The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-09-12


most interesting features of Spalding'
Official football guide for 1907. which
was held up for some mysterious reason
until it was almost time for the teams
10 go on the football field. and afforded
followers little time to study the
+ changes, is the "Onicials' List American
{ intercollegiate Football Rules Commit
tee 1901" which begins on page 259.
This list is about the most lopsided
/ compilation imaginable, and shows how
! unreasonable It is TO have all the ath-
'letic legislation in this country centered
in the hands of few Northern colleges
or dictated by a cOterie OF insular per-
sons VINO can't possibly see anything
outside their own special bailiwicks.
The names read like a directory of eX-
stars, and the general committee says
B It is composed OF those who did the best
work last year-8s recommended by the
sectionals committees If that's the
case, tne general committee should
wake up and appoint a few more guar
dams for the South and South Atlantic.
George woodruff, who has a position
in the Bureau of Forestry, is the only
resident Of Washington. who is recon-
mended as a competent official, and
Woodruff seldom or never works at that
Job in this town. Not a word is said
about Jack Gass, Herman Suter. Tom
Kirby. Nelson. and half a dozen other
men IN this city who have made eX-
cellent regulations for fairness, watch
1ulness and minute familiarity. Perhaps
the sectional committee appointed 10
look after games herea bouts was too
busy making trips TO see the big coll
leges perform. and did not have
chance to see the Georgetown, George
Washington, and high school games
here last fall. which were handled alb
solutely without trouble, despite the
new rules and possibilities for wrongful
interpretations.
Baltimore fares as badly as Washing
ton Gresham Poe Is the only man in
that city of 10000 people who gets his
name in the officials blue book
Taking general survey of the South
we find that. with the exception Of the
University Of Texas and Vanderbilt, the
South has been almost entirely neglect
ed In picking a list Of Umpires and
referees, both in the matter Of col
leges from which the chosen few gradu-
ated and their present habitation. The
casual reader would imagine that they
did not have football below the Mason
and Dixon line. and had no men there
capable of handling game IN a proper
manner. all Of which is entirely wrong.
Bradley Walter is the only University
OF Virginia alumnus among those call
ed to the transitory fame OF the com
mittee's appreciation, Norfolk ana
Richmond, which are annually the
scenes Of some of the most important
games south OF Philadelphia, are ignor-
81 lau
has every Saturday in the coming sea
son engaged by a big team and was
highly successful last season as grid
iron arbitrator. There are other good
men in both those cities, but no attempt
seems to have been made TO find them
i understand that the general com
Tnittee has recently asked the Southern
managers 10 suggest ofnclats 10 add 10
The present list, which should have been
done long ago when the names were be-
ing collected for Spalding's publication,
Then the managers would have been
able 10 tell at a glance just who was
available for the purpose.
The york OF drawing and editing the
football rules has never been properly
handled, with the consequence that they
are incomplete and marked by peculiar
Oyersights. For instance, the only reg
Ulation concerning the ball the keynote
~ N--C S-l+A4 e CANT - 4DuLQ IN RUE y.
which says;
The football used shall be Of leather,
Enclosing an inflated rubber bladder
The ball shall have the shape Of a pro-
late spheroid."
That is the entire rule just as It
stands IN the book. No mention what
ever Is made of a maximum or mini
mum size, the exact shape, or the
weight Custom has fixed these limi-
tations along certain lines. but custom
has not always been sufficient to check
some OF our high-brOWed COllegians
from slipping over raw deals when they
could do so and still be within the
strict letter OF the law. while the big
professional elevens, upon whom thou
sands Of dollars are bet in a single
match, have never sidestepDed any bets
IN the matter of handing the opposi-
tion a lemon,
The size of ball and its shape are
matters of tremendous Importance to
teams depending largely upon the work
OF a star kicker, such as Eckersall or
.CroweU. and the lOOseness of the rules
In this respect could easily lead TO a
very pretty row and POSSIBLY broken
heads, 70 say nothing Of the scandal
among the ueighbors over charges of
Crookedness and unfairneSs as was
pointed out by the local coach who drew
my attention to the omission.
Instead Of spending so much time
in academic discussion and attempts TO
gain advantages for their Cwn teams.