Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-10
HOLL ANDER@
GUARD.

resent, are selected by men who have
never seen the players In action, and, con-
sequently the so-called honor of winning
a place on one Of those teams is not such
great honor after all when everything
is considered.
But teams supposed to be the strongest
in certain sections have been picked, and
will always be picked, as long as there Is
such thing, as sport. Walter Camp
started the idea along about 1880 by Sc
lecting eleven foot ball players whom he
considered to be the best in the country.
Since that time everybody who Knows
anything about foot ball or pretends to
be any kind of a critic selects his all
ersection-it-may-be team and pre-
sents it as being the strongest possible
combination that could be got together in
that region. The custom is not only
prevalent in foot ball. but IT has been
taken up in track athletics and basket
ball. and even in the big base ball leagues
they are picking nine men who are sup
posed to form the best pitching. run-get-
ting and defensive combination And in
every one Of the branches of athletic
sport when such teams are picked there
are never any two which are alike.
In picking such teams there are gem
orally two three men who stand out
above everybody else; and they are gen
orally recognized as being the best that
could be placed in their positions; but 1t
is on the other places that the disseRt
comes Almost every conceivable argyll
ment Is DrOugnt out as 10 WHY Gel Tain
man should or should not be on the repre-
sentative aggregation.
Gallaudet PLAYED the opening game on
its basket ball schedule last night, ana
the score by which it won presages many
good things for the Kendall Green quint
during the coming winter. If the result OF
the contest yesterday evening with ST
Johns is any criterion of the future sue,
cess of the team, then Gallaudet Will
have the best minor college five In the
south 1t is not often that one of the
secondary colleges will run up such
score as ys to y on team which IN
weight and speed is it's equal; but when
such Is the case it generally shows SUI
periority that is not to be denied.
here is a general opinion among foot
ball men who saw the Army play before
it met the Navy that it was not in as
good condition as it might have been.
and that it did not show its real strength
against the Sailors. In other words, the
Naval Academy coaches accomplished
what they desired in working their team
up to a point where 1t was at ITS pest
when it faced the soldiers, while those IN
charge of the Army eleven brought it to
it's highest point of development before
the time for the game with Its great
rival Whether or not this Is true, IT Is
certain that the Army failed TO show the
great offensive power when characterlIeo
it's attack in some of its earlier games
There are two or three things in foot
ball which should either be dispensed
with or enforced. Some OF the ruies
which govern the sport are violated IN
every game. and there are few times that
any team is penalized for them. one or
these is diving tackling. There Is not
game played in which men are not seen
to leave their feet after the runner; ana
yet who has seen anybody penallZed Tor
that breach of the code? Another is IN
reference with the man receiving 1or-
ward pass. In almost all the games. ano'
in fact coaches taught their men to go
into the runner hard under the preteXt
of going after the ball, men were Jostled
by opposing players who meant to cause
a tumble rather than eaten the pan theH-
selves Yet there were mighty few pen
allies given for this. Another thing was
that the rules demand that man be
five yards back of his line of scrlmmase
before he makes a forward pass, ana yet
there were passes made in every contest
played in this section by men who were
not two yards back. of their line OF
scrimmage. let alone five. There are sew
eral other smaller things in the foot pail
code which are allowed to pass unnotlced
and they should either be stricken out al
together or else enforced to the strlctest
technicality.
Arras, who is captain Of the Gallaudet
college five this year and who is practt-
cally coaching the team, deserves lots Of
credit for the manner in which he has
whipped his men into shape on short
notice. He did not quit foot ball until a
week ago nor did the majority Of his men,
and yet they had worked and developed
team play to such an extent that they
won from the veteran ST. John quint. The
ST Johns team this year is made up al
most entirely of the same men who play
ed last year, and then it had one of the
best records of any of the secondary
colleges.
The opening of the indoor base ball
league here last night gave local base
ball fans a chance to see the game as
it is played in gymnasium. While there
is much difference in one way between
the two games there is not SO very much
change, after all, in the essentials of the
sport. and the new organization was re-
ceived with an enthusiasm which pre-
sages success for it during the coming
season.
Cray" Schmidt. who used to carry a
notebook of batters' weaknesses, plans to
enlarge his literary endeavors He wants
to write a book and tell what he learned
of ha game in twenty-five ypars' work IN