New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-31
Lardner Has Hunch That
Wolverines Will Sur
prise Harvard Eleven.
YOST MAKES SHIFT
ON EVE OF BATTLE
81 Heston Leads Band OF West
ern Rooters Through the
Streets of Boston.
y, RING w. I.ARDNER.

and Michigan await the whistle. mat,
I believe, is the proper way TO start
Saturday morning football story
Not only does II give the head writers
valuable hint, but 1T also describes
the situation so clearly that no reader
can go wrong; that is, no reader win
an ounce Of intelligence. A booo
might gather that factory whistle
was what they were awaiting, but
Your normal man with normal brain
knows al once that the one referred 10
is Mr.. Langford's. -,
twenty-five thousand people VIII
have paid admission into the STADIUM
before the whistle blows. # the Har-
ward Athletic Association is true
prophet. OF the $4,000, approximately
- 900 viii be pulling for the Crimson.
The other 1000 will yell for the best
team ever developed IN the west
tioke). and go Of the 1000 are IN Bos-
; ton tonight, making enough noise for
FIVE times that number
Michigan rooters probably know that
Michigan ~ up against 1t. " they
know what I know (cries of "imPos-
sibleiO they are aware of the fact
that the signs favor Harvard. The
Crimson is present with bigger and
better material, infinitely more expert
enced u the best man in the har-
ward lineup is disabled, IT will be a
, trihing Dit Of hard luck. If the best
man on the Michigan team IS put out
Of il, good night.
Three Minds of Football.
! believe Yost. the coach, looks at
the matter thus:
The Michigan team is capable Of
playinc three kinds of football: phe-
nomenal, average and punk. If Michi-
gan plays phenomenally, that IS. Its
very best game every minute, 1t has
chance 10 win. If Michigan plays ITS
natural game, the game II has played
during the greater part Of q season OF
discouraging accidents and upsetS, II
will lose. And if it plays punkly, 70
use the adverb, it will be sWampcd, nor
really swamped, either, for II harvard
secs that IT has cinch. II VIII I'm
doubtedly save its best men ana us
best plays for Princeton.
In other words, IN order to WIN the
Wolverines must perform better than
they have performed so far this season,
and. with their full strength in the
field. each man must 90 at top speed
from whistle 10 whistle. The question
is. Will they rise 10 the heights at this
most important point IN their careers
or will they bow to strength that Is
generally believed superior and be con-
&c with any one Of dozen Aids that
are theirs
At Syracuse week ago they per-
formed in a manner that would nave
shamed a team Of cows. VIII they re-
peat that performance. or VIII the
knowledge that this is their big game
stimulate them 20 proficiency hither-
to unattained? Some language!
II cannot be said that Michigan'S best
team will face Hsrvard's best-for Har-
yard. without Brickley. IS not the real
Harvard. Michigan. without Gait and
Wbalen and with Splawn and Hughltt
in moor condition. Is doubtless weaker
than Michigan with Gait and Whalen
and with the other two in form. But
where injuries wreck Michigan's
chances they merely put crlmp IN
Hsrvard's. or DO not affect them at all.
Harvard loses Brickley, the greatest
point kicker since our own Echersal,
and has 10 do his work not one good
kicker Of field goals, but two Mahan
and Whitney. Michigan loses Gait, one
of the best halfbacks 1t ever possessed,
and is forced TO use an END IN ms
stead without coming close to ming
the hole made by his disability.
But. honest to goodness, | have
bunch that the defeat at Syracuse and
the other nnumerable setbacks are
going ,e make Michigan night to-mor-
row. and if the men OF 1Ost 90 nght
Harvard will get better practice for the
Princeton game than its scrub could
give il. And. "a stated, If the Nolver-
ines, all Of them. perform up TO their
highest possibilities they may play a
Halloween prank at Cambridge mat
will not be appreciated east OF Buffalo.
Yost Shifts Guards.
On The eve of battle YOst has made
one more important change IN the
Michigan lineup. lie has shifted the
two guards. Michael, who has been at
right, will be at left; Watson, who has
been at lett, will be at right. You can
see for yourselves how important 1t rs
was told that it was done 10 balance
the weight Of the line. On the Harvard
side Wilmington ia slated TO start the
game at right guard. but If Michigan
gets too rambunctious PennOck Will &c
in. Pennock is IN condition, I'm told
but why waste MIN on Michigan il
Michigan proves a joke? He know
enough about football to play II
against Yale and Harvard without the
added experience OF a game against
our alleged dubs.
know better than to ask Yost for g
luSt-befOrc-t the battle statement. bul
somebody requested one, and he said:
How do ! know what my men arc
going TO do out on that field? If they
do what | want them to they'll win
But they didn't do IL at Syracuse last
Saturday. and | have no idea whether
or not they viii do it tomorrow"
II will be noticed that the average
weights Of the two teams, as given
out by the coaches. show a big ad-
vantage for Harvard two-elevenths OF
a pound | took down the weights be-
cause it is customary and not because
il will make any difference. Most
coaches. believe, would rather have
an athlete weighing 100 pounds than
one tipping the scales at 900, if the
100 were mostly sand and brain and
the 900 mostly mush Moreover. the
said coaches may be shaving the
= figures bit All Of US should bibble.
The Michigan squad did not have
what could be termed a day of rest.
Yost and Hugh White, the assistant
coach. lectured the boys in the morn
ing, and at ~ O'Clock they were carted