New-York tribune., 1912-08-31
TIMELY BITS OF SPORT
New Football Rules Out, with
Several Radical Charges.
GRIDIRON TO BE SMALLER
Code Thoroughly Revised by
Committee in the Interests of
Clearness and Simplicity.

nth the new rules cmbodying changes
uhieh were announced in part last winter
one of these, relating 10 the field itself. is
extremely radical in that for the first
lime since the introduction of the game
INTO this country there is an alteration in
the dimensions of the playing surface, or
gr,dIron as II has been called. Since
1876 the field has been $50 feet In length
and 100 feet in width. For the season of
1919 the entire field is to be $50 feet In
length, but the playing surface-that is,
the field, which is usually Known as the
field of play-will be only 500 feet in
length At each end is a 9O-foot zone be-
hind the goal posts and the goal line
where the forward pass Is legal.
The other most important change is al
lowing four downs In which to gain the
necessary ten yards, instead of three, as
formerly
The rest Of the alterations are Of less
imporiance. The number of privileged
coaches who may walk up and down the
side lines, reduced last year 10 three. has
now been reduced 10 one. The intermis-
sions between tho first and second and
third and fourth periods have also been
again shortened, the time elapsing being
nov only one. minute.
The forward pass, which was restricted
10 twenty yards, may now be thrown any
distance. The on-side kick has been cut
0ut--that is. the men of the kickers side
who are off-side are not put on-side by
the ball touching the ground. The field
Judge has been dispensed with. and the
game left in the hands of three instead
Of four officials.
A rule has been passed that If kicked
bail strikes the ground before going over
the goal II may not score a goal Tho
limit Of the kick-out, instead OF being
the B-yard line. as formerly IS now the
2-yard line. The 20-yard neutral zone.
the bane Of officials and players, has been
abolished. Players may not interfere
with each other on forward pass. how
ever, but may in case Of kick.
Certain other provisions have been ne
eessitated by these changes. notably, the
kick-off is now made, instead OF from the
middle of the field. on the kicker's D-yard
Hne; that is, sixty yards from the goal
toward which they are about 10 kick.
The rules have been rendered more
dear and a great deal Of time and care
vas spent by the Subcommittee on their
rsvision and rewordipg. The notes which
tormerly followed the rules have been in
orporated into the rules themselves. and
the whole code has been simplihed as far.
IS possible. !
The fans who arrive carly to-day for
The game between the Giants and ST.
Terbas at the Polo Grounds Will be enter
ained by the 7th Regiment Band, which
viii give a concert beginning at o'clock
and lasting until the umpire says play
day thai all games at the stadium will
begin at $3.50 O'Clock after September g.
Billy Gibson. manager of the Garden
Athletic Club. paid a visit to the training
quarters Of Dave Smith, the Australian
middle ana light heavyweight champion,
at New Dorp, Staten Island, yesterday.
Smith went through the usual training
stunts and surprised Gibson with his clev-
erness and hitting. The Australian is
matched 10 box ten rounds with Eddie
McGOorty. of Oshkosh, In the Garden on
Monday night, and he is bristling with
confidence. When he weighed himself
yesterday Smith tipped the beam at l63
pounds and said he never felt stronger.
He asked Gibson about the Interpretation
OF the rules as laid down by the Athletic
Commission. and when Informed that no
hitting on the bTeakaway would be per-
nitted and that the men must break out
Of clinches when ordered by the referee,
he said
'T'li whip McGoorty decisively. All 4
want Is q fair. stand-up battle. in which
skill and hitting count Wrestling tao
tics are unfair in the ring and are barred
In Australia. Don't be surprised If
stop McGoorty In less than ten rounds"
Al Palzer. who was present, declared
that Smith would prove a revelation 70
New Workers.. SO did Bob Armstrong, the
veteran trainer. who expressed the opin-
ion that Smith would defeat all the lead
Ing middleweights in this country. Nc
Goorty Is an inch taller and three years
younger than the Australian champion. Ac-
cording 10 his ring record he has lost only
one battle in more than sixty. a decision
won by Tom Lancaster In twenty rounds
in Dublin, ireland. three years ago. but
several months later McGoorty whipped
Lancaster In return bout. McGoorty
has defeated such men as Jack Redmond,
Tony Caponi, Jack Dillon. Hugo Kelly.
Sergeant Sunshine, Pat OKeefe and
Harry Croxton. He is first class boxer,
and is regarded as a coming champion in
the West
Tommy Gary, the Chicago lightweight,
who meets Louis de Ponthieu. Of Paris.
IN the second ten-round bout on Mon
day night, has never been defeated There
is no choice between Paekey Hommey
and Patsy Kline for the third star event
Eight Of the best middle-distaDce swim
mers in the country are expected TO start
to-day in the National Amateur Athletic
Union outdoor one mile swimming cham
Dionship under the direction Of the iiii-
aols Athletic Club. The performance OF
Bud Goodwin, the star OF the New York
Athletic Club, In the water yesterday has
made him the favorite in the race Mich
ael McDermott. a local swimmer. who
viii compete unattached, It is expected,
win be Goodwin's rival for FIRST honors.
Louis Ferguson and A. Steuer Will repre-
sent the Chicago Athletic Association,
and A. G. Raithol and w. S. Merriman
the Illinois Athletic Club. William Vos-
berg. Of the University Of Illinois. and
Frank Wood NJ fha University OF Wis