This All-American Picking

When one considers the recent post-season football games on the Pacific coast and then pages back in the papers, magazines and journals of every kind and description and looks at the prevailing "All-American" selections picked by each football critic and his able understudy one realizes the utter folly of trying to pick eleven men who supposedly rank above all other American football players in their respective positions. In the New Year's Day clash for instance Pittsburgh had four men, Uansa and Parkinson, backs, Donchess, end, and Montgomery, guard, who had been prominently named for All-American berths. At least two of these men, Uansa and Donchess, were decisively outplayed by their rivals, who weren't even accorded mention for honor positions. Saunders and Tappan combined to demonstrate clearly that they should have been considered in any fair judging of All-American players. The argument might be put forth that this was their big day but it was also Pittsburgh's supreme test and if the Ranther stars had more to show then was the time to show it.

In the Stanford-Army massacre the previous Saturday Cagle's work was also far eclipsed by the performances of Fleischacker and Frentrup. Cagle is still a great back and despite the fact that he was on a losing team he should be honored but why omit two stars who completely outplayed him in the objective game of the season? All of this goes to show the impossibility of a sports writer who sees perhaps at the most a dozen Eastern football games picking a fair and representative Al-American eleven. Even though a staff of 500 critics may assist him it is hard to argue relative merits on paper. One has to see the men in action. At any rate it is certain that most of the experts took one on the chin as a result of the finale of the 1929 season.

The futility of trying to pick a national championship team is also shown by the announcement of the recent Erskine Award. Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Purdue were the only teams that figured in the final balloting with the three of them finishing in the order named. Here the combined opinions of several hundred sports writers were taken into consideration and even then both Stanford and Southern California failed to figure in the final rating. Southern California the day before the award was made known gave Pittsburgh the worst heating an Eastern team was taken in the Rose Bowl since the Annual New Year's Day games were inaugurated. Stanford just a few days previous had sent the Army back smarting under its worst defeat of the year. However next year will have probably twice as many All-American selections and they'll be just as absurd as ever!

Harvard's Tennis Outlook

When the National Junior and Boys Indoor Tennis Tournament reached the final during the recent holidays tennis critics began speculating as to prospective Davis Cup Team material among the contestants. It was known that the United States Lawn Tennis Association had made every effort to get a large entry list in order to develop young tennis stars who will in time make Davis Cup Team material and as such help return the international trophy to the United States. The two finalists in the Junior division, Jacobs of Baltimore City College and Richardson of Dartmouth, were considered by some to be likely to make the grade later on.

But Harvard also has some prospective youthful contenders for America's foremost tennis representation. Donald Frame, last year's Freshman captain, went to the semi-finals in the recent tournament only to lose in a gruelling three-set match to Richardson. He also went to the finals in the doubles. Then there is also Richard Murphy, who won the tournament last year but was forced to remain out of competition this winter because of illness. Murphy is at present a Freshman in college here and should be the mainstay of Coach Cowles' Freshman squad next Spring. These two men together with Barry Wood, who has already been nominated for the 1930 Davis Cup Team, should be able to bring tennis prestige to the Crimson by means of international competition. The ranks of the future Davis Cup teams will have to be filled with youthful college players who will be able to wrest the championship away from the French. Lott, Doeg, Allison and Van Ryn are well on the way now to accomplishing this and it is likely that Harvard's three representatives will some day take their places alongside of them.

Harvard's Aquatic Relationships

With the New Harvard swimming pool rapidly becoming a reality plans for the National Intercollegiate Swimming Meet are also being quickly formulated. In New York last week during the meeting of N. C. A. A., Director of Athletics Bingham and Assistant Director H. W. Clark straightened out plans with other directors who were present. The meet which will be run off on March 28 and 29 will find Harvard playing host to at least 28 colleges, that number having signified their intention of participating already. The contestants will find the pool one of the finest university pools in the country and surely the most up to date one. The seating capacity is far greater than that of Wilson Pool, Washington University, where the championships were conducted last year.

Even though Harvard will not participate in the races the meet should attract considerable local interest both because of the new pool and because of the caliber of the contestants. Coach Wilson of Northwestern will send a full team of natators to defend the first place laurels that his charges won last year. Michigan will also continue its athletic relations with Harvard, begun in baseball and football, by sending a squad of swimmers that last year ranked high in Big Ten aquatic circles.

The meet marks another step forward in the Harvard athletic program and proves again that Director of Athletics Bingham is doing his best to keep Harvard in friendly athletic relations with as many college as possible. --BY TIME OUT.