San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-09
Qualification Probably Only
Work of Rules Commit
tee This Year.
NEEDS CLEARING UP
Perry Suggests Some Eng
lish That College Intel
lects Can Grasp.
By LAWRENCE PERRY.

, Copyright. bv The san Antonio Light.
New York, March 0.-While the
football rules committee which meets
in this city Friday and Saturday will
have raft of suggested changes to
consider, it is altogether unlikely that
single drastic alteration will be
made. Speaking generally. the game
as it stands is popular with players
and followers of the sport alike and
when you have such condition it is
not wise to tamper with the playing
code.
On the other hand. the officials de-
mand certain Qualifications as essen
tial to the performance Of their duties
and there may be no doubt that all
representations of the SOFT will be
studied with great a tention and in a
majority of cases granted.
For example. clipping penalties will
undoubtedly be dealt with by the foot
ball sOlons. As th- rule now reads,
the nenalty shall be inflicted from the
point where the ball was put in play.
In all other cases that come to the
writer's mind. the penalty is inflicted
from the spot of the foul and it
should he in the case of clipping. Just
why will be made clear by the follow
ing hypothetical instance.
A Couple Of Instances.
A punt down field. B-gets the ball,
say some 40 yards from the spot where
the punt was delivered. and attempts to
run it back. One Of the Il team clips
Il member of A team. Now if the fif
teen-yard penalty is imposed as the
rules read. the bail will he brought
back TO the place where it was kicked
and the penalty of fifteen yards then
imposed against Is. This doesn't help
4 very much, for in spite of the pen
atty. h gets what amounts TO n %
yard run-back of kick. The OBJ
vious resort of the A team is to de-
cline the penalty.
Or take an incident which is not
hypothetical since it actually happen
cd In the 1922 MIchigan-M Minnesota
game. Michigan intercepted Mime
sofa forward pass. AS the man who
intercepted the bail started UPHELD,
n team mate clipped Gopher player
from behind. In this case the referee
took the law into his own hands and
imposed the penalty from the point
where the ball was Intercepted.
How About Dead Balls?
Another point which will be brought
up by members of the Western Con-
ference relates TO the ball being dead.
The rule now holds that the ball is
dead when any portion of the players
person except his hands and feet
touches the ground while he is in the
grasp of an opponent or is so held
that his forward progress is stopped.
Now on muddy fields players are apt
TO slide several yards forward after
being tackled. Shall that slide be in
cluded in the gain? This looks like a
minor point, but had there been ref
cree in the Nale-Princeton game of
1911 who was minded to abide by the
letter of the rule, Sam Whites touch
down would not have been allowed,
since both he and Arthur Howe, the
tackler. slid over the goal line.
In the West. too. they have suggest
cd that the penalty for time out be
increased from two to five yards. Each
team is untitled to take not more than
two minutes time out in each half. But
the practice of captains taking addi-
tional time and accenting the two
yard loss is growing. 1t shows up the
game aid it is believed the penalty
should be greater.
How Did This Get In?
Rule Is. Section .. reads:
"a player may at all times receive
the ball from another of his own side
who is in front of him and any player
may recover the ball on a tumble or
n muff. but in no other instance shall
Mayer when off-side touch the ball.
The penalty is five yards. This PEN
atty is certain TO he eliminated as in
the case of punts it has brought about
more foolishness and confusion than
any other rule in the book. How II
got there. no one knows.
a number of other minor points will
be brought up; minor. that is. in their
effect. but very knottv ms problems for
fhe committeeman whose brains. it is
likely. will be sorPly thawed before the
meeting is ended.
Amid all the suggestions. no one
probably will move that the mess Of
turgid. involved. muddy staff known
as the football rules be taken in hand
by someone who can write clear. sim
pie English. whose duty IL will be TO
give TO the world n code of Dlav which