Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-20
BASE BALL SKIES ARE BRIGHT
Opening Season Shows Many Signs o.
Unusual Prosperity.
WESTERN READY FOR FIRST GAMES
start on Wednesday viii See All
the Teams In Good Condition
and Able to Play Ball
as Never Before.
"What,s the score2,.

"hal Nut score
On Thursday the National league opened
It's playing season before such crowds as
have not been present in years. New York
had $4,000 persons. Cincinnati had a record
attendance, over 10000, st. Louis had TO-
600, and Brooklyn 1900. over $4,000 people
at four games is certainly a most cncour-
aging beginning from the magnates' point
OF view. II indicates better than any words
the hold the game has on the American
people, and forecasts a successful season.
Another satisfying feature Of the situation
Is the character Of the ball played. Not:
in many years have the opening games
been so snappy and full Of life. At New
York the only Matthewson let Philadelphia
down without a rum to 0. The Pittsburg
champions and the teJuvenated st. Louis
team played l to o. Chicago beat Cincinnati
6 to 1. and Brooklyn beat Boston 2 to l..
Only eighteen runs in fout games looks
very much like midsummer ball. II
the contests are that hot already.
what will they be by the time the players
get well warmed up? The American
league, the Eastern. the Western. the
Americas association. the Three-I league
and a host Of minor leagues, are coming
on behind, and all over this broad land
the great American game has sway. For
hve months at least the crack of the bat,
the call OF the coacher and the cheers Of
the fanatics" will be heard in every COM
munity, and the man who doesn't talk base
ball-and he is very few and far between
will wish himself away on an Arctic ex-
petition or safe at the bottom Of an oil
well. Nobody cares for him, anyway.
With the very auspicious start of the big
league, and the splendid prospects for the
others, the heart Of the fan is light within
him, and he longeth for the 5ieachers even
as the hart panteth for the water brook. ="
On Wednesday the Western season opens,
with Milwaukee at Omaha, Peoria at Des
Moines, Kansas City at Colorado Springs
and st. Joseph at Denver. The teams arc
all in excellent condition and q lively race
Is expected from the very first day. It is
only natural that Des Moines. Peoria and
Milwaukee will be handicapped to some ex-
tent owing to the circumstances under
which these teams we're gotten together,
but the older members OF the league are
in excellent condition and the individual
roster Of the newer clubs is such as guaran-
tees their ability to make It at least in
terestine at the start and probably I'M
comfortably lively before the close of the
pennsnt season. On another page will
be found President Sections instructions
to his umpires, which will be read with
interest by players and public alike. 1t is
about as we'll digested and sensible a docu-
ment as ever emanated from a league presi-'
dent and shows that Sexton knows his bust
ness. II he will only stick to his present
attitude and eschew conversation until the
time comes, he will have the support of the
most loyal lot OF fan9 that ever backed a
magnate. Arlie Latham, Dan Stearns, a
A. a. a.a 4. NJ No.. -, ,La ,,u,.s,na
engaged for the season. Latham and
Stearns are well known in Omaha, Stearns
especially because Of his having played
here both with the local team and with the
Kansas City Blues in the good old days.
Persons who had the notion they were
not seeing the real thing when they pat
ronized the Western league games now
have an opportunity to revise their esti-
mates. viewing the number Of Western
league players who have made good with
the big leagues. Columns OF newspaper
praise are being devoted to Hulswitt,
Doom, Sammy strang, Johnny Killing,
Tommy Hughes, Miller, schafer, Congalton
and others who have gone from the West
ern into the National or the American.
These young men have gone in with the
stars Of the game, in many instances sue
Nctulhk VI buppldullHE Autult anu nav
proved that the coming generation under
stands the game thoroughly as well as the
passing. Moreover, they have made IL
just a trihe hard for some of the older
boys, for by playing ball they are com
Polling the aged ones to extend themselves.
which is a trihe difficult for a few OF those
who have so long depended on the magic
OF their names rather than ieetness OF
foot. strength OF arm and clearness Of eye
and brain. Many OF the youngsters will
be missed from the west, but their friends
wish them well in their new fields.
Kansas City is Just now suffering from
q bad ep~semic OF "rubberlegitls." the Dale
Gear team seeming to be most severely
afiicted. The latest victims are Ketchem
the outhelder. Robinson, the i~nhelder, and
hessit, the catcher, who went to sleep in
the Gear fold and woke up under the
blanket Of Jimmy Manning. Gear has said
he would not make any effort to get them
back. nor will he pursue them as he did
Jake weimer, into court with injunction