Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-11

all seem to be having glorious tlHle'
l am sure that these boys all have
various rules of their own for playing
some game which does not require
SO many players as regular football
squad.
Two of my neighbors came In the
other day and gave me some rules
which they say they have used with
n good deal of pleasure. and if some
other group of boys here in this big
town can tell me of games which they
have invented for their own gang to
use The Herald Junior will be glad
to print them.
SO many boys are obliged to live
for bah and for those boys, game
which can be played in the back yard
will undoubtedly prove interesting.
Here are two games Of that sort.
One is an arrangement of the football
rules so that from two to six players
may indulge in the game and there is
also a two-base game of baseball,
which ought to appeal to boys living
in the busy parts of town.
A small size football is really better
for back yard play and it does not
cost as much. Drive a pair of sticks
into the ground about four feet apart,
near the end of the ~yard, and another
Sllili1dT PAIR dl Tic OtA(A SAl0s AC -
string across the tops of the stakes
forming the goals. Let each boy stand
five or ten feet in front of a goal. ac-
cording to the length of the yard,
and try to kick or throw the ball
through the opposite goal. Every time
the ball Is thrown or kicked through
the opposite goal 1t counts one for
the player who has kicked it through.
Football Can Be Played by Two or Six
II two boys are playing they take
turns in kicking and, of course. one
boy tries to catch the ball or stop the
other from sending the ball through
the goal. If he catches the ball on It's
way to the goal he scores half point
If three boys are playing, one boy can
stand in the middle, and try to catch
the ball as it goes over or past him.
Whenever he gets the ball he taxes
the place at the goal of the boy who
last had the ball. Ten points count
a game. For instance. IL one boy
kicks seven goals, that Is seven points.
and then catches the kicked ball six
times, that is six half points, making
ten points in all for him.
IL there are six or more boys who
want to play football in a back yard.
the game may be changed by organ
izing the extra players into groups
standing on forward lines. In this
game the kicker at the goal has the
right to throw the ball to any player
on his side standing on his forward
line. AS soon as the ball reaches the
forward line the players on the other
forward line have right to run and
scramble for the ball, and pass 1t to
whomever they please. Whoever of
the forward line players can get the
ball has O right to kick or throw it
through the opposite goal, but none
of them must go beyond the middle
ground that is between the forward
lines. This variation of the game Is
more like the real football, as you
can see.
Adapting Baseball to the Back Yard
For playing other games of ball a
rubber ball Is much to be preferred
to a baseball. Baseball proper can
not be played in a back yard, because
there Is not room enough; but game
very much like 1t can be played with
two or more bases with considerable
fun.
Bases are set at two places in the
yard, and the one at which the batter
stands Is called the home base. One
boy acts as pitcher, and the batter al
ways bunts or tries to knock the ball
downward, so that 1t may not go
out of the yard. Whenever the batter
hits the ball he tries to make a run
to the first base and back. If there
are only two boys he must make the
entire run before the pitcher gets the
ball and touches the home base with
It. otherwise he Is out, and changes
places with the pitcher. That he may
make runs the bases are placed not
very far apart, SO that 1t is little
easier to make a run than to get the
ball and put the runner out. OF course
IL the pitcher catches the ball on the
fiv the runner is out, as is always
the case In regular baseball.
II four or more boys are playing
the game they can take sides, and the
side which is at bat then does not
need to make whole run on batted
ball, as the batter can rest safe on
first base. In this kind of game there
is no such thing as a foul. Three
strikes put boy out, but after miss
ing the third ball he has a right to
make a run for a base, just as If he
had batted the ball.
The pitcher stands half way between
bases, and the batter tries to send
the ball as far beyond the first base
as he can, but always bunting or
knocking grounders, so that the pitcher