OCR Text |
Show TO BREAK BASEBALL HOODOO WITH ARMY Middies Seek Revenge on Cadets in Game on May 31. Navy Has Not Held Its Own With Cadets, but This Year Feel They Have Excellent Chance to Break Army's Winning Streak. The renewal of the annual baseball and football games between the naval and military academies will almost certainly take place, beginning with the baseball game, which will probably prob-ably be played at West Point on May 31. The last game was played in 1916 at Annapolis. The rule, which went into effect when the United States entered the war, that the teams of the service schools should not play away from tr-e'.r home grounds, is still in effect, and no definite arrangements can be made until it is abrogated. However, it is believed that this will be done soon. The naval academy will have no objection ob-jection to the plan of the military academy to use on their nine members of the class which was graduated ahead of time, Jjut which has been ordered or-dered back for a post-graduate course. Sportsmanship dictated the com':-,-which the naval academy authorities pursued in agreeing to the playing of the post-graduates at West Point, as otherwise the army folks would have been confined to one class, the lowest, for material for their teams, but they might also have remembered what followed fol-lowed a game played under conditions somewhat similar to those which exist now, and the fact that a long-continued series of army victories followed. The series between the service schools is a remarkable one in several ways. The navy has not held its own with its army rivals, as it has done in football, but has lost all but three of the 15 games played. The first game played was at Annapolis in 1901, and the army won, 4 to 3. The next year the navy won at West Point, 5 to 3, and each of the next three games played was also won by the team playing play-ing away from its own grounds. In 1907 the break came, and the army won at West Point, 6 to 5. In 1908 the navy's hoodoo game was played at Annapolis, An-napolis, and since then there has been an unbroken chain of army victories. The midshipmen feel that they have an excellent chance of winning this year. They will play at West Toint, where all but one of the navy victories have been scored, but there are more practical reasons for their confidence. There will be a larger pick" at Annapolis, An-napolis, and it includes much good new material. In particular, confidence is placed in Baker, elusive left-hander, who entered the naval academy with the latest class. He has done great work in -the class games. Finally, West Point will not have the services of Sammy Strong, who has coached the nine when it won most of its victories vic-tories over the navy. On the other hand, that successful, college coach, Billy Lush, is going to get the navy nine ready for its effort this year, and there is confidence here that the time has come to break the army's winning streak. |