Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-17
BASE BALL GOSSIP OF WEEK
omabAl Still Leading in a Mighty Clos,
Race for the Psnnant.
FINISH PROMISES TO Be VERY WARM
Kansas city, Denver, Milwaukee and
81. JOSEPH All bidders, but the
Schedule shows IL be-
& tween Two Teams.
Roasting high.

NOT so high that they can't be reached,
but 30 high that there are none others be-
tween them and the top. Rourke's Red
Legs haven't cut so. wide a swath on their
farewell trip as they did on previous en-
gagemeuts, but the wins have come often
enough to keep the boys at the head OF the
procession. And maybe you think that the
tight hasn't become a merry one. Omaha,
Kansas City. Denver, st. Joseph and Mil
waukee are all possibilities. Just now the
0rst three teams are 80 close together that
q single blanket would cover them. 1t is to
be one Of the p~rettiest finishes ever watched,
with all the teams on edge to the very last
moment. Omaha and Denver have a de-
qcided advantage in a long series Of games
ct home to wind up on, Denver being a little
the stronger in this regard. the Grizzlies
card calling for twenty-one straight games
on the home grounds. beginning on August
~, Omaha stu has twenty-one games
scheduled for home. but the string is broken
by a series at Des Moines and a final trip
to the mountains. Kansas City has but
thirteen more games to play on the home
grounds, including today's. and will be
away from home from September 1 to the
hnish. winding up at Denver on September
~. Milwaukee still has thirteen games to
play at home, and winds up at Omaha on
September %. st. Joseph is In the same
hx. II the schedule and the record Of the
season so far is any indication, the fight
Is between Omaha and Denver. Omaha has
shown up stronger on the road than Denver,
but has not been able to win so large a per-
.centags Of James at home. However, we
get one more crack at each team in the
bunch on the home grounds, and II we don't
land the pennant It will be because we can't,
not because we DOM try for 1t.
One of the really funny things OF the week
was the awful yell from the Denver Times
young man about games being thrown. be-
cause the Grizzlies got licked at Kansas
City and st. Joseph. He seemed to be i'm
bued with the idea that the Grizzlies ought
70 go right on making a m holiday OF
the other teams, just as had been done at
Denver. Aside from amusing people, his
yswp had no other effect than to show
how little he really knows about base ball
as q game. Nothing could be more abb
surd than to charge that games are thrown
70 the. home team merely to attract attend
ence. To start with, only one town in the
circuit patronizes base ball solely TO see
the home team win. That Is Denver. In
S 6if the other towns the people go out to see
L a20 gaAAH 1a ~ RAN&1<1 N@ 49,
game, no matter which team wins. AS an
illustration of how foolish the assertion is.
/ Omaha has gone twice over the eastern half
Of the circuit, winning a large majority of
= the games each time and drawing tho big
gest crowds that have turned out TO see
4 any Of the teams, merely because the people
Know that when Omaha comes to town
there'n be a ball game, no matter
which team wins. Denver hasn't got a
good road team. This has been demon
strated beyond any room for doubt. While
/. the Denver team contains a number OF good
Individual players, It lacks in the very es-
sential feature OF team harmony. Players
do not support each other as they should
70 gain the best results, and this fault,
overlooked at home, becomes glazing on
the road. where the inspiration of a friendly
crowd is missing. In the first series
played by Denver in Omaha this season
this spirit was shown. AS soon as Omaha
got a lead and the fate OF the gam seemed
settled, the Grizzlies began to sulk and
loaf, and the snap all died out Of what
had been a good contest, thousands OF
spectators leaving Disguised. On the sec
ond visit a repetition OF this performance
was had. In nom Of the games did the
Grizzlies fight till the end. That they are
up to their old tricks is apparent by the
fact that three out OF four games lost to
Kansas City and st. Joseph went in the
ninth inning. To be plain. the Grlsglie'
are a bunch Of cutters. II they could take
A. B. Gray and two or three more OF this
Tnegaphone fends who infest the Broadway
grounds and make, the patients in the
County hospital wish they were dead or
days when the team is at home. could taxi
that gravel diamond and light atmosphere
with them. and an umpire in whom they
have confidence Qf such an umpire exists
they might make a better showing thar
they are likely to under the present con.
.ditlons.s But the knockers will still knock
~ When George Stone. goes to the Boston
American league team Nebraska will have
added another to a long list OF players VIII
have glistened in fast company by reason
of their u~nerring judgment in the FIELD
D and at the bat. Stone lie a youngster with
q great deal 20 learn about the game anC
j is going In with a bunch that has the nam,
of being hard company for a beginner. HI
has had a decided advantage during thu
present eason through being associated
with a team OF veterans. men Of estab
Iished reputation as ball players. who hav'
taught him all he could learn in one season
With, this he viii go into faster compan!
fairly we'll equipped. and with anything