Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-09
ANNAPOLIS SHOWS
OPTIMISTIC SPIRIT.
Squad in Great Trim and
Ready for Fine TussIe,
. Coaches Claim.
BY H. C. BYRD.

TIME same spirit of confidence
shown all last week, prior
4 to the Pennsylvania game
is in evidence at the Nava.
Academy now. Yesterday at An
napolis it was impossible to fine
anybody with any thought other
than that the Navy is going tc
give the Army eleven the surprise
of its life at New York Saturday
From those responsible for the
management of athletics, to
the lowliest scrub on the squad
no person seems to look upon the
game as anything but one of the
traditional struggles in which
either eleven may win.
The Navy is in good shape. The VIC
tory over Maryland two weeks ago ap-
parently was the turning point, and the
game with Army has since been an OBJ
jective that has kept the morale at q
high pitch. Last week the spirit Of the
whole Academy was one of optimism,
and one of those in charge of athletics,
Comdr. Reinicke, told the writer he felt
that Penn would be defeated.
And, sure enough, 1t was, so decisively
that Navy superiority could not be
questioned. It was just as bad whip
ping as wisconsin gave Penn earlier In
the year. In fact, in only o few games
In its recent foot ball history has Penn
suffered such a one-sided defeat.
And now the Navy feels about the
same way in regard to the Army. ASK
anybody at Annapolis about the Army
strength and the reply will come, Ger
tainly we know the Army Is strong and
has played good foot ball, but we are
coming fast and have good chance"
Nobody need doubt that the Navy has
q good foot ball team, and it certainly
has the kind of confidence that creates
SUCCESS.
Navy believes that by hard work and
strict attention to its task it stands
pretty close to an even chance against
the Soldiers. And what team believes
1t can do it usually does.
"On paper" said one Navy coach, 1--WE
are not as strong as Army and our
record probably is not so good, but when
the whistle blows Saturday Wen be out
there with the idea that we have plenty
to say about the why and wherefore OF
touchdowns in this particular game.
Il would not go SO far as to say that,
based on paper comparison OF the
te- ms, we have an even chance, but
when we take the field you Just watch
AM see If We do net DO pretty good
jc5. I'll bet that before the game Is
We old every spectator will be think
Ing that we have an even chance.
Cur men are in good shlpe physi-
cally and mentally are on top of the
world. Some of them are In the frame
Of mind which makes the kind of adj
miral who can fight six ships against
eight and win"
OUTSIDE opinion three weeks ago
~ would have given the Army almost
10 chances to one TO win, but right now
that has vesred considerably. The
Navy not only Is conceded q real
chance. but many Of the so-called ex-
perts are looking upon the contest IS
one between two evenly matched
elevens
not been defeated as many times as
Navy, but the Army probably reached
its zenith against Notre Dame while
Navy still Is coming strong. In this
particular year, especially when Army
was not overanxious for q game anyway,
1t seems that the psychological aspects
Of the struggle favor Navy. Undoubt-
edly Navy Is looking forward to the
contest with an eagernesS that 1t has
Navy headquarters VIII be established
O. the Commodore Hotel In New York
from Thursday until Sunday. VIZ
talally all arrangements for the game,
including distribution Of tickets, are
being handled by the charity organtza-
tons in New York and both Navy
and Army have been relieved largely Of
that burdensome feature.
The Navy is taking care Of the dis
Eibution Of. tickets TO members of its
own athletic association and the Army
u doing likewise. Probably the two
schools have never before played under
conditions 30 welcome.
THE ranking Of the college lacrosse
l. teams by the United States
Lacrosse Association at its annual
meeting last Sunday has come In for q
sood deal Of criticism. and justly. On
what basis the committee, which sup
posedly ranks teams on the results of
play last Spring, worked is not known,
but It could hardly have been found.
The ftrst six teams were placed In the
following order:
st. Johns.
M9fylanQ.
Johns Hopkins, Yale. tie for third.
Rutgers.
Navy.
Just what profound judgment was
used in making this ranking is not APP
parent to the average mind. The four
strongest teams. st. Johns, Navy Hop
kir1s, and Maryland, each lost one game.
and 1t Is difhcult to understand how
ene could be placed above the others.
Hopkins defeated st. Johns by to 2,
and the only game Hopkins lost was to
Maryland, but Hopkins was placed
third in the ranking IN q tie with Yale,
yet Hopkins also beat Yale. Hopkins
defeated st. Johns yet Is placed two
notches below 1t in the ranking.
Navy, which always has one of the
best lacrosse teams in the country, and
generally is looked upon as the hardest
team In the country to beat, lost only
one game, to Maryland, yet was placed
sixth In the ranking.
IF the committee took into oonsid-
i Grafton all the circumstances out
side of the actual scores, results
Of games, then Maryland probably
could be shown 70 have q better claim
70 the title than any other eleven. But
"A reality the committee, II it did that
went far afield. because it had no right
% rank any school On Q basis Of what
Rn its opinion might or might not, o.
should or should not, have happened.
A. o matter Of fact Maryland, d.
feated by et. Johns, would have felt
that It was getting an honor to which
Il was not justly entitled had Il been
by some roundabout reasoning, ranked
FIRST, and St. Johns, whipped by Hop
kins. ought to have about the same kind