“It is not strength but art obtains the prize,
And to be swift is less than to be wise.”

Iliad.

I.Assignment

If it is fall, report a football game; if winter, a basket-ball game; if spring or summer, a baseball game.

II.Material

In order to be able to report a football game, one must understand the rules of the game, be familiar with the personnel and history of the opposing teams, and know the names of the officials. The task therefore resolves itself into three parts:

1. Learning the rules of the game.
2. Studying the teams and officials.
3. Attending the game and taking notes.

Those members of the class who are familiar with the rules may be assigned the task of explaining them to the others; this is an excellent exercise in oral composition. It should include: (1) A short history of football; (2) A description of the field; (3) a description of the equipment of a team; (4) an account of the organization of a team; (5) a description of the way a game is played; (6) an explanation of the rules. Spalding’s Football Guide contains all of the information necessary, though it may be supplemented by encyclopÆdias. It is suggested that this exercise be organized for presentation as a program.

The study of the opposing teams may be managed in the same way. It should include: (1) Their past history; (2) their personnel; (3) some account of the officials and their qualifications.

Quick and accurate observation of what happens during a game is essential. A good scheme for recording everything as it occurs is to make a chart of the field in a notebook, and, as the game progresses, to mark on it the progress of the ball, using a blue pencil when it is in the possession of one side and a red pencil when the other has it. On this chart brief notes of the methods by which the ball is advanced may also be made.

III.Composition

Football reports vary in length from a bare statement of the result of a game to many columns, the determining factor in this particular being the amount of public interest. The style is sometimes rendered picturesque by a skillful use of metaphor, antithesis, and slang, but more often is severely plain. The latter method is the only safe one for beginners. Except in the hands of a genius, the former is sure to result in silly vulgarity. The models which follow are of convenient length and in style are admirable, being clear, correct, and free from vulgarity.

IV.Models

I
MICHIGAN, 15; M.A.C., 3

Michigan defeated the Michigan Agricultural College at Lansing on Saturday, Oct.14, in a game which marked the first defeat of the Aggies on their home field. The Wolverines went into the late minutes of the third quarter without a score and with 3points against them, and, by the kind of football that has made Yost teams famous, played the “farmers” to a standstill. Michigan was returned a winner by a score of 15 to 3. The game brought out Jimmie Craig in the new rÔle of halfback and assured him a permanent berth behind the line. Six hundred Michigan rooters attended the game.

The summary:

Michigan, 15		Position		M.A.C., 3
Garrels		L.E.	{	Stone (Capt.)
				Davis
Conklin (Capt.)		L.T.	{	Bekeman
				Day
Bogle		L.G.		McLaughty
Paterson		C.		McWilliams
Allmendinger	}	R.G.	{	Culver
Quinn				Martin
Pontius		R.T.		Gifford
Wells		R.E.		Gorenflo
Craig	}	Q.		Riblet
McMillan
Torbet	}	L.H.		Hill
Herrington
Craig
Carpell		R.H.		Markem
Thomson		F.B.	{	Bullard
				Julian

Officials—Referee, Hackett, West Point; Umpire, Eckersall, Chicago; Field Judge, Allen, Northwestern; Head Linesman, Yeckley, Penn. State. Time of Periods—10minutes.

II
MICHIGAN, 19; OHIO STATE, 0

Michigan’s defeat of O.S.U. on Ferry Field Saturday, October21, was due largely to the superior endurance of the Wolverine team. State outplayed Michigan in the first quarter of the game, but Michigan soon settled to the task and rolled up 19points against no score for the visitors. Foss, the Ohio quarterback, was the individual star of the game.

