OCR Text |
Show I H30 much has already been writ-ten writ-ten about the "T." And yet it Is surprising the number of sidelin-ers sidelin-ers who keep writing in to ask just what the "T" is and how it works. We'll try, with no promise of success, suc-cess, to make it simple for the last time. 1. The "T" doesn't demand old-fashioned blocking or hard body pressure. It depends more on speed and deception. Z. It needs a hard-hitting fullback full-back who can split an opened line. 3. It needs a fast-moving back who can circle a massed or tightened line. 4. It demands a good passer who can work with deception and smooth ball-handling. These latter three qualities put heavy pressure on any defense. The greatest pro "T" I &i--cio JW1V ever saw operate was the old Bear brigade with Luck-man, Luck-man, Standlee, Gal-lernau Gal-lernau and McAfee, if my memory isn't too fuzzy. They hit you every known way. The greatest college col-lege "T" I ever saw at work was Notre GrantlandRice Dame's 1943 outfit with Bertelli, Creighton Miller, Kelly and two or three good fullbacks.. They fell far away when Bertelli left, who was not only a great passer but the smoothest and trickiest ball-handler I've seen around. Ask Rip Miller, Captain Johnny Whelchel of Navy or Bill Alexander of Georgia Tech. It's true that the old Bears and Notre Dame's 1943 squad would have been hard to handle under any system. sys-tem. Material makes the system more than any system ever made material. And material has made more coaches than any coaches ever made material. The main answer to football success suc-cess is your playing strength the forward wall and the backfield your man power. And don't ever let anyone tell you a different story. Football coaches have done great jobs. Their general average is the highest in sport. But the best still need good football players to have winning teams. After all, they can't rush out on the field and do their own passing, pass-ing, running, blocking and tackling sports tans bquawks Sports fans who move up into the 50 or 60-million class, ranging from ages between 10 and 80 years, are certainly entitled to their beliefs, their squawks, their praise and their blame. For, after all, they are the big part of sport, the major part by at least 90 per cent. They pay all the expenses, ex-penses, all the salaries. They make both amateur and pro sports possible. pos-sible. . And in too many cases they only get shoddy treatment and take the big shove around by both amateur ama-teur and professional promoters. They are taken for granted. They are rarely given any consideration from baseball, football, racing, boxing, box-ing, golf or other sporting directors. They are usually the goats, who have grown accustomed to taking the worst of it. Their hardihood and their capacity for punishment is the most amazing feature of sport. They are too often packed in after the manner of human sardines at race tracks and other sporting centers. cen-ters. They are too often overcharged. over-charged. It has been said there is no law that forces them to take this beating. This is true. But they happen to love their games, whether it is boxing, box-ing, baseball, football, racing, golf or something else. They are astonished at little courtesies cour-tesies they are so seldom shown anywhere any-where or any time by the hired people who live off their main outlet for recreation and entertainment. They are really an amazing breed. They take it on the chin and on the shin, back of each ear, in the stomach stom-ach and also in the pocketbook. Courses Too Tough Take golf, for example. It has always been my belief that any golf course should be trapped only for the star player. Put all trouble out beyond the 200 yard mark which the average player can't reach. The duffer or average player has enough trouble trying to hit the ball or get his bogeys. Why should he pay uncounted millions to make his golfing life more miserable? We have built too many golf courses against theskill of the pros and the crack amateurs who, after aft-er all, give most of their life to golf and who pay nothing in return. Who cares whether a pro shoots a 63 or a 58? Why build courses to keep him from breaking par on courses which the average golfer can't handle in a 95? The Nelsons and the other par- br.eaking stars are a breed apart. Let them go around in even 3's. Who cares? But why keep punishing the 98 per cent who pay all the freight? Golf is our greatest playing game for everyone. It is a friendly and a companionable game, demanding its share of psychology, philosophy, sportsmanship and nerve control as well as physical skill. ' |