Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-04

VIII appoint what Is hHo"R dn TIC iuio'
committee.
Next the rules committee will meet anC
do some more wrangling. the result OF
which will most likely be that sub
rules committee will be named. Thi:
last mentioned committee will then try t
separate the different proposals and ar.
range them Systematically, after which
they will send them to the first commit
tee. which will pass on them and senc
them back to another committee for codi
iication. Finally the completed new
rules will be in shape to be published
and late in the spring will be put on the
market.
Changes Hinder Coaches.
During the changing of these rules the
coaches all over the country will be in.
terested to know just what is going tc
happen, and for the next six months viii
be pretty well up in the air as far as
making plans for next year are con
cerned. The outside people will read io
Of newspaper chatter as to what may
possibly be changed and what may be
taken away or added, and periodically q
scare-head story will come out purport.
ing to reveal what the members Of that
inner circles known as the rules commit
tee are thinking of.
Then after all of this annual program
Is carried through, people Will go to the
games next fall, watch them closely and
remark that they see very few changes.
The officials will come in and interpret
the new rules in different ways until
another meeting of the rules committee
becomes necessary to explain what was
so carefully codifed, after which the
coaches will finally be able to get down
TO hard work developing plays with which
70 go through the campaign. And after
q hn oplr tIoS
explaining and all the gathering OF
opinions, it will again be found necessary
to make more changes next year.
Therein lies the real hardship of foot
ball, the real danger that the game will
ultimately be abolished because of a
large number Of accidents in some one
year. The rules committee, when it gets
together a set of rules that will prevent
danger, seems not to be satisfied to leave
the game essentially the same and to
spend it's time making the playing code
simpler. Foot ball. as no other sport,
needs. so 1t would seem, to be altered
every fall.
Fewer Accidents Now.
A year ago an alteration was necessary
because OF the many serious accidents
that took place during the months of
October and November, 1909 The public
demanded that the bad points of the
game be done away with. and with the
possibility of the total abolition of the
sport the code was so amended that the
season just over has been notable for the
small number OF injuries that have &C.
CURED. OF fourteen deaths recorded in
press dispatches, but three can be in
any way traced to foot ball directly. hut
In these three cases two contained cir
cumstances that made II pretty hard to
connect the death closely with the snort.
With SO few injuries and fatalities
throughout the country the sport has
obtained new lease Of life anil if
proper care Is taken to eliminate all the
bad points as they come to the surface
there should never be another wear
Astounding in fatalities nor abundant in
hurts. AT the same time the games are
every bit as interesting as before, every
Dt as warmly contested, and from a
spectators viewpoint far more open and
thus easier to watch closely. To the
player the sport is just as strenuous and
just as conducive to skill and grit wish-
out being possessed of those dangerous
Qualities which were so manifold in the
past.
Then the question arises, Why should
the rules be changed? The answer is tina,
they should not. With the exception OF a
few minor points the playing code SHOULD
be left just as 1t is The diving tackle
should be kept out. hurdling should still
be taboOed and mass plays should be
prevented again by the readoption ot the
rule preventing the runner being assisted
Seven men should also be kept on the
line of scrimmage, as this makes 1t hard
for team to mass It's Interference on ar
end run.
Will Keep Game Open.
The retaining Of all of these points, with
the distance to gain in three downs again
left at ten yards. will mean that The game
next fall will be more a contest between
individuals as such than as a team and
will compel plenty Of kicking and pass
ing. AT the same time the general line
of offense and defense may still be
utilized and coaches will not have to 20
through the long experimentation stages
which proved so disastrous the early par1
OF the last season.
The rules concerning restrictions for
forward passes, onside kicks, substitl-
ton of players and restrictions within
the twenty-yard zone should be changed
The reason, though. is because of the inn
possibility Of their being enforced. The
Number OF officials now Is already too
large. and even these cannot begin to
definitely determine just when and when
not offenses have been committed against
the rules mentioned.
II is practically impossible for any
oficiai to continually be on the watch to
from behind a line ) yards back of the
line Of scrimmase, and the fact OF the
case Is that very few ofhcials ever look
for IL. The same Is true Of the forward
pass. The 20-yard zone requires the
working Of another line-and- poles, and
even then decisions cannot be made with
gertrude. In order. then, to do away
with these rules, which are absolutely
Of no Affirmative benefit, and thus to
make 1t possible for the officials to &c,
chance to see points which are of q
moro important character, the zone limits
on onside kicks and forward passes should
be done away with.
Punt Rule Often Violated.
The same Is true of the oO-yard zone
on punts. The rules say that a man
having passed the line of scrimmage
from the side punting Cannot be inter
fered with until he has gone 10 yards. mol
can he interfere with an opponent. There
is probably not a punt made which doe.
this rule, and yet the penalties given fol
II are not only few but usually of such
a nature that IL cannot be determined
which side Is benefited most.
In regard TO the substitution of player.
who have once been taken out much ma,
be said on both sides There Is no doub
that the privilege to again put men bacl
in the game has done much to lessen tn,
number of serious accidents. and henc,
II would be wrong to do away with 1t
However. II Is also impossible for a ref
cree to keep In mind just what player
have been taken out, and often player.
are sent back In during the quarter VIII,
have no right in the game at that time
This results In an unfair advantage t,
one side or the other. and in order I,
avoid it a better plan would be to ALLOW
substitution of PLAYERS at any point n