The summary:

Michigan, 19		Position		O.S.U., 0
Conklin (Capt.)		L.E.	{	Trautman
				McCoy
Bogle	}	L.T.		Barriklow
Roblee
Bogle	}	L.G.		Raymond
Quinn
Paterson		C.		Geib
Allmendinger	}	R.G.		Geisman
Garrels
Pontius		R.T.		Markley (Capt.)
Wells		R.E.	{	Pavey
				Stover
McMillan	}	Q.		Foss
Pickard
Craig		L.H.		Smith, L.J.
Carpell	}	R.H.		Cox
Huebel
Thomson		F.B.	{	Wright
				Willaman

Officials—Referee, Thompson, Georgetown; Umpire, Hoagland, Princeton; Field Judge, Lieut. Nelly, West Point; Head Linesman, Macklin, Penn. Time of periods—15minutes.

III
MICHIGAN, 9; VANDERBILT, 8

Michigan was played to a standstill in the game with McGugin’s Vanderbilt eleven on Ferry Field Saturday, Oct.28, and it was by the closest of margins that the Wolverines won out by a 9 to 8 score. A field goal was scored by each team and each team made a touchdown, but Michigan was more fortunate than her southern rivals in that McMillan made a perfect punt-out and Conklin kicked goal, while Captain Roy Morrison of Vanderbilt fell down on the same play and lost his team the chance to try for a goal from touchdown when he overkicked on the punt-out. Yost was far from satisfied by the showing of the Michigan team.

The summary:

Michigan, 9	Position		Vanderbilt, 8
Conklin (Capt.)	L.E.		K. Morrison
Bogle	L.T.	{	Freeland
			Covington
Quinn	L.G.		Metzger
Paterson	C.		Morgan
Garrels	R.G.		C. Brown
Pontius	R.T.		T. Brown
Wells	R.E.		E. Brown
McMillan	Q.		R. Morrison (Capt.)
Craig	L.H.		Hardage
Carpel	R.H.	{	Collins
			Curlin
Thomson	F.B.		Sikes

Officials—Referee, Bradley Walker, Virginia; Umpire, Eckersall, Chicago; Field Judge, Lieut. Nelly, West Point; Head Linesman, Heston, Michigan.

G.E. Elderidge.
Michigan Alumnus, November, 1911.

V.Queries and Topics for Oral Composition

1. What knowledge is necessary in order to report a football game?
2. How old is the game of football?
3. Wherein do Rugby, soccer, Canadian, and American football differ?
4. Describe the field on which American football is played.
5. Describe the shoes, costumes, headgear, and ball used in the game.
6. What is a stadium?
7. Describe the functions of each player on a team.
8. Explain the following terms: “kickoff,” “tackling,” “end run,” “line buck,” “interference,” “blocking,” “holding,” “off side,” “punt,” “drop kick,” “forward pass,” “fair catch,” “downs,” “scrimmage,” “touchdown,” “touchback,” “safety,” “goal from touchdown,” and “goal from field.”
9. How many yards must a team carry the ball in four downs in order to keep it?
10. How much does a touchdown count? A safety? A field goal? A goal from touchdown?
11. How would you go to work to find out the past history of a team and the character of its personnel?
12. What method of taking notes is recommended?
13. How long should the report of a game be?
14. In what style should it be written?
15. How many words does each model contain?
16. Observe how the writer seizes on the one or two salient points of each game, omitting what is unessential. This requires judgment and the effort to do it is a good training in judgment.
17. Tell whether each sentence is simple, complex, or compound.
18. Explain why each mark of punctuation is used.
19. Find a metaphor in the models.

VI.Exercise

Write a report of Saturday’s game.

VII.Suggested Time Schedule

VIII.Suggested Reading

Thomas Hughes’s Tom Brown at Rugby; Homer’s Iliad, BookXXIII; Virgil’s Æneid, BookV.

IX.ModelII.

New York, October9, 1913.—Cornelius McGillicuddy’s Murder Association, incorporated, convened at the Polo grounds this afternoon, transacted routine business, and adjourned.

On motion of Brother Edward Collins, supported by Brother J. Franklin Baker, and carried by acclamation, it was voted to resume the task of tearing the hide off the Giants. Messrs. Collins and Baker were appointed a special committee of two to carry out the work and seven others were assigned to assist them.

