Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-10
COLLEGE ATHLETICS
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Expert Bushnell Writes Enter.
taingIy of Basket Ball,
Rowing and Summer
Base Ball.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

|. intercollegiate basket ball games which
have been played 10 date have demon
strated that the game has not suffered
| to any great extent by the various amend
ments made 10 its rules by the Intercol-
| legiate Association few weeks ago. 1T
/ is true that there has been dissatisfaction
| on account of the restriction of the drb-
BILE bat the other changes have more than
| counterbalenced this and no complaint
is being raised to the changes in their
| entirety.
AS It baSturned out. the widest part of
the committees amendments was that
which permitted throw for the basket at
| the end OF the dribble. There was univer-
sal complaint last year that the rules de-
manded the passing of the ball to sec
| ond player after the ball had been drib-
bed before shot could be made for the
| basket. Although the dribbIe itself has
been restricted in other ways. this legis-
alton has more than made amends for it.
Tie other rules looking to the calling
of more fouls and elimination of rough
playing have worked out well. and the
game promises to be cleaner than before.
In view OF this cleansing it Is unfortu-
nate that Yale persistently refuses to
meet Cornell in the cage. The Ellis insist
that Cornell played too rough a game last
year, and the Ithacsns are the only menu
bers OF the former league that Yale does
not meet. AS a matter of fact those who
witnessed most OF the games last year are
of the opinion that Cornelrs game was
quite as clean as Yale's and that the best
interests OF the game demand that all the
colleges forget past differences. At the
annual meeting of the rules committee it
developed that even Harvard and Penn
sylvania would have scheduled games
had it not been for the attitude of the
faculty athletic committees of the two
institutions. If left to undergraduates
!, there is no doubt that intercollegiate en-
mites would be effaced in short order.
Should Come Over Here
Apropos Of the virtual decision of Har-
ward and Yale to send the crew which
wins the dual race at New London to the
other side OF the water to meet the win
ner Of the Oxford Cambridge match most
Americans who are well informed on the
difficulty to be encountered through COM
petition on the other side are of the opin-
ion that the Harvard and Yale men are
merely counting trouble for themselves by
going over there.
1t Is a matter Of record that no English
university crew has ever rowed on this
side of the water. and not in years has
any sort Of an English crew come over.
lingness to give England such a handi-
cap as she would have on her own course
is well nigh inexpicable. International
rowing has maDy good features about it.
but there is certainly nothing to be
gained by the representatives of this
country bowling the knee TO England.
1t is well known that an American crew
must be at least % per cent superior to
its English opponent to win In English
water. The history of American COMPETE
ton at Henley has proven this most con-
clusively. Never has an American eight
been able to win on the other side, and
it is almost q foregone conclusion that
history will repeat itself this summer.
The handicap of the English climate Is of
itself sufficient to defeat the best crew
We could send, particularly over the
course of four miles which Oxford and
Cambridge row. Indeed. the American
eight would be most fortunate to have even
one of it's members in first-class condi-
ton on the day Of the race. Furthermore
the Putney course. where the race would
be rowed. is almost as crooked as a ram S
horn and the visiting coxswain would
need chart and pilot to get through it
safely.
Our crews have gone to the other side so
often that it would be only fair for Eng
land TO return the compliment and send
an eight to this country. The usual eX-
cuse of lack of~funds could not be urged
successfully. because If there was the re-
hottest possibility that England would
consider a proposition to let repre-
sentative crew cross the pond the sports
men of this country would go down into
their pockets for the expenses almost as
willingly as the whole country did for the
Sicilian earthquake sufferers. 1t is proba-
bly, true that there is not much prospect
of success in their endeavor, but 1t is at
least worth trial.