Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-29
YEAR
RECORD BREAKER
LONGEST SCHEDULE EVER ON
GRIDIR0N
PLAN 900 GAMES AMONG SCHOOL
PLAYERS
Long List of Contests Are Given in
Official Football Guide Edition.
Change of Rules Will
Help Game

| WASHINGTON, Aug. 2S.-The Off
cial foot ball guide just issued as the
latest addition TO Spalding's Athletic
Library gives the information that the
American foot ball season will open on
/ September Is with a game between
Western Maryland university and Rock
Hill and closes December rs with d
game at Havana, Cuba, between Rol-
! Inns college and the University of Ha-
vana. In all there are in the schedule
800 games to be played this coming sea-
son between teams other than those OF
/ the schools and athletic clubs.
| The changes in the rules for this sea-
/ son form one of the features of the
/ guide, chief of which is the change Of
scoring a goal from field, which now
counts 3, instead of 4, as last year.
The forward pass remains the same
as last year, the only alteration of any
kind being that the rules now make it
clear and definite that there is zone
lying behind the scrlmmage line in
which space an end might stand, ana
| by assuming this position be not ell
gible in any event to receive forward
pass. This position Is more than one
foot back of the end of the scrlmmags
line, and not a full yard back. No man
occupying this position is eligible to re-
ceiye a forward pass, the object of this
up to the scrImmage line or a full yard
back, where the official can readily sec
that he is not on the line.
Chance to Get Out
Another and possibly still more i'm
portant change is the provision that a
side having a kickout may have the op-
tion of taking the kick, as under the
present rules, or having the ball down
fn,. .tf1nrf "a 90 On their
yard line. This change will permit a
team that has been forced to make a
touchback to have some chance to get
out of their difficulties even If the WIND
is against them. Formerly they were
forced to kick the ball out While the
opponents stood waiting for 1t and
ready to make a fair catch, or raining
in that, still to have q good chance
at a drop kick. The defensive slde
were forbidden to kick the ball out Of
bounds and hence their helplessneSs.
1t has always been good point for
a team having a strong kicker to kick
the ball across the goal line on the
kickoff, because then the opponents
lost their opportunity for running
game, being obliged to kick out, ana
hence the side having kicked off had
also the first chance to show their run
ming game. This provision Is really
therefore equivalent to concedlng the
side which received the kick-out what
Is equivalent to catching the pan anu
running it out, with safe conduct, un-
til they reach their 25-yard line. II
they merely touch the ball back this
touchback gives them this privilege.
AS there have been some discussions
from time to time as to players taxing
IN the game for the first time and not
knowing what the names of the posi-
tions mean, the rule book this year VIII
have a definition of the positions and a
designation of the players as ordinarily
grouped.
Mustn't Blow Whistle
In several games last year the referee
blew his whistle to indicate a foul,
sometimes inadvertently, and as the
referees whistle made the ball dead
it was impossible for the offended SIDE
to take advantage of whatever run
they made by refusing the penalty For
this reason the rules this year call par
ticular attention to the fact that the
referee should never, under any cir
cumstances, blow his whistle to lndi-
cate a foul. However, if he should
inadvertently do SO, the ball is still
dead and play must stop.
AS there was said to be some misun-
derstanding at times regarding the Inn
itations of positions, rule mas peeh
made to show that the limitations ap-
ply only to the team on the offense, but
an attempt at evasion in order to get
around the rule will not be permitted
by the officials.
One or two changes were made Tor
the sake of making the penalties uni
form and it was suggested by the rule
makers that the position of the referee
should be behind the line of offense.
The new book also contains ALI
America selections by Walter Camp
and other leading authorities; review
of the season of 1908 by Mr. Camp; all
representative teams and their work In
! 1908.
other important features of the book
this year are records of games in 1908,
a list of leading colleges with names OF
captains, with the positions they play,
coaches and managers, and the official
list of American intercollegiate foot
ball rules committee, as compiled by
the central board of officials of which
Prof. James A. Babbitt of HaVertord is
chairman.