The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-17
I, WOMEN
AND THINGS

My friend. Bob McDavid. the sporting
editor, good naturedIy called my atten-
ton to the fact that while 1 had stated
that the football rules had been revised
in the time of Augustus Caesar, that in
giving the pointers of the game I evil
IDENTIFY had not brought they down later
than the civil war.
| 1 am perfectly willing to admit that the
, last game 1 reported was more than a
quarter OF century ago, but If I live
to be centennarian l will never forget
it, for it was the one between the Biz
mingham Athletic club and the Univer-
sity of Alabama, in which Ross kicked
his famous IS yards goal from the field
and thereby blasted the hopes of the
Crimson, one of the students plaintively
saying, "They couldn't be expected to
beat a miracle"
Bob tells me there have been changes
galore. 1 believe l gave the field is length
at 10 yards, whereas it has been reduced
to 100. I; however, was one shy on the
touchdown, for it has been raised to
was not my object, however, to give the
modern rules, but merely an outline of
the game, so that the spectators who had
never witnessed football contest might
be able to grasp the rudiments of the
game
I have no doubt but that there is a
whole lot of inside football Just as
there is bales of INSIDE baseball" if
you listen to some of the sport writers
who break into the magazines with their
baseball dope, but it's all wasted on me,
and I am sceptical enough to believe that
much that they give out as having taken
place in the brains of the actual players
was conceived and born in their own mn
agination.
Now, have always been fond of foot
BAN, though I never played it, for to me
it's the next best thing to street fight
in which any one wishing to mix in it is
permitted to do SO. mean best thing
IN the way of action, for while the pig
skin artists are hedged in about with
many rules and closely watched by the
referee. I have seen many of them set
tie little scores of their own. until at
TINS it had all the appearance of a
gangsters' war. I am perfectly aware
that there is hue and cry against
rough stuff" but nevertheless it is
frequently pulled off q
Now, for one do not wish to see the
game softened to the extent that it
will not take severe training to be able
to buck the line" yet I do hone that
any player who willingly and wilfully
takes advantage of the game to get in a
bit OF dirty work will be sent to Gov
entry by his own teammates It's
game which makes for manliness, and it
ought to be used to bring out the best
there Is in those who make the team.
The best thing about it is that it has
been kept from professionalism.
went out to see the game between Au-
burn and the Mississippi A. and M, and
1t was some hard fought game for the
Tigers and the "Aggies" were in for
showdown fight. A friend knowing
A a.
oama, asked me who 7 was for, and I
answered with bit of heat that IT was
for Auburn" for L am for our Alabama
boys against any aggregation from the
outside. And SO I rooted for them
with all my might in spite of the fact
that | had an engagement to preach on
Sunday
1t was as perfect a football day as I
ever saw. | came out of my front door
and took in a breath of the fresh air.
and it was like new wine q suppose old
WINE is better, but the atmosphere had
such a crispness that l just couldn't
think of it as having the flavor of age).
l walked down to the car line, filling
my lungs with the intoxicating ozone and
enjoying the russell dress in which dame
nature was arraying herself, for the
woods and fields made an autumn picture
of surprising loneliness.
It's curious how a man tries to fool
himself even though he knows from
long experience that it can't be done
All the week l had been trying to con-
vince myself that | was not going TO the
football game on Saturday, as l had
an out-of-town engagement for Sunday
l reasoned with myself that there was
no SENSE IN my getting up at the I'M
earthly hour of a. m. on the Sabbath
morn to catch train when | might
more comfortably leave on Saturday aft
ernoon and spend the night at the point
of my Dissipation.
I might as we'll come clean for 1 left
home with the understanding that /
would spend the night at Ashville, but
way down in my subconsciousness / knew
ti@t something was going to happen
that would direct me towards Redwood
park at ESQ. I can't blame it on my
wife, and SO 1 will have to put it on
my namesake, for when he telephoned |
that he was going to the game / knew
that when he showed up l would go
along with him. And that is what hap
pened, for off We went.
Now l offer by way of pal7iation that
no on who has ever been 4 college man |
can see IL lot of youngsters in the flush |
of young manhood keyed up to a great !
contest without living over the old days i
when his alma mater was all the world I,
10 him. This is why when 1 went into |
the lobby of the Tutwiler apd saw the
beribboned students and listened to their
merry sallies or watched them with
happy faces as they stood in groups en-
1ivened by their sponsors. that I knew
was slipping, and that I would be on
the side lines to hear them YELL
There is all the difference in the world
between a football and baseball crowd
They as far apart in action and feel
ing as is an Englishman from French