The San Francisco call., 1906-09-23
Sports
Prospects for the Football
Season Not as Bright as
in Former Years.
By "Pete'' Smith.

Al rhis is the accepted time when coll
/ Iegians and school boys and other foot
'ban enthusiasts get out and yell. but il
does not seem they will have many op-
portunirfes TO exercise their lungs this
season The season bids fair 10 be
about as poor and uninteresting il
would be possible to make IL. The
university authorities, by adopting the
English Rugby game. and the Eastern
rules committee, with its numerous
poor changes, combined with the fact
that there are no grounds in San Fran
cisco on which TO play, will all help to
make about as unsuccessful a football
season as is possible. both from a spec
uators's and a players point OF view as
well as from financial standpoint
It looks as If it would be almost i'm
possible for the two universities TO
play even one game of Rugby that will
be worth looking at. In Rugby il is
not individual playing but perfect team
work that makes the game interesting,
and even with experienced players at
your command il takes constant prac-
tice together to turn out a good Rugby
team
Now II is safe 70 say that there will
not be more than two or three players
al both universities who have had any
experience In the new game. It Will
take some time to develop players out
OF raw material particularly when most
Of them do not care TO play. but are
only out trying for the team because
they viii not be allowed to play the
old game and there is no other branch
Of sports for them TO enter at this time
of year. q
There are but two or three games the
colleges viii be able 10 get for prac-
tice other than their class games and
the latter will only help to teach the
individuals the game. At that rate the
team work Of the varsity Will have 10
be developed in three games and with
the help OF games with a second team.
which at its best is never good practice
for q team.
FEW GAMES POSSIBLE.
4 game can be arranged with the
University Of Nevada and that viii be
of little use since Nevada is taking up
the game for the first time and in all
probability win put up a poor exhibit
tiOn. The other games viii probably
be OF more benefit and interest as they
viii be with the British Columbia and
Vancouver teams, both Of which are
fairly good
From appearances the game between
the two colleges viii be somewhat in
the nature of a general scramble for
the hall With but three practice
games il viii be hard TO work up any
enthusiasm in the colleges and among
the football deVotees. Heretofore there
have been practice games with other
colleges every Saturday and during the
week for at least seven weeks The
enthusiasm has been worked up
through these games 10 a grand climax
in the final game between Berkeley
and Stanford at the end OF the season,
with the result that an overwhelming
crowd has always attended the game
Without the numerous Saturday and
nid-week games the people viii hardly
realize that there is to be big col
y lege game until it is all over.
ACADEMIC LEAGUE OUTLOOK.
As far as the Academic Athletic
League is concerned. particularly near
this city the chances are that ii will
be a poor season. The San Francisco
sub-league will only consist of three
teams California School of Mechan-
ical Arts, Wilmerding School Of Indus
trial Arts and Lowell High School.
There are no grounds in the city for
the boys TO play the games on and 1t
viii be necessary in all probability for
them TO journey across the bay.
The Lick boys look like the winners
of this sub-league. They have more
of the old players of last season and
have secured the services Of Hotchkiss
as coach.
Lowell as yet has not been able to
obtain a coach. The team will only
have three or four of last years play
ers left. The Wilmerding team in pre-
vious years has not amounted to much
6LO WLllt mas prospects LOT a DelleT
team this year it is not looked upon as
q possible winner.
The Eastern rules committee has not
apparently accomplished much in the
way Of opening up the game and max
ing a spectacular struggle of the old
intercollegiate football. They have
made several changes with the object
in view Of opening up the game, but
from the way they went about il it
does not seem they care much to have
an open game.
NEW TEN-YARD RULE.
Their principal change was in the
ten-yard rule They make II necessary
for team TO gain ten yards in three
downs where heretofore II only had to
gain FIVE yards. How they ever. figured
that this change would make an open
game is more than I can understand,
and probably more than they under
stood themselves. II a team could not
gain five yards by end runs in three
downs don't see how they figure that
the teams will be able to gain ten
Yards IN three downs 1t may make
them try harder 10 gain II, but IL viii
not help them to make end runs
a body Of men as well versed in foot
bail as the members OF the rules COM
raittee should know that the cause of
the mass play is not the distance to
be gained, but that the reason lies In
the fact that the defense has been
studied so thoroughly and the men
placed on the defense in such positions
as 70 make IL almost impossible 10
make an end run.
Ia order 20 make end runs and open
plays you have 70 form perfect inter-
ference. and OF late years this has not
been possible because the defensive
backs and ends have been playing in
such positions that the interference has
not had 4 chance 70 form.
DEFENSE GROWS STRONGER.
4 few years ago end runs. and long
ones al that were not scarce on any
football field. And Why Because the
\ defensive ends played out wide from
= the tackles and were not counted on 70
break up the plays. and for that reason