After the meeting refreshments consisting of singles, doubles, triples, and home runs were served; and a good time was had by all, excepting John J. McGraw and his employes and friends numbering upward of 25,000. The latter class was unanimous in declaring the Mackmen a bunch of vulgar, common persons who play professional baseball for a living and thus are not entitled to associate with amateurs, such as some of the New York players.

To get to the point of things, Philadelphia had what some of the fans called “one of them afternoons.” There is no use trying to describe all the details of this so-called contest, for it is demoralizing to the young to see such things in print. Many criminals have confessed on the scaffold that they got their start watching the Athletics assault some honest young pitcher who was trying to support his aged mother. They say that, if the Macks can get away with their rough work, anything ought to go.

Eight to two was the score to-day, if anybody cares. We can’t just figure out where New York got the two, but it was there on the score board and must have happened. Also there is a well-grounded belief that McGraw has subsidized the scoreboard boy so that he cheats the visitors somewhat. But, anyhow, it is reasonably certain that the Mackmen had plenty, while New York was several shy of the total that would have cheered the heart of Gotham, if indeed Gotham has a heart.

Connie Mack and John J. McGraw each had to do some guessing to-day in the matter of picking a pitcher. Lean Connie picked up the right answer and Fat John did not. There’s the whole story. The Philadelphia boss shook up the names of his young pitchers in a hat, shut his eyes, and drew out the name of Joe Bush. McGraw, by and with the consent and advice of his entire club, picked Jeff Tesreau. At least it was popularly believed, during and before the game started, that John had given his mound corps a careful slant and chosen Jeff as the best bet. Afterward some of the experts believed that the New York manager, by way of showing a delicate bit of courtesy to a guest, had accorded Connie the privilege of naming New York’s gunner. Certainly Tesreau was the best player Philadelphia had and the Athletics were seriously crippled when he retired in the seventh, just after Baker had knocked Doyle’s right leg out into the field.

About all that Tesreau had was a fine physique and a mouthful of slippery elm. Almost before the umpires and managers had ceased to chat over the rules, the Macks had lumped three hits, and with a wild heave by Artie Fletcher had scored three runs, which was one more than the Giants got all day. In the next inning some more hammering gave another pair of markers. Then Tesreau settled down and went along fairly well until the seventh. The Athletics had another rush of hits to the outfield in this inning and Otis Crandall came in to finish up the contest, or scandal, whichever you choose to term it. By this time Connie’s men were getting hungry for supper, so they made only one tally off Crandall, this coming when Wallie Schang bakered one into the right field stand.

Of course, under such conditions, Joe Bush didn’t have a real test. Connie Mack himself, or his crippled batboy, could have pitched the game and won it from the second inning on. Joe just kept slamming them over and, though he had a couple of wild spells that gave the Giants a chance to figure in the game, he always was able to pull himself together before there was any real danger.

Nobody here had heard much about this Joe Bush previous to to-day. Even the experts, who see all things that are and a lot that aren’t, didn’t have the dope on him. They had heard of Donie Bush and Anheuser Busch and Bush leaguers, but Joseph was a new one. For the information and guidance of those who may be interested, we furnish the data that he came From the Missoula Club of the Union—or is it Onion—Association last fall, and is a right hander.

Bush has the reputation of being almost as speedy as Walter Johnson on his good days and this was one of them. In the early stages of the game he depended almost entirely on his fast ball but later began to unbelt a few curves which had the right sort of a fold to them. Although in a hole with many batters, he passed only four and hit one. Great fielding helped him at times, the Macks pulling off a double play in each of three innings in which New York appeared to have something started.

