than any Tiger team in the last
seven years. This years Princeton team
could be 80 per cent stronger than most of
Old Nassau's teams of the last seven years
without necessarily being a champion.
majority of Princeton teams In seven years
have not been up to the Princeton standard.
However. the Tigers have won two cham
pionships in the last seven years. their best
teams In that time being in 1899 and In
1905. Those were well-rounded teams.
though neither was the powerful machine
that represented Princeton in 1S96-at any
rate~ not so strong. going by the scores.
The strongest team that Princeton has
turned out In the last seven years was In
1903. That was an aggressive, widea wake
eleven, not so much conspicuous for ability
to gain ground steadily as for general foot
ball knowledge and ability to make the
most Of every opportunity. big OF small.
That the team of 1905 is stronger scor-
ing organization than the 1903 team is quite
probable; whether it is as finished an or
ganizatfon and as skillful individually Is yet
to DE proved. Your foot ball player asks not
what rivals have done or what they can
do, but what they have got. He sizes up
the individual timber on the other side and
compares 1t with his own. Looking at 1t
from TINS viewpoint, the nrSt impression Is
that the present Princeton team is less
gifted in the line than that Of 1903, but
stronger in the backfield good backfield
sometimes creates the impression that a
team Is stronger than 1t really Is, for the
backfield is more in the limelight. but does
less real work in deciding the result of the
game than the line. The present backfeid
is heavier and looks better than the back
field of 1903. The present line does not look
as strong as it's predecessor Of two years
ago, but there Is this to be remembered
The present line may be better unit than
that of 1903 and there always is a glamour
attached to departed stars which tends to
create the impression that they were better
than present-day players. Analysis may
not show such a vast difference.
H. Dillon, guard, and Cooney, tackle,
were on the Princeton team of two years
ago, and they are the only ones now play
ing. Cooney is a better player than he was
two years ago. Dillon certainly is no worse
though he is not player who has improved
to any great extent with experience. The
guards in 1903 were Dillon and Dewitt
The other guard this year is Rafferty, and
it is asking good deal of any player to
compare with Dewitt. Nevertheless, in at
tending 70 FPS guard duties Rafferty, does
not look so bad in compa rison Short
played center in 1903 and was steady per-
former though not brilliant. There is no
reason why Carothers or Waller should not
be just as good. Cooney and Reed, the
tackles of 1903, have little or nothing on
AT the ends the 1903 team looks distinctly
superior. and there is slim likelihood of
Princeton finding q pair Of f1ankers this
year as good as Davis and Henry.
The Princeton backfield of 1903 was COM
posed of Vetterlein, kafer, Hart and Miller
and with Tenney, E. Dillon. Bard Daub.
Num- Simons, Otis and Mccormick to
choose from, this years backs look better
in every way than those of two years ago,
except possibly In speed in end running
not very dependable qualification on which
to bank for victory. With Dewitt gone.
Princeton is not nearly as proficient in
punting as two years ago, but neither Is
Yale, who in Mitchell had an even better
kicker than Dewitt.
Whatever way you look at 1t, there has
been nothing this season so far to justify
an even bet that Yale would win both the
Princeton and Harvard games. A follower
of the gridiron sport yesterday had 500 to
bet at even money that Yale would do the
trick referred to. Great must be his conf
dence for he is entitled to odds on that
proposition. Besides. he doubtless will get
plenty of chances to Bet his money in de-
tail A team that is 30 per cent stronger
than the Princeton team of 1903 is pretty
good. We cannot dope it out that the pres.
ent Yale team is 30 per cent stronger than
Yale of 1913 or 1904. but 1t is faster team.