The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-10
ROURKE is WORRIED
WESTERN LEAGUE MAGNATEs RE.
ALI8E THEY ARE UP AGAINST
HARD FIGHT
MAY DROP OUT OF ST. PAUL
Present Outlook indicates That the
New American Association
Will Come Out on Top
Everywhere.

Already with the American association
Western league war but week old, Bill
Rourke and the following of the Omaha
warrior are beginning to realize that sew
eral obese slices of trouble were carved
off when the Western voted to Dust
Hickey ct al, and fight the new baseoall
or ganization to the death.
1t all seemed fine and easy When
Rourke, Van Brunt, Burns and others
raised their voices in chorus, and Mr..
whitfield was elected president, and
war fund of $1,000 was set aside, but now,
with hardly an echo of the chorus Hoat-
ing about, it is all different.
At the start-off, the Western league
refused to be stopped. Tebeau owned the
Denver franchise but it was to be taken
away from white Wings" Lennon was
to be overlooked entirely and another
St. Paul man was to have the franchise
here. Beall, of Minneapolis, was on their
side and all in ALL Bill Rourke and the
others figured out that the American as
sociation would be walking with limp
before the season was fairly on.
Now the noise has stopped and the
Western is face to face with hard, cold
facts. Tebeau has the right to handle
the Western league club in Denver, and
the head and brains of last season $
league declares that he intends to hang
on to this right.
In st. Paul the Western men find them
selves worried. The fans here, promised
faster ball by the new association, have
not wired any welcome to our town"
messages to the new president Of the
Western, and the frost appears to be
appreciated by the Rourke following.
The Western is already thinking seri-
ously Of snubbing the ST. Paul fanatics
by refusing absolutely to recognize the
-fra !, Do t. an Tho mo n md
plans go through the ST. Paul Western
league franchise will be transferred to
Milwaukee, and the beer city will be made
one of the battlefelds of next season.
In admitting that the league contem-
plates dropping St Paul from its circuit,
the Western magnates admit that they
are hard pushed. With a Western league
team in Minneapolis and no Western
league team in st. Paul the Rourke fol-
lowing can write themselves down at once
sure losers in Minneapolis
Situation in ST. Paul.
In st. Paul, though, the Western cannot
hope for support unless fast ball is pre-
scented, and so perhaps figuring that the
grade of ball will not come up to the
American sample, the western men plan
to lose only in one town instead of both
st. Paul and Minneapolis.
Watkins of Indianapolis and several
other American association leaders, are
now advocating a change in the circuit
adopted at the Chicago meeting. Watkins
wants Louisville substituted for Omaha.
Louisville has always believed that 1t
is entitled to major league ball, and last
season failed to support Walter Wilmot's
Western association team. Omaha, if the
papers may be believed, is satisfied with
the grade of ball presented by Mr..
ROIlrke'S DerfOrmerS.
1t is toss-up on the two towns. The
American might score a hit ia Louisville
and then again it might not. In Omaha
the fanatics are reported at the present
time as lined UP solid for Rourke. Per
haps the American with faster ball might
win them over, perhaps it might not.
Strange as it may seem, the Denver IA
natics are lining UP for Tebeau. They
claim that Tebeau has raised baseball in
the estimation of the Denver public, and
that for this reason they refuse to allow
the Western to send another magnate
inSo their town. 1t is understood in this
regard that the Denver point has not yet
been settled by the Western league. 1t Is
now said that Tebeau's Kansas City res
ignation only was accepted. The Western
refused to confirm the transfer of the
Denver franchise to him, but 1T adjourned
leaving this matter unsettled.