Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-01-15
FOOTBALL CLOSE TO
PERFECTION AS 'TLC
Why Experiment on Ne,v Rules No,U Success, A,L,
Rice-Suggests Goal From Touchdown Elimination
Since It's No Part of Tean,,Uork
BY GRANTLAND RICE

Tin line with the dope that he has
dropped most of the precious kale he
collected last year,
Sooner or later do,on the tody
The ohisper comes that all must knoto,
Whatever be the game hey play,
HoDeUer crimson be their glo0:
"T'he thunder huddles NTH the sno,o."
Where all men heed this final call;
You croioned the feid--yon ruled the
But Doc Time pitches shut out ball.
He has no ,oeakness," they may say;
Your batting eye held regal spdy
Against the onslaugnts of tho foej
No Slabman fooled you aoith his hrop,
Nor stopped you from your record
You stopped @ them all, rap olo,O by s1om,
But Doc Time pitches shut out ball.
So. Babe" across the gallant fray,
You, toho have seen them come aud 90,
Have seen the piper take his pay
Where each must yield as each might
otoe.
And as the far tides ebb and foW
Some day you' u see the shadoDs fdH.
You still cdn hit? Wen grant it so,..
But Doc Time pitches shut out ball.
What of the futureY Fast or slop
Your target is the distant Ddl.
| The toallop brings in easy dough,
But Doc Time pitches shut out ball.
About All Right
0TSN'T football as it now is about all
i right?" a camp follower asks.
About as close to all right as they
can get it.
The forward pass has come in for
it's usual prodding, but for all that the
forward pass lifted the game to its
present popularity, putting the bean
over bulk.
The value Of the forward pass hasn't
been so much as direct ground gamer
as it has been effective as a threat to
scatter the defense. The suggestion to
prevent running with pass after 1t
| has been caught isn't worth consider
ing. It would take away one of the
most exciting features Of the game and
would in addition, be an unjust PEN
atty for any receiver shrewd enough to
work his way into the open.
The only change that we have heard
of worth considering is that relating to
the adjustment of the goal after touch
down. 1t is one man antclimax
that has no value in the way of team
play.
Football, as played last fall, was a
great game for the player and a great
game for the spectator.
Why be in any hurry to experiment
with a success!
I'D II. H.-Hornsby, Wagner and
~. Zimmerman as league leaders were
all right t-handed hitters. The Ameri-
can League hasn't had a right handed
leader in fftann yeors
Stars and Pennants
'N1NHESE superstars of baseball, ~
l. comments F. X. r.. may be all
. right when it comes to gate receipts,
but l cant see them in the team play
needed to Kin pennants. Ty Cobb
reached his top stride around 1909 and
Detroit hasn't won a pennant since,
Babe Ruth lifted balls out of the park
all the year, but the Yankees didn't
win pennant. They were beaten by
, ming games than featuring n star. Ruth
can draw in twice as many admission.
as Speaker can. but Speaker is worth
twice as much as Ruth as a winner ol
ball games"
Any star that overshadows the res
'. of the club is. of course, very lkel,
/ to sour a member with budding ambi
/ tons. This Is only human nature
i as it happens to be. There arc as'
{ very few stars, such as Speaker, VIII,
q are also workers for team play anc
willing cogs in a machine.
Speaker has never asked nor wanted
any exceptions made for him. w
+ have never heard that Ruth wante,
Z ! any. but Speakers hig advantage owe
Ruth rests in the fact that the formc
=. is natural leader, an inspiratio,
; upon the field.
p A MOTHER fine ball player almost a
! IN valuable az Speaker in the way o
l winning ball games is Eddie Collins
With Speaker leading, Collins shoul
be ranked second. A combination o
! Speaker and Collins on one club woul
be almost unbeatable. They have n