The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-14
GOPHER SUCCESS
IN THE BALANCE
Veteran Material Must Get
Rid of Conditions This
Week.
Coach in Dark as to Who
Will Be Available for
Team.
BY O'Loughlin.

In seven days more followers
of the gridiron will know whether the
gopher eleven of 1906 is to be among
the best in the history of the institu
ton or one of the poorest.
just now no one can tell anything
about it--not even the coach himself.
The situation is a very perplexing one
and all Of promise that the week end
holds rests with the players themselves:
No less than seven: perhaps more: OF
the veterans will have to work off fac
ulty demands in the way of conditions
before they can take part in inter
university play. 1t is a foregone CON
clusion that some of them will fail in
their examinations. Guessing Just
"who' is the only pastime. With each
failure, Minnesota success in its best
schedule for years is removed at least
one degree.
If only two or three fail the team
may be fair-if more fail the team will
be poor. The elimination of possible
material of the past ten days has
brought about the realization that only
few losses will prove fatal to the
strength and success of the team.
There is not wealth Of material left
now. Every man is needed.
Absentees Needed.
The worry of the conditions has told
upon the spirit Of the men. Some of the
veterans have been remiss in attending
practice, especially one man who should
have been present every day by way of
good example. 1t is hard work for a
player to put up good fast article of
football when the faculty sword is tick
ling his throat with some avowedly
anti athletic professor handling the hllt
with an anticipatory grin. On the whole
the men have done rs well as could be
expected, but the next two weeks will
call for flying Of the fur.
DR.. Williams does not know yet how
many bricks, stones or pebbles he will
have with which to build his stone wall.
He is working diligently with all of the
men, striving to give each and every
candidate a full knowledge Of the work
ing of the new rules and the plays pos
sible under them. It is dispiriting po
sition for coach upon the eve of his
first game, but the veteran coach of the
gophers is doing everything in his power
to make the best of the situation and
use such materials as may be available 'l
If the men are lost to the Minnesota
team it will be thru their own fault III
laxity of attendance to scholastic duties
coupled in certain directions with
burning anxiety of some Of the ath
letic reform element to ferret out all
chance misses or neglects at the elev-
enth hour. The records of the foot
searched with a glass of telephotograph-
ic powers and when one is cleared and
given his football bill Of health it marks
him as a student of the crackerja ck''
variety. ~:
Oct. 20 is the date set for the final
clearing house and not until that date
will DR.. Williams be able to say just
who will compose his first team and the
substitutes.
No one can object to reasonable
enforcement of the rules sto scholastic
duties of athletes, but these, coupled
with the ninety-nine other big nine,
not rules, most of which are SO per
cent theory and per cent prejudice,
go to make up high hurdle for in
tending players to clear.
The Weeks Work.
The practice of the week has been Of
secret nature and wound up yester-
day afternoon with short game be-
tween the first and second squads. The
players showed much of willingness and
ambition, but were handicapped by
their crudeness and mixing of signals.
The scoring side of the game received
little attention, as the coaches had the
men out to work them in the tactics of
offense and defense, under the eyes of
student officials who were told to watch
and penalize all infractions of the rules
The men worked hard for two short
halves and the work was marked by the
total absence Of injuries.
If everything is out Of the way with
Marshall. Ittner, Vita, Bandelin, Smith
Case and perhaps Holmes in the line
with Larkin at quarter, shuknecht and
Doane at the halves with Current, full
back, the team would look fit to cope
with anything in the west, and success
fully. Then on the sidelines, if not first
+ team regulars, would be such men as
Maloney, Snyder. Mowery, McRae
Hunt, Dunn, Atkinson, Hawley, Rob
ertson and perhaps half dozen more
who might be pressed into service fol
varsity material.
Each and every one of these chaps
is needed if Minnesota is to hold III
her end against Nebraska, Carlisle, Chi
cago and Indiana They are needed
to make up successful team, and ;
successful team is a requisite of fnan
cial success. Upon the latter featur
forms of athletic endeavor at the "U'
as the football receipts pay the bills
A week will turn the scale either wa.
toward financial and athletic success
or failure. There can hardly be mid
die ground Stage, playing Minnesot
:. for the first time in years, is going t.
have one Of the best teams of his ca
reef Cn1S Iall, ana the gOpnerS. mus
have every man to hold the "wizard o
the midway on even terms, to sa.
nothing of defeating him. A:.;..'
Guessing at Outcome. a.
1t started out looking to be the great
est year, in the history. of football i
:. the local institution. Just now Their
are big, black clouds on the horizon
! They may form and blow Minnesot
off the football map for 1906. or the
may pass over. If they do pass, every
thing will be lovely with two week
of practice before Nebraska comes. I
the threatening storm breaks, Mime
sofa football stock takes a tremendou
= drop-a slump Of frst-class.s proper
- tions. 81. 81 ~ >
This is the real truth of the locs
situation, without exaggeration in an
respect. Y AZ Sss -
" Tcary. who has gone to Cincinnati from Ha
= risburg. is the former University of Pennsy
q vania pitching star. He has done considerab
work for independent teams in Massachusetts
past seasons. ~ s,.sts,s..$5