Any child wonder who can come all the way from Missoula to Broadway in one year and win a world’s series game is of course entitled to much credit, but this boy certainly fell into a particularly soft spot. With the Macks’ billion dollar infield killing base hits for him and the attack getting him eight runs, he would have had a hard time slipping the game to McGraw if he had sold out before hostilities started. Bush permitted the Giants, who were commonly reported to be moaning for the gore of Mack’s youngsters, just five hits. Two of these were bunched in one inning and resulted in one of the runs. The others straggled through.5

The Score

PHILADELPHIA	AB	R	H	TB	BB	SH	SB	PO	A	E
E. Murphy, r.f.	5	1	2	2	0	0	0	2	0	0
Oldring, l.f.	5	3	2	2	0	0	1	0	0	0
Collins, 2b.	5	2	3	5	0	0	1	5	4	0
Baker, 3b.	4	1	2	2	0	0	1	3	1	0
McInnis, 1b.	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	0	0
Strunk, c.f.	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Barry, s.s.	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	3	0
Schang, c.	4	1	1	4	0	0	0	5	2	1
Bush, p.	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
Total	39	8	12	17	0	0	3	27	11	1

NEWYORK	AB	R	H	TB	BB	SH	SB	PO	A	E
Herzog, 3b.	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Doyle, 2b.	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	5	1	0
Fletcher, s.s.	2	0	1	1	1	0	1	2	2	1
Burns, l.f.	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
Shafer, c.f.	3	1	1	2	1	0	0	2	0	0
Murray, r.f.	3	1	1	1	1	0	1	4	0	0
McLean, c.	2	0	1	1	0	0	0	3	1	0
Wilson, c.	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
Merkle, 1b.	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0	0
Wiltse, 1b.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
Tesreau, p.	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Crandall, p.	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
*Cooper	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Total	29	2	5	6	4	0	3	27	6	1
Philadelphia	3	2	0	0	0	0	2	1	0—8
New York	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0—2

* Ran for McLean in fifth.

Two-base hit—Shafer. Three-base hit—Collins. Home run—Schang. Struck out—by Tesreau,3; by Crandall,1; by Bush,3. Double plays—Collins-Barry; Bush-Barry-McInnis; Doyle (unassisted); Schang-Collins. Time—2:11. Umpires—Rigler at plate, Connolly on bases, Klem and Egan in field.

X.Exercises

1. In this report we have a good example of baseball reporting as a literary art. The writer, Mr. E.A. Batchelor, of the Detroit Free Press, uses metaphor and antithesis with effect. The framework, as is usual in good comic writing, is excellent. Observe it:
   1. Four W’s—Par.1.
   2. Business Meeting—Par.2.
   3. Refreshments—Pars.3–12, inclusive.
      • What New York suffered—Par.3.
      • What Philadelphia did—Par.4.
      • The Score—Par.5.
      • The Pitchers—Pars.6–10.
        • Their Choice—Par.6.
        • What New York’s didn’t do—Pars.7–8.
        • Joe Bush—Pars.9–12.
2. Use of Metaphor. (a) Analyze the metaphor in “Murder Association.” (b) Point out the words in the first three paragraphs that serve to sustain and amplify the comparison. (c) Explain the metaphors that lurk in “rush of hits to the outfield,” “bakered,” “unbelt,” “in a hole,” “straggled through.”
3. Antithesis. In Par.3 the first sentence contains a fine contrast, “A good time was had by all, excepting,” etc., “all” including fewer persons than there are in the group excepted. It is an old but good trick. In the same paragraph note also the contrast between professionals and amateurs. The rest of the story contains at least a half-dozen antitheses in addition to those already mentioned. Find them.
4. Topics for short expository speeches: Cornelius McGillicuddy; J. Franklin Baker; the Giants; John J. McGraw; The Spelling of the Word “Athletics”; How Baseball is Played; Gotham; Joe Bush; Jeff Tesreau; Doyle; A Mouthful of Slippery Elm; Otis Crandall; Wallie Schang; Donie Bush; Missoula; Curves; Broadway; The Macks’ Billion Dollar Infield.
5. Translate: “The fans”; “one of them afternoons”; “if the Macks can get away with their rough work, anything ought to go”; “shy”; “a careful slant”; “his best bet”; “slamming them over”; “pulling off a double play”; “something started”; “slipping the game to McGraw.”
6. Subject for Debate: Resolved—that the use of slang should be avoided.
7. Make a study of the art of reporting baseball games, following the hints for football already given, and report a school game. The boys in the class can be relied upon to furnish all of the technical information that will be needed.

John Keats.
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