The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-12-09
TALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, Dec. 9.-For the
~ most part Of the year I have
been kidding about this football
ausiiress. / mean I have been do
ing such things as picking Army to
beat Notre Dame, and all that sort
OF thing, strictly for laughs.
But the big moment Of the season
has arrived and l wish TO be Sc
rious. Not only that, but 1 wish to
be very critical. Notre Dame plays
Southern California Saturday. This
is the climax game Of the year.
It is in a situation Of this sort that I
rise TO my real stature. My dear friends,
give YOU oG' the score Ssi y TSb1us 1--WE s Sin ! V csli !
1ornia Il, Notre Dame 7. ! trust you Will
remember this when all Is said and done
and how are you. Mother Macree2
To me the arrangement IS so simple that
/ do not feel II is necessary to so into de-
tails l even Ignore the dark pessimism Of
at least give Gil Dobie a credit line when
he goes into his sob stun.
Further. I ignore the widely publicized
Illness of the Notre Dame men. which, as
was demonstrated in the Army game, con-
notes not only a new lease OF life, but a
men In that game we're the men that An
derson. said would not be able to leave
their death beds.
This is a form Of deceit, to repeat. with
which 1 have no sympathy, but. since 1t
deceiYes nobody. 1t PROBABLY IS harmless.
II n
+ WRITE this in full realization
4 that it means, in the event 1
am wrong-whicn would be no new
adventure-that the next days mail
will bring a number Of letters ask
ing how much did you lose on the
game?" and why don't you go back
to southern California, where you
belong?"
Old grads in any form are very
hard to take. In the main, the le-
gitimate old grads of Notre Dame
aren't so bad. But there ought to
be a law against the volunteer old
grads of Notre Dame-the transient
cash customers who have adopted
the university as their own.
these professional rooters nave done
more to embarrass the university than any
ever do. To the university a defeat is
Just : defeat. To Che professional rootsrs.
y is y personal caiamity, What DO they
editors. And by some odd reasoning, the
sports editors are always largely to blame.
But, after all, who is responsible Tor these
professional r%ooters' The answer 49,
So long as Notre Dame continues to cir
Gus its football team, hopping from town
Of IT'S own at homeI, the army Of profess
sional rooters is going to grow bigger. ana
more yociferous. This is at once a tribute
team. which is always great. The criticism
Is Of the policy. which Is not wholly
healthy.
A ND so with this rambling prace
IA I return to the fairly simple
task do mel of nominating South
ern California over Notre Dame in
tomorrow's game. I like a team
that hasn't been beaten, and the
Trojans haven't. Nobody has rushed
the ball over their goal line all year.
Twice they were scored against
and both times by forward passing
maneuvers.
Notre Dame. has been beaten.
They say it was a mistake. But
still the records show the South
Benders were beaten. Who Is there
to say that chey can not be beaten
again? Against Army they looked
like the greatest team of all time.
I said then and I say now I never
saw a better team on any field.
But in retrospect. it is possible TO see
ARMY impotency. Admitting that they
elearly outplayed the Soldiers, it is never
of luck attached to all three OF their
touchdowns. One OF them-the forward
pass from midteld-was not even intended
to be a touchdown.
Notre Dame NAV have all the luck
against Southern California, in which event
there can be put one result. 1t may be
at all-but II the legitimate old grads and
the professional rooters don't mind. 7
think. Hunk Anderson will need at least
a little luck to win.