Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-13
BASE BALL GOSSIP OF WEEK
Omaha Travels Easy at Head Of the
Western League.
DENVER MANS DIseRkctFUL CONDUCT
Parke Wilson's Rowdy Action Likely
10 Go Unpublished Because Of
President Sections Lack
of Backbone.


Isn't II niceI
omahA's gait at present is the nice. even
pace set in the spring. which the other
teams found 80 fast. It's the same old
team, playing the some old ball. All the
other teams have strengthened" from time
to time, changing positions, getting new
players. releasing Old. and doing everything
possible, 1t would seem, to hit the pace,
but none have landed. When the Omaha
team was first named, before the season
opened, The Bee pronounced II the fastest
fielding team in the league. Actual events
have demonstrated the correctness Of that
prediction. Only two changes have been
made In the working team during the sea-
son. Stone succeeded Fleming in left, and
Thomas had to go to FIRST when Calhoun
weat to the hospital. More or less hard
luck. accidents incident to the game, has
overtaken the team, but the players have
all stuck, and are playing Just the sort OF
ball they promised to In the spring. Not
q team In the league has shown anything to
compare with Omaha In the consistency of
its work. During the one awful slump In
June, the batting and fielding Of Omaha
was the same as It has been, and while
hollow-eyed defeat was the teams portion
day after day, none of the players lost
heart, but all went into the game with
vim, 30 when the turn did come they were
ready to take advantage Of every chance.
How well this worked is shown by the fact
that the victory over Milwaukee on Friday
was the sixth consecutive win OF
the week, and made the record
fifteen out OF the last sixteen games
I'D to that date. Denver got the one vic
tory over the Omaha team since June "a
In that time Omaha has beaten Peoria
four times, ST. Joseph three, Kansas City
three, Denver three, Colorado Springs two
and Milwaukee one. When Omaha left
Milwaukee after the game Of June %, 1t wat
third In the race with a percentage Of $3.50
Now 1t is leading by the widest margin o.
the year, and has gained nearly
100 points in percentage. It's actua
percentage Of victories for the three
weeks Is 1897, which is certainly
q c~hampfonship. gait, 1t may be- al
luck, as some Of the others suggest, bu
those who have watched the affair closet!
will admit that good ball playing has hat
something to do with IT.. Omaha hasn'
won the pennant yet, and may not win 1t
but the patrons Of the game along tn
Western league circuit can thank Bill
Rourke for the efforts the other manager
are making to strengthen their teams. 1
will take : strong team to head the Rourk
family, anu buhb mCah9 mAbhhy . bea
tor the Western.
Last week was a terror for the Oman
batters. Eyler. Omaha's time trie
and IRE tested koodoo, cut in arst, an
then came McClosky and Whitridge, an
after them Jones and Newmeyer, so that
II hadn't been for Kenna and Fricken O.
Friday the Omaha batting averages for tn
L.-l ..~,tS ho,o Ioo1yoA xalohfo aIapdar
Stone was at bat twenty-five lines an
only got elk hits. This is because the pitch
ers are all laying for him. But II tn
Omaha players didn't pile UP many hiti
none OF the others did, either. Denver &c
at Alloway for a nice bunch, but the res
Of the crew held the visitors down, to yer
few, the Grizzly sluggers getting but 81
clean hits and nve scratches In three game
During the week the fielding Of the teal
was Of the same high order It has bee
all season. The statistics are: