Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-04-30
IOWA SPORTS TALK
But One Week More Until the
Teams of the League Will
Be Hard at 1t
SEASON OPENS ON MAY
A Few of the Mines Have Come To-
eether During the Week, But Little
Can Sc Cleaned by the Results -
Burlington and keokuk Hindered by
Wet Weather-Revival Of the Game.

Wet Weather-RevivaI Of the Game.
Affairs with the Iowa State League
have taken rapid strides forward dur
Ing the past week toward the goal for
which all have been striving. May 9,
the opening date of the season. In one
more week the teams will be at 1t and
until then it is purely guess work to
even attempt to place the mines. All
have been declared pennant winners by
their respective supporters, and to list
en- to the talk one cannot help but be
led to believe that one pennant will not
be sufficient for all. But time will
tell. and those that have opened with
noise and blare may finish in silence
and away down the percentage column.
Dark horses are due to appear before
the three quarters pole Is reached and
may carry things with them in the rush
to the finish.
Some little line, and still 1t really does
not amount to much, and is worthy OF
but little dependence being put In 1t,
has been shown up by the games thai
have been played by part of the teams
during the week past. Waterloo, Mar
shutdown, Oskaloosa and Ottumwa
have matched strength against like OPP
ponents. Cedar Rapids beat Mar
shutdown. Waterloo was beaten twice
by the same team, and yet while Mar.
shalltown was able to win three
straight from Oskaloosa, Waterloo lost
the first game to that team. Mar.
shalltown went down before Ottumwa
in game Friday that was arranged
on short notice, and so 1t goes this
one losing to the other and the latter
in turn winning from team suppose !
and credited with being fast.
From reports it would seem as tho
neither Burlington or keokuk were
liable to be In the best OF condition
by the opening date. Wet weather.
that has made the park of the first
named city a mire. and has rendered
that OF the isltter impossible for usa,
has greatly interfered. Burlington was
left, but a few days ago. without an
other practice game before the season
opened. During recent dates additional
ones may have been secured, but II
isn't at all likely for teams Of the
Three-I, their principal source OF
practice for the ante-season games,
are now all busy with troubles OF their
own. keokuk is similarly fixed but not
so badly so. For this reason 1t might
seem as tho the showing OF those
towns would not perhaps be as good as
some others during the early weeks
after May 8.
The spirit that in olden days fostered
the game has been born again by the
Iowa State League. Three months ago
in the average town Of the circuit il
became almost necessary to rope and
hog tie man in order to have him
evince any but passing interest in the
game. Now anxious fans" crowd
about bulletin boards, and crane their
necks that they may .see the result of
the home clubs game or that of other
mines of the league. And this before
the season has even opened. 1t is
safe assertion. and one that can scarce
ly be denied that the national game has
been awakened by this new league in
Iowa, and has taken a squirt such as it
never experienced before. A lot OF this
has been due to the newspapers of
the circuit, which have boosted their
respective teams. Most literally they
have contributed, and are justly deserv-
ing of not a little OF the credit.
The day OF the bullhead fisherman
is here. and he, like the Shiny denison
that he loves to snag. has sort of cast
off his winter air of Information and
come forth to view the land. With the
first warm days Of April he goes
abroad, with an old cane pole and any
old kind of a line; with rusty can i'll
whose bottom struggle slim and I'M
der-fed worms. But he is in his glory
IL they are biting and a sunny bank.
with the bull heads thick, viii tickle
his inmost soul, as does a new toy
that Of a child. It's a peculiar fact
that the average bull head angler cares
nothing for other fish. Bass may be
better pike may strike harder, what
cares he. It's the lazy mans game and
the lazy mans fish, SO he is happy.