The Detroit times., 1912-10-08
YOST HAS Them
PLUCKINC BALL
FROM Mid AIR
Looks as IL Expert Handling
of Forward Pass Were
Hurry-Up's Goal.
BARTON TAKES ONE
MOTORCYCLE JAUNT
Then He Decides to Lay on
Football for a Few
Days

ANN ARBoR. Mich, Oct. Slime
was IN the great college pastime when
a player in catching a football allow
ed il to hit him amidships, and II he
vas fortunate enough to throw both
arms around II before II rebounded.
he caught 1t. Otherwise II bounded
ten to fifteen feet away. and II one
of the opposing side got II there was
chance for q touchdown.
The coming OF the forward pass. :
however. has revolutionized that part
OF the game which pertains to catch
ing the ball. and today up-to-date
coaches are teaching the men to
pluck 1t out OF the air just as a base
bali player catches a ball, Future
generations of football fans may see
the player reach up and pull down the
piksgin with one hand la Hal Chase.
but II is hardly probable, as long as
the ball retains its present shape that
they will ever dig EN- out OF the dirt
az Chase does.
All OF which is preliminary to
statement of the remarkable stunt
which the members of the Wolverine
football team are required to do each
day. Yost lines his men up In squads
OF six or seven and at a signal they
run across the gridiron at top speed,
tossing the ball from one to the other
Naturally In such a game as this each
man attempts to pass the ball In such
a manner that the fellow catching II
Will have TO exert himself, and the
result Is that there are some spectac-
ular catches made.
From this 1t may be deduced that
Coach Yost intends 10 develop the
forward pass this season to point
never before undertaken by a football
coach. Already several members OF
the team have developed the art to
such an extent as to be almost uncan-
ny. and 1t Is not at all uncommon for
them 10 gather the ball In with one
hand when II is impossible to reach
Il with two. Another thing may be
noticed In the nightly passing OF the
ball, which Is also feature OF the
Wolverine practice sessions these
days, and that is that the ball Is al
ways tossed so high that the man re-
ceiving II must reach up in the air
after H. Any time man passing the
bail fails to throw IL over the head OF
the man receiving 1t, he Is due for
call down from the head coach, and
the result Is that in majority of
cases the catcher has to jump into
the air after the elusive spheroiG
Yost not only has the Wolverines
pass the ball high, but seems to pre-
fer the long pass, and passes OF from
80 to 40 yards are not uncommon.
Every man on the team Is drilled
In catching the ball. and at present
there Is not a man from end to end
who can not handle the ball as well
as the backfleld man. This daily prac-
tice ought to do away with a lot Of
the fumbling. which has marred the
work OF the Michigan team in the
past few years, and which was SO
noticeable in the Case game. At least
two touchdowns were lost In this
game because the man handling the
ball allowed 1t TO get away from him
just as he was about to cross the
line, and Yost evidently intends TO
make every man so expert in hand
ling the ball that such mishaps may
be avoided In the future.
Charlie Barton, who halls from the
state where good horses are the only
kind raised, and where everybody Is
out a bucking motorcycle yesterday,
and after he had extricated his left
foot from his watch pocket and had
torn loose from the loving embrace oil
a telephone pole, found that he was
In no condition TO play football for d
day or two. He was not seriously
hurt, but the next time he wants some
excitement he will try conclusions
with a boarding house steak or
cold storage egg, and leave the frisky
motorcycle to others more accustom.
er TO it's various moods.
Hank Boyle found that the strenp
our exercise he engaged In during the
Case game, at time wnen he was
not physically fit, had left him too
sore to indulge In strenuous practice
and he is also resting for a few days.
Both of these men will doubtless ge.
into the NJ. A. G. game.
This evening the varsity team will
try conclusions with the All-Fresh ag,
gregation. and Coach Conklin prom
ises a battle royal.