The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-10-22
by
strauss
gantZ
Befuddled

A&A6A&DAA AAOWoRoROA 4)]A4b4 La
PRESS. It's their way of reporting
that good old American sport {.
football.
Sixty thousand Americans and
their girls swarmed into the White
City Stadium. Shepherd Bush, yes
terday to see the U. S. Army VS..
the u. S. Navy.
Girl cheer leaders from the serv-
ices pranced in front Of the crowd
waving megaphoneS, melting yellS
like ARMY, Army, and
NAVY, Navy"
Meanwhile a free fight seemed
to be going on in the centre of the
stadium. Twenty-Five enorm GU S
young men in crash helmets were
locked in a deadly struggle for an
oval football.
They wore spiked-cleated Is the
word the Americans use - shoes,
strange ginger shorts which cling
closely to the thighs and end
abruptly just below the knee, and
padded jerseys, red and white for
the Navy and navy blue for the
Army. They needed those pads
and the crash helmets, too!
The object of the game seems to
be to pass the ball to some unfor-
tunate player, and then for every
one else to dive on him. One of
the rules is that he must never
let 60 of the ball, so he goes down
with Q crash.
The only thing that moves play
toward the goalposts seems to be
the instinct of self preservation of
the man with the ball. He runs as
far as he can before he is either
manned or killed by the other play
ers.
The programme seemed sinister.
It gave the names of the eleven
men of each team. 1t then gave
the list of fifteen substitutes for
each team. The Substitutes" sat
swathed in blankets awaiting their
call to battle. Many of them did
not have long to wait.
First casualty went to the Navy.
Mortified, I watched a Gil. scamp
e. across the field with two buck
cts In his hands. But not. as
thought, to mop up the blood. He
avoided the PROSTATE player and
was besieged by the rest Of the
team. The buckets held towels and
water for the players still left alive.
Six times during the game the
buckets are rushed out. If. team
asks for them more often, it is
penalized.
Casualties are dealt with by a
doctor. who ruSheS out with a black
bag. The umpires splendid in
white plus-fours and striped shirts
and stretcher bearers help If they
are needed.
American football is played In
four quarters, not two halves like
ours. Each team has the ball for
four tries. If by that time they
have not made the necessary yard
age, they relinquish possession of
the ball.
Before each "try," the team
which mas the ball goes into a hud-
die while the captain decides who
shall be the next victim to receive
the ball-and the subsequent as
saults. You can assault your oppo-
nent any way at all except by
clipping the back of his legs.
That, an American beside me SOL
emily explained. is liable to break
them.
Favorite method of attack yes
terday seemed to be: Cd Spring.
ing Ike tiger at the mans throat
or. GU Just showing so that sheer
weight bore him down. The at
tacker must keep one foot on the
ground as he tackles. After the
tackle he Is usually all on the
ground.
The Navy lost yesterday, 20
points to nil AS the average
weight of the Army was about Is
stone, one felt sorry for the Navy,
whose top weight was a mere Is
stone.
During the interval-end of the
second quarter, as they say-Cor-
poral Ruby Newell, who has been
voted the prettiest girl in the U. S.
Women's Forces, vas presented to
General Doolittle. Ruby is fair, but
not blonde. Choice seemed popular
judging by the cheers.
Meanwhile the band played and
tAIC 6OdI AldoCOI VI Illc NAVY Dd-
raded with the donkey mascot of
the Army. AS the Navy did not
have a band. the Army lent them
one. The borrowed band put on
white doughboy caps, but their
playing suggested that they would
rather have played in the Army
band where they belonged.
On the Tube coming home, there
was strange jargon all around. He
got smeared" seemed to mean lit
orally that a player was rolled in
to the earth. Bullet pass" also
had . literal meaning. 1t meant
that o tall was thrown so hard at
a man that 1t knocked him out. 1t
was a favorite pass.
But the sixty thousand Yankees
had had a good time. And so had /.
Ern vOYT OF r0ffaa Trina