REPORTING GAMES
"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
3 points 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 }
Herrington} L.H. Hill
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_--10 minutes.
II
MICHIGAN, 19; OHIO STATE, 0
Michigan's defeat of O.S.U. on Ferry Field Saturday, October 21,
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 19 points
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_--15 minutes.
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
_Week I_ _Week II_
_Monday_--(a) Review past errors. Queries.
(b) Assign work on Sections
II and III of this chapter.
_Tuesday_--Program on Section II. Queries.
_Wednesday_--Program on Section III. Oral Composition
_Thursday_--Dictation of Models. Written Composition
and Reviews.
_Friday_--Dictation of Models. Public Speaking.
VIII. Suggested Reading
Thomas Hughes's _Tom Brown at Rugby_; Homer's _Iliad_, Book XXIII;
Virgil's _Æneid_, Book V.
IX. Model II.
NEW YORK, October 9, 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]
[5] Reprinted by permission of the author, Mr. G. A. Batchelor, of the
_Detroit Free Press_.
_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
NEW YORK 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
[A]Cooper 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
-----------------------------
Total 29 2 5 6 4 0 3 27 6 1
[A] Ran for McLean in fifth.
Philadelphia 3 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0--8
New York 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0--2
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.
XI. Memorize
ENDYMION
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, we are wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
'Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read:
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.
JOHN KEATS.