Evening star., 1914-12-28
Not Sufficient Changes Con.
tempIated in Foot Ball to
Make Meeting Necessary.
PLAYERS LIKELY TO BE
NUMBERED NEXT SEASON
Feature of Alterations Will Prob
ably Be to Aid the Spec
tatorS.
BY WAITER CAMP.

rules committee meeting this winter:
WHY is IL not wise to let the game
crvstallize just where 1t is nova
zane that pIeases spectators, interests
the players. has become freed from OBJ
iectionable mass play, admits or plenty
of scoring and opens up the possloih-
ties in the line of attack not only not
vet deyeIoped but only partially COM
pretended: Some one says, But there
were weaknesses in the rules TINS
YEAR / am ready to grant that, tor
presume there is no one whose mail is
more loaded down with requests Tor de-
,.isions of all kinds, and when you take
several thousand players captains ana
coaches throughout the country study
ing on rules and how far they can go
under them you are pretty sure TO nave
al the weaknesses shown up. But this
season these letters, though great in
number, and some of them raising
points which surely might be consid-
cred doubtful almost without exception
are directed to points of the use OF the
terms and not in any way requiring an
alteration in the fundamental points of
the rules themselves. We have now
body of experts writing the newspaper
accounts of the games, and these e1-
perts are not in name only but in fact.
They have followed the game closely
for many years and are quite as COM
petent to decide matters connecteu with
foot ball as those of US who are only
called upon to make the rules Fur
thernore. these writer's have the in
terest of the game at heart quite as
much as the legislators, and they real
iZc that it takes the public season or
two to become adjusted to alterations
in the main principles of the game, and
that THANKS to the lessened number of
changes in the last two years) the
game is at present better understood
than it ever was before.
Why not, therefore, have the chair
man of the rules committee. E. K. Hall
of Dartmouth, get mail vote or the
fourteen members of the committee,
authorizing the small subcommittee, in
whose hands was the wording of the
rules last season, to go over the rules,
make such alterations in wording as
will answer the various queries brought
up during the season and then submit
! this rewording to the committee for
vote by mail at the same time coupling
with it one point, and one poin< only,
and that is the numbering of players,
which should be done?
Now, suppose we go over the points
this subcommittee would have to at
tend to and see If there is anything in
the list that would require fourteen
b men to come from all parts of the
country and spend a couple of days in
legislating upon it:
I. Numbering of players.
=. Providing a definite time and man
ner in which incoming substitutes may
enter the game.
3. Making clear what Is forbidden in
, hiding on the side lines"
/. Making definite the point that
foul must be signaled by horn SO
as not to confuse the blowing of the
horn with the cessation or P--:
5. Rewording the rule regarding the
snapper back passing the ball back out
Of bounds so that it shall be clear that
the sequence of downs Is not thereby
broken.
6. Making a change in the wording of
the rule about the referee blowing his
whistle when kicked ball goes over
the opponents goal line SO that it shall
be clear that a ball thus sent over
from kick-off or from fair catch is
not dead until il is touched down. There
is decided conflict in the rules regard
ing this point.
The writer has several minor criti-
cisms regarding the wording, such as
the use of the word recovery when
it really means 'interception," as in the
case of a foIw ward pass; the use of the
term crosses the side line," when 1t
means crosses or touches" as in the
case of kick striking on the white
line and then bounding into the field OF
play. There are a few other matters of
subcommittee on wording, and there Is
little question buk that a unanimous
vote of the committee could be OBJ
tanned by mail
Altogether, the public, players.
csoaches and athletic associations, which
loot the bills of these meetings, would
all be better off if the matter were
handled in this manner, and the rules
which have given such satisfaction
tempered with in the smallest possible
way.
In spite of the fact that there was
really but one solution for the ranking
of our American lawn tennis PLAYERS
for the year 1914, there has been an un-
usual amount of discussion and specula-
ton as to what the ranking committee
would do under the circumstances. The
situation was this: For some thirty-five
Tears the winner of the national cham
pionship at Newport has, without ex-
ception, had the honor of first place in
tho ranking list, no matter what his
previous or subsequent record may
have been. This year Williams defeat
sd the tWo-tirne holder, Mclaughlin, in
three straight sets in this national
championship. Furthermore, a recon-
niendatioL made to the committee in
1912 was as follows:
Middle and late season play shall
count more than early season perform
ance and the ranking shall be based
solely on the records of the players for
the season under consideration and not
ON the opinion of the ranking commit
tee"
Hence those that demanded the rank
Tag of Williams. at least in a bracket,
with Mclaughlin. made the contention
that the former, having played his
game in the real test. that of the ma
;ionai championship, and having then
and there defeated McLough him deci-
sively, and later in the season than the
Davis cup matches. should at least
rank as high as Mclaughlin. Perhaps
that might have had more weight had
not Williams followed his national VIC
tory by losing to Church In the inter-
collegiates. However, on the seasons
play. and as a man to pick who should
be the defender of Americas tennis
reputation, Mclaughlin would be
chosen by a large majority.
= Andorer and Exeter, the two large Mt
ting schools of the east. have played
/. their annual game of foot ball since
!. 1875 and the record Is interesting
: enough to be preserved.
Year Winner Loser
lss-Andoyer.. Exeter.........-.
5 lsleEreter......-....-l Andover. .....---.