The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-12-28
WINTER SPORTS
OF THE COLLEGES
Yale AbandonS Its Annual
Southern Trip
THE MARATHON CRAZE
Every Community Has Its "Freefor-
All" Long Race-old Timers Out
With cbr1Ihh
THE MARATHON CRAZE
BY MANHATTAN.

BY MANHATTAN.
New York. December 27-Basketball
hockey and gymnastics now occupy the
time of the college athletes and will until
the football, baseball and crew squads
are called out in the spring
These winter sports afford an excellent
opportunity for the men who will engage
in the more spectacular sports of the
spring, summer and autumn to keep in
condition.
The Yale hockey team had a very pleas
ant trip to Pittsburg for the holidays The
team will do most of its practicing in st.
Nicholas rink, New York and will play
all its games there Capt John E. Haron.
FEELS, Stanley and Howe, of the team of
last season, are still in college Howe
is also captain of the crew, is still rowing
with the varsity oarsmen, and will re-
main at goal. Ted Lilley, the football
tackle, son of Governor Lilley, and
Bob Deming. the baseball player, are
promising new candidates
Yale abandoned the long Christmas
basketball trip, which was taken an
nually for several seasons. The team has
gone as far south as New Orleans and
as far west as Chicago for a long series
of games and last season the team lost
money and players both by the journey
Yale's chances look slim for basketball
success this season as Captain eastman,
Carrigan and Van Week are the only
veterans available. Murphy has declined
to play again. He is baseball captain.
For the first time in five years no pro-
fessional coach has been secured. The
only veterans on the gymnastic team are
Captain Lewis, Stone and Hail. but there
are dozen unusually promising new can
didates
Columbia is looking for a prosperous
athletic season next year and pending the
erection of the proposed stadium for Co
lumbia university, South Field, the ath-
letic tract of the Mornngside institution
is TO be improved, that Columbia may be
able to provide for larger crowds in the
future and offer better ground for visit
ing athletic teams. A new baseball dia-
mond, a gridiron of regulation size,
straightway stretch will be made on the
spot where the Hath street tennis courts
now lie. this space to be filled In. A
stand seating 1000 persons will be erected
along the south side of the field. The
cost of the reconstruction work will be
about $4,000, to be met by the classes
of 1899 and 1884
Pennsylvania State college will shortly
have one of the best athletic fields in
Pennsylvania. Fifteen thousand dollars
has been received as an apportionment
from the state and the balance of the
amount required to lay out first-class
arena will be raised by the college. The
field is to cover II acres of ground.
The Navy baseball team will next sea-
son have the most pretentious schedule
in this history of the great national game
at the Naval academy. Already Midship-
man Joseph S. Harris of Monticello, Ark,
manager of the team, has booked %
games, including the annual contest with
the West Point cadets, which will be the
browning feature of the season, and in
addition, negotiations are under way for
four more contests, which will make
total of 26 games to be played
The Harvard university baseball team
will hold it's spring practice on the Uni
versity of Virginia grounds in 1909. In
previous years the crimson baseballists
have done their work at Annapolis, but
a change was deemed advisable. Harvard
will spend the week beginning April 10 at
Charlottesville, and will play Virginia on
Wednesday and Friday of the week.
Peter Latham, the famous British pro-
fessional racquet player is again in this
country on a playing tour. He met Guy
Standing, the American champion, at the
grounds of the New York Racquet and
Tennis club today and while in this coun-
try will play in Boston, Tuxedo, Lake
wood and may go south and west in case
suitable matches are arranged for him.
England's draft of the new lawn tennis
foot fault or service rule has just been
received in this country officially The
important feature of the new rule is that
it is worded as to make it obligatory
for the server to stand with both feet
on the ground and so obviates the much
discussed running start for the net.
The second section of the rule also
makes a slight change in that the ser
vice shall Invariably begin from the right
court in spite of odds. The third sec
ton more fully defines faults of service.
The entire rule is greatly strengthened
by the addition of new regulations gov
erning umpire and linesmen, compelling
| them to render decision against server
when in doubt.
1t is understood that the United States
| National Lawn Tennis association is to
adopt the same rules for players of this
country at its meetings in February.
| race craze of fine proportions. The races
| between Hayes and Dorando and Dorando
| and Longboat have started the ball roll
| ing, and it bids fair to keep on rolling
| for some time to come. Races between
Longboat and Shrubb, the speedy English
| ten-miler, and half dozen other long
distance runners are in course of ar
engagements. 1t is a poor athletic COM
! munity that can't have a free-for-all
Marathon every few weeks. In all proba-
| bility the craze will wear itself out in a
| short time, but the rich rewards being
earned by the runners is likely to strip
| the amateur ranks of pretty nearly all
| the tip-top long distance men.
| One rather Interesting phase of the
! Marathon excitement offers a chance for
| "Lepper" Hughes, Dan O'Leary or some
| other of the old-time runners to make
a small fortune.
| j. l.. Smith, superintendent of the Ohio
| Soldiers and Sailors Orphans home. of
/ Xenia fs ont with sWeening cha l.