Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-22
" ASE BALL GOSSIP OF WEEK
RSuIks Family Still Headed in Wrong
Direction for Pennant.
HARD LUCK COMES IN HUGE Jumps
Twelve Defeats in Fourteen Games
the Record for Two Weeks,
but Fans stiI Look for
Better Things.

bdIh ~
Somebody has evidently given the Rourke
family the wrong steer. for they are not
only beaded in the wrong direction. but
are going ar fast that way as they we're
travelling the right road a little while back.
Fourteen games played and twelve lost is
q record to be ashamed OF, and yet that
Is what the Rourkites have accomplished
In the last two weeks. Several reasons
might be given in accounting for this
slump. One is hard luck. Omaha has had
Ste full seasons quota OF hard luck since
the beginning OF June and has taken ap-
parently the full force Of every blow that
evil chance has dealt. Game after game
that looked safe has been lost by some mis-
chance. Bad umpiring is another. Several
games have been registered against Omaha
because Of the fact that an incompetent
or unfair umpire has decided on plays in
such way a. to make 1t impossible for
Omaha to win. other teams have suffered
from the same causes, but not apparently
TO the same extent. The season is not
ever yet. though, and there is plenty Of
time for the Omaha team to redeem the
work Of the last two weeks, and followers
Of the teams fortunes have ample faith
that It will.
Denver. papers are bowling against. the
work Of Jud Moran as umpire. Just wait
tll they get a taste Of Arlie Latham's
work., and II they don't yell for Moran
back 1t will be funny. Omaha hasn't seen
Criss. the one-armed wonder from Chi
cago, but he must be pretty near the limit
n he is bad enough to move Johnny Con-
ding and Podge Alloway to commit every
thing but actual violence toward him.
Criss is directly charged with the loss OF
two OF the games at Colorado SpriL,s. In
one he sought to have Gonding removed
from the game and, grounds. but even Tom
Burns wouldn't stand for this. Criss had
already put Genlns and Calhoun out Of the
lot. He must be a wonder in his way.
Right here let It be stated for the edlh-
cation Of the Denver Times young man:
He is entitled to all the satisfaction he can
get out OF the three straight Omaha lost
at Denver. II the result had been the
ether way he would have been so busy ex-
planning that he wouldn't have had time to
feel bad. Omaha people are not worry
ing over the loss OF those games and will
give Denver a royal welcome when the
team comes here in July. But the Times
young man, when he gets through ~gloating
over the Omaha series, may learn some
thing by studying the scores piled up by
Des Moines against Denver. In fact, that's
q nut that will keep the best OF the dope
makers busy. Omaha beats Denver two
out OF three on the home grounds; beats
Des Moines three out Of four; Des Moines
drops two out Of three to Denver and two
out Of three to Omaha at Des Moines.
Omaha goes to Denver and loses three
straight and then Des Moines goes there
and wins two out of three In hollow fashion.
What do you make out OF 1t? Nothing fur
Their than what we all know, that base ball
IL a mighty uncertain game. In the mean
time Omaha fans are not worrying.
So far as statistics are concerned, the
last week has made little change in the
Omaha's showing. Bobby Carter has
slumped a little In his record, sticking in
two or three unfortunate errors. Frank
Genins. despite his playing at third base
while Hickey was out OF the game, has i'm
proved his average. Calhoun, Gonding and
Stewart have held their own and Joe Dolan
has fallen but seven points in spite Of six
hard games on the hardest grounds in the
country for q stranger to play on. Bat
ting averages show about the same as
last weeks and the figures given appear
to be about what the team is capable OF.
The only feature is that Podge Alloway
has added three more hits to his string.
The tables are:
BATTING AVERAGES.