The Indianapolis times., 1929-11-28
/ ALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS
NEW YORK. Nov. %.

FOOTBALL Is not yet the perfect
L show. II does not make the
most of its dramatic possibilities.
Very seldom is the third act denoue-
ment all that it might be. The vii
lain is frustrated and the harressed
heroine is duly rescued by the broad
shouldered hero, but there Is no
guarantee that the implied happt-
nes. exists forever. Football might
vel; trade its E. K. Hall for a David
Belasco. AS matters stand now too
many big moments are permitted to
20 to waste. With his fair for the
gripping climax and the rouslng
windup, Belasco could be counted on
To arrange these seasonal schedules
in such a way as TO produce the
maximum of excitement at the
proper time.
You do not suppose for an instant that
Be.asco would permit two sectional teams
ssch as Pittsburgh and Foraham TO 90
through their seasons uzbeatel and re-
tire without coming TO grips? Or that he
would tolerate a similar condition in tae
migGtf NteL NtEt tut AhhNasNi +N~NN~
Dame and Purdue teams fail to meet? OR
that he would ignore chance to bring
together Tennessee and Tulane, unbeaten
In the south. in a spectacular finale ae-
eompanied by such striking atmospheric
touches as hoop skirted maidens, booming
spirituals and goal posts draped in mag
nolIa blossoms?
OF course, this is mildly fantas-
~ teal, but it is extraordinary
that the season should run its
course in three separate sections OF
the country with the very games
which would have definitely decided
championships unplayed. You can't
tel me Uncle David would ever put
up with anything Ike that.
Since there is no chance of any of the
games being PLAYED it is both simple and
safe for the expert to discuss the reia-
tive abilities Of the teams and the possible
consequences Of combat.
Il
Pittsburgh surely would be picked
to beat Fordham. There seems rea-
son to believe Pittsburgh is one Of
the really great teams of recent
years. Indeed some of the old timers
become positively emotional in talk
ing about this team, and there have
been occasions when inspired jour
nalists have referred to it as a
sUper-team.
USUALLY when a team Is so
~ cataloged it develops a perverSe
nature and turns around and loses
to NIiIsaps Sc to 0. But Jock Suth-
erland's team has shown a consist
ency of power that has been
matched only by Notre Dame, and
the older the season grew the more
impressive the team performed.
There was, for instance, nothing
particularly impressive about the
teams 1877 win over Nebraska in
mid-season, but in crushing the fast,
smart Carnegie Tech team 34-13,
Pittsburgh looked the part of gen.
uine greatness.
On the basis of that performance IL
might logically be selected to beat Ford
ham, n team that stressed defensive
tactics to the neglect of offensive diver
sity. The score probably would be con-
servative and the chances are Fordham
would come close to being the hardest
game the sOutherland machine met all
year.
PittSburgh's hard games were with
West Virginia, Nebraska, w. and j.
and Carnegie Tech and there is
nothing in the records TO indicate
that any of these rank above Major
Frank Cavanaugh's becorseted
young men. o.. well, that ones out OF
the way. =. maybe we won't need
Uncle David after all.
MOVING out to Indiana you'd
1Y1 have to pick Notre Dame over
Purdue. I dent think many persons
VIII question that the Irish at
tempted a much harder schedule.
and this is an important item il
estimating relative team values. Stlil
Jimmy PhelanS charges beat M.chi-
gan, conQuerorS over Harvard, ard
downed Chicago. victorS over Prince
ton. There were more individual
stars on the Purdue team this year
than any other team in the Big
Ten has displayed in a number OF
years.
with such men Sleight Welch,
Harmeson and Yuneyich, no team could be
ordinary. battle between Phelan's ma
chine and the Roekne machine would be
worth lmping several furlongs to see, and
when 1 repeat that think the Irish would
win am merely guessing.
. =
As to Tennessee and Tulane, my
convictions aren't so firm, though
think I might be inclined to string
along with Tennessee on account OF
its masterful 1870 performance
againts Vanderbilt last week. 1t Is
quite possible Tulane has met no
team carrying as much strength as
Vanderbilt. and if this is so, the
edge on the seasons demonstrated
facts would swing to the volunteers
Perhaps the graceful and protective
thia- to do here is to admit that a meet
Ing between the two would develop into
bitterly fought contest. l think this is
the phrase the boys generally use. In
cidlentaIly. 1 can imagine no individual
a. fhar haE