The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-04
P ARL0R FOOTBALL
GROWS IN FAVOR
Kid Glove Article Shows
Vast Possibilitiesof
Improvement.
"BY YOUR LEAVE, Z
PROPER GREETING
Vanderbilt Easily at Top of List
South of Mason and Dixon
Line, With A. & M. Close
Second-V. P. 1. Also Gives
Promise Of Better
Things.

Things.
Here's where the mirror Is set w
and we can get a. chance to look at
the football season. which by rights
should be allowed TO rest in peaceful
bliss, undisturbed by we fellows who
must wrfte something to I'LL space dur
ing an unusually dull period Under
ordinary circumstances apologies should
be in order for parading skeleton
before the public gaze. But really it'5
different this year.
The rules were changed. That's the
first thing. Down In this part OF the
country, where we had been used 10
playing football with every ounce OF
flesh and bone and sinew we possessed.
the changes in the rules meant much,
Up In the effete East, where the game
has always been sort of kid glove
affair, the new rules also meant much.
However. the muchness of the cold
FLOODED sort who roam. around in zero
weather was as the balmy touch OF
spring to the gushing warmth of =
torrid blast
"BS Your Leave, Plensc.n
South of the Mason and Dixon line
1t was hard matter for us TO get into
the habit of saying "by your leave" on
a football field. We much preferred
the olden style. when we wore given
the ball and told to carry 1t. How
many of us can recall with pleasurable
remembrance the time when the big
tackle caught us in his warm embrace.
and whether we would or not, sent us
hurdlins over the defensive line for
an .appreciable gain: Those were tina
good old days. Its all different now.
Tho ethics OF the game haze changed
Instead of the hike. hike" Of days
before the new era, we now have a
reproduction of CASTOR and AIphonsa.
Do but touch one hair upon his fair
brow-and five yards for hiking. ar
ten yards for holding says the
referee. 1t was a merry game. but 1t
was different. However. this is not
treatise on what might have been.
1t was a peculiar feeling which came
over both coaches and men when the
first game began under the now rules.
Each team on the field felt that some
thing new would be sprung. Each
waited for the other to spring the sur
prise, and so. as n result, the spec
tators were given an opportunity TO
watch defensive Offensive. and often
sive-defensive football at the same
time.
Forward Pnsa Exhibited.
The forward pass had been given a
trial tho year before and was there
fore known to some extent It was
tried again. sometimes with success.
At other times the success was not
SO great The rules were most eN-
plicit regarding the forward pass. The
man about to receive the ball could
not be molested until he had actually
caught the pass. But 1t was perfectly
permissible for some one on the de-
4fensive team to intercept the BALL
Thus many of the passes resulted IN
free tumble, With a skirmishing for
the leather never before witnessed.
But to be perfectly fair, tho new
rules did open up the game. The wide
end runs which abounded proved of
much interest to the spectator. Onsfde
kicks also proved a feature But the
striking thing about IL all was the
unfamiliarity of the coaches and mon
with tho new rules, Initiative was
thing unknown. premium, was
placed upon the man who could kick
fact. distance punts were not the real
thing. Rather was it of value to kick
Founders far enough SO that your end
could get down and recover the bali
after 1t had been fumbled.
1t was a pretty medley of the old
and new. Not game, but the rules
We're under discussion. Oid-time foot
ball players lined the field, pulling
their hair and raying because they
really did not know where they We're
at"
Vanderbilt on TOP.
Vanderbilt made by far the best
showing in the South. Tying Yale. the
Tennessee University carried out
most successful season. Auburn like
wise had a good eleven. Next ia Van
derbilt on the face of the returns, was
the great showing made by V. p
against the Navy. When II is taken
into consideration that the Blue lack
cts trimmed tho Indians, who In turn
carried off tho scalp OF Virginia by I,
big score the Blacksburg achievements
looms large. Outside of these feats
the South did not apnaay large an the
horizon. Virginia was weak, North
Carolina was weaker. North Carolina
a. and NJ earned recognition by heat
| ing Virginia Tech This tells the whole
( story.
| Looking at the season In a cold
/ FLOODED fashion, 1t proved empty. II
may be that the various teams were
| simply trying the new rules. Content
with holding their own against rivals,
I few of the teams We're willing TO take
| chances 1t was because the ~oaeheH
| themselves We're unfamiliar with thu
new conditions. Coaches are not made
| In day. Neither are football play
! ers.
Old Men Hard to Teach.
1t was found an imposstbiity to res
make men who had been playing the
/ old style gams for years. The result
4 was nowhere so apparent as at North
| Carolina The White and Blue started
I the season with what locked like the
I greatest prospects In the South. Had
! the rules bean tha same as 10 preyiauss
years this would have been true. Mine
old men we're back But they wars old