Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-23
WORK FOR ROURKITES
Omaha League Team Has Preliminary
Season Of Fourteen Games.
THEN PERHAPS ONE WITH PrTTsBURe
SPAS" Family VIII Get Together in
h City Next Saturday and
sunday-some Members
Already Here.

Though the schedule season Of the West
ern league base ball games does not begin
till April %. W. A. RouTke. manager Of
the Omaha team. has completed arrange
ments for showing OF his colts to the local
fans before that time. For the month OF
April previous to the first league date
Papa BIZ now has fourteen games
cinched, with a fifteenth in view. More
over, all but three Of these contests will
be played on the Vinton street park grounds
in this city.
The breakaway will be with the Originals,
an Omaha team Of years standing, and
this will be for two contests on April 5
and s. Then the leaguers will go to Lin
coin for three games with the first team
OF the University Of Nebraska on April T.,
8 and Q. These contests will occur on Uni
versity field, and will be among the most
valuable OF all preliminary games for the
Omaha team in the way OF workouts, since
the collegians always offer a pretty fair
team and try hard to win. Games with
the university aggregation are regular an
nual affairs now, and are always relished
By the Omaha boys.
Then comes nine straight games in
Omaha, and possibly ten. Creighton uni
versity is scheduled for the 10th and 18th
OF the month. the Des Moines league team
for the 18th ard 18th, the University OF
Nebraska In a return meet on the 18th and
18th. and Belden Hills team Of Cedar Rap
ids, Ia. in the 'Three-I" league for April
Is, IS and 20.
May BE n Pittsburg Game.
The possible game is with Pittsburg. and
will occur either on April IA or IL, II at
all. This team is now in training at Hot
Springs, Ark, and plays in st. Jospeh on
April II and 10 with that Western league
team. Manager Rourke has been assured
that he will be given a game on one Of
these dates II the Pittsburg team does not
open its regular season in the east earlier
than April 20. as now planned.
This Pittsburg game should prove easily
the best Of all the preliminary matches,
since II has become impossible to take on
the Chicago White Stockings or the New
York City cation. as was hoped.
Rourke had a half promise Of games on
April II and 13 with Comiskey's men, but
the deal fell through later. as kid"
Nlchols showed that he had first call on
the Chicago men for Kansas City, and
they will now play his Western league team
there instead.
Rourke says that his players will arrive
about next Saturday and Sunday, though
AAA VI thCa HaN NJ w ~ Sho ~ Oh n
LIST Of April. He has just received a letter
from Ace Stewart at Terre Haute. Ind.
who will play second base again. Stewart
writes that he is very anxious to report for
duty. and is only waiting for the time. He
will bring with him Left Fielder Carter,
who Is also there just now. and Brown,
the new pitcher. who played with Terre
Haute last year.
TroubIe About Brown.
There is going to be some trouble about
that man Brown said Mr.. Rourke. "Terre
Haute claims him still. and insists on keep
ing him. But he will report here all right
and I'll keep him. Terre Haute is trying
to hold him when they have no contract
with him there"
The ideal weather has had all the base
ball players In town out the last few days
Yesterday four Oman team players were
at work. They we're: Catchers Gondinl
and Hayes. First Baseman Calhoun and
Shortstop Dolan. With them were Free
land Of the New Orleans nine. McAndrewI
of the Milwaukee bunch and Sam Craw'