Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-23
BY EDWARD R. BUSHNELL

The announcement that Yale celebrated
its first actual gridiron practice on Yale
field behind closed gates came as some
thing OF a shock to the college world
after the New Haven correspondents had
sent broadcast the information that one
OF the reforms which Head Coach Frank
Hinkey intended to initiate was to keep
the gates open TO the undergraduate
public. At that time Hinkey was quoted
as declaring that secret practice was
much overdone and that he would devote
most of his time to teaching straight
football, and that If his charges could
execute 1t perfectly he didn't care whether
they played any new-fangled football or
not. The announcement was received with
decided approval by the intercollegiate
public.
There may be some special reason for
Yale's extraordinary precaution at this
time, and the gates may still be flung
open more widely than ever before in
short time. Probably the principal
reason for holding secret practice at this
time was the fact that Yale's first appO-
nent on Saturday will be the University
of Maine.
II 1t be granted that there is some adj
| vantage in secret practice its value is
more than Offset by the loss of under
graduate interest. The balance of power
! Is frequently provided by the under
| graduates in a critical game, and il the
students have had the gates shut in their
! faces very often they won't know their
own players. nor will they support them
| In the enthusiastic manner they would
| II they felt free to watch the practice
whenever they wished. Ex-Captain
| Hobey Baker of Princeton. put into
operation a reform of this kind last year
when, at his request, the gates were
open TO the students most of the time.
| o. course, there are times when II is not
desirable that any one should watch the
practice, but these times are fewer than
most coaches are willing TO admit.
! Princeton proved that to its own salts
faction, and II good many other in
! stitutions carefully analysed the situa-
tion they would come to the same con-
clusion.
Football conditions at Michigan
| wouldn't be normal II Coach Fielding II.
Yost did not develop one or more SEN
| sations in his back field Last year II
was James Craig, a brother of Ralph
| Craig, the former Olympic sprinting
| champion, who had almost as much speed
as his track brother Halfback Craig
] probably the ldblesl man on any
| rridiron last year with the possible eX-
ccption OF Marshall, of Pennsylvania. In
fact he was so fast and brilliant that ne
| dImmed the star of quarterback Hughitt
who. under ordinary circumstances, would
nave been almost as brilliant a player
In, addition to Hughitt this year Michi-
| .an has a new fullbaCk by the name OF
SJsuIhetsch. He comes from one of the
Detroit schools and promises 10 be a
second Garrells He is unusually expert
an the receipt OF the forward pass and
5,,rInp the last few days has done most
of The Michisan's scoring against the
second eleven.
| O. now being doomed as a second Ted
Gov, He is LegoTe, the for l.r MerCers-
burg fullback. Football experts who saS
IeKore perform last year Tor the Yale
fresbmen pronounced him the best fresh
man fullback on any gridiron. He was
certainly a wonder as a schoolboy, and
II ne has improved as he should have
done he will be welcome addition II