During the middle of the freshman crew race exactly seven days ago, the MIT shell meandered absent-mindedly to the left and then to the right. MIT oarsmen have insisted ever since that "they wuz robbed" and had their boat only travelled in a straight line they would have kept the lead they managed to hold for more than a mile.

Hence MIT will literally to out for nine Harvard shirts when the two teams race again this afternoon. The first freshman crew that Boston University has ever trained is the third entry in the regatta.

In spite of the closeness of the last race, though, Harvard is more than likely to repeat its victory. Mit, while it was in front, rowed about three beats over Harvard and as soon as Crimson stroke Louis McCagg ordered a higher count, his shell moved steadily ahead.

BU, which has highly inadequate indoor crew facilities, supposedly spent the winter months on the water dodging ice floes while Harvard and MIT worked with machines and in tanks. This could be an indicator that the BU men will have an edge on their opposition in physical condition. No other knowledge about the BU freshman crew's talent, or lack of it, is available since it hasn't raced yet.

Harvey Love, the freshman crew coach, is contemplating several changes in the boating he started last week. A witch in the number four car, occupied in the season's opening race by Clem Despard, is especially probable because of the improvement of the number four man rowing thus far in the second boat.

In fact if the morale of the second crew stays at its persent high level, there will be no room for complacency on the part of any who row in the first boat.

The efforts of McCagg at stroke stood out in what was a generally competent performance by the freshmen in their first race. McCagg kept the beat down early in the mile and three-quarter sprint, a wise move considering the roughness of the water at the beginning of the race.

Then he made his men pull faster as soon as the Crimson shell hit some calm water in the last half mile. As Love put it, "He rowed a heady race."

This afternoon's race will follow the usual Charles River Basin course. The start is at the Charies Street (subway) Bridge and the finish line is 15 yards before the MIT boathouse which stands slightly cast of the Cottage Farm Bridge.

The most probable boating for today is : Louis McCagg, stroke, George Gifford, at number seven oar, Jim Slocum at six, Steve Hedberg at five, number four oar in doubt, Bill Bliss at three, Jack Avis at two, and Bill Engstrom in the bow. Warren Clark is the coxswain.

Princeton was the goat of last week's rain-drenched encounter, dropping back a full length in the first quarter mile of the race. When the '52 shell shot across the finish line with a time of 10:19, the Tiger octet was a full two and a half lengths to the rear.