1903-04 ATHLETIC PROSPECTS

Although the baseball season is not yet completed, and the Yale series not decided, it may be interesting to sum up briefly the present prospects for next year's team.

Of this year's team, E. E. Coolidge 3L., second base, R. P. Kernan '03, catcher, A. Stillman '03, centre field and pitcher, and L. J. Daly '03, right field, will be unable to play another year, either because of absence from the University of ineligibility. This leaves captain W. Clarkson '03, pitcher, who will return to the Graduate School, C. W. Randall '05, first base, P. Carr '04, third base W. C. Matthews '05, shortstop, H. D. Kernan '05, right field. Besides these six men, P. N. Coburn, who has done such effective work as second pitcher this season, will be able to play again, and should prove a very valuable man. Other pitchers of some merit, who have been retained on the squad this season are: H. S. Hutchinson '04, W. H. Bradley '05; while of the Freshman team, A. L. Castle and H. A. Taylor have shown more or less control, and occasional speed.

Kernan's place behind the bat, will probably be filled either by B. K. Stephenson '06, who is now playing regularly in right field on the University team, or by W. A. Quigley, the catcher of the Freshman team, who has played very creditably on the University team in the Holy Cross and Pennsylvania games. Neither, however, have Kernan's powerful throw, or his agility in recovering foul files. The loss of Coolidge at second base will undoubtedly be keenly felt, for he is unquestionably the cleanest fielder on the nine, and one of the most reliable men on bases. S. H. Skilton, who played regularly at second base last year, but has failed to make the team this spring, I. F. Story '03, who played third base during the early part of the season of 1901, and E. L. Grant '06, third baseman on the Freshman nine, will be the most promising candidates. J. d. Nichols '06, first baseman on the Freshman nine, is also a strong player.

As a good hitter at critical moments, Stillman has won on the nine an enviable position, and one which it will be hard to fill. There are several men, however, who, if not in his class at the bat show promise of developing into very excellent fielders. They are C. C. Bolton '05, third baseman of last year's Freshman team, H. V. Greenough, shortstop of the same team, and a substitute on the University team last spring, and R. Fischel '04, who played third base on his Freshman team. All these men were, with the University squad during the early part of the season, but all were handicapped by inexperience in the outfield positions.

It would seem, therefore, that although four new men must be found to fill the vacancies left by four of the best players on the nine, there is a quantity of material to choose from, and a number of men who seem well fitted to play on a University team.

With the new football stadium, which is expected to be built during the summer, and the recent changes in the rules of play, which will materially alter the method of developing the team, the University football season next fall promises to be unusual interest. The candidates for the eleven will return to Cambridge and commence active work on September 17, in preparation for the two games, with Williams and Bowdoin, which will be played before College, opens. During the first two weeks the men will be under the direction of the usual large number of graduate coaches, but after the squad has been cut down the work will be conducted almost entirely by Head-Coach Cranston and his regular staff. All but four of the regular members of the team last fall will return and again try for positions on the eleven. The fact that three of the men who will not return were players back of the line, however, will make the task of developing offensive strength particularly difficult. To overcome this weakness, an attempt will be made to made team-work a feature of the play, by choosing the men for the vacant positions early in the season and keeping one set of men together as a team as much as possible up to the time of the final game, which will be played with Yale on November 21.

Besides Captain C. B. Marshall, quarterback, the following members of the team last fall will play: E. Bowditch, Jr., '3, right end; D. W. Knowlton '03, right tackle; W. S. Sugden '03, centers--all three of whom will attend the Law School--; A. Marshall 2L., right guard; P. O. Mills '05, left end; and C. A. Shet '04, left tackle. Those who will leave College or be ineligible to play next year will be R. P. Kernan '03, left halfback; T. H. Graydon '03, fullback; E. T. Putnam '01, right halfback; C. A. Barnard 2L., left guard; and W. S. Whitwell '08, substitute guard. To fill the vacant positions there are a number of experienced men available, among whom are D. J. Hurley '05, W. T. Harrison '05, H. Schoellkopf 1L., T. P. Lindsay '04. T. G. Meter '04, E. C. Hovey '05, R. G. Coburn '04, and S. Wilder '05, who, together with the new material and the other men who tried for positions on the team last fall, should make the competition for places very active.

The track team next year should prove strong. Rust, a point winner in the quarter-mile in the dual and intercollegiate games last year; Schick, who has won the hundred and two twenty yards dashes in the dual games for two years; Dives and Clerk, who have won points this year in this year in the quarter; Bird, Bauer and Peterson in the Hurdles, the first two of whom were point winners this year; Colwell, King, Hall and Stern for the runs; Tingley Schoenfuss, Robinson, Oveson and Burke in the weight events and Robeson, Ayres, Gring and Sawyer in the jumps. These men should form the basis for a team, strong at least on the track though like the team this spring of somewhat doubtful ability in the field events.

It is very difficult now to forcast the prospects of the crew for next year. Of this year's University eight and fouroared the following men will graduate; Mcgrew, F. W. Foster, George, Wolcott, Hartwell Derby and Ayer, but of these Hartwell will return to the Law School and Ayer to the Medical School. Besides these two men and the others now in the university boats it is expected that all the men on the Freshmen crew will return to College