Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-21
IOWA SPORTS TALK.
Burlington and Waterloo Are
Wondering What "Hoodoo"
Hangs over Losing Clubs
BURLINGTON MANAGER BLAMED
Sullivan Who Had Men Before Other
Cities Had Franchise Is "Up
Against" Popular opinion-Waterloo
Threatens to Let Myers Gothic
knocker Is Abroad.

knocker Is Abroad.
The second week of the new league
has come and gone, and has brought
With 1t several things of Importance.
Principally among them is the fact.
that both Waterloo and Burlington,
often touled by their supporters as the
best ever have screws loose in their
machinery somewhere, and have not
been playing winning ball This was
guessed a t last week, but now no longer
remains an uncertainty. That both
have played in hard luck is
beyond question, which may in part,
account tor their standing. but there
seems to be other things lacking. In
Burlington it is claimed, rnismanage-
ment is the trouble. and in Waterloo
they are still looking for the "Microbe
OF Myers loosing distemper
The peculiar thing about it all Is
that these two towns had their man
ayers, and their managers had part
OF their teams even before the league
was formed. Now these two who sign
ed so many men, and released more
than most of the teams have now on
their pay roll. are in dlsfavor. 1t
would seem queer that If Sullivan
lacks the head for mana cement, the
fact had not been discovered long ago
The Burlington men backing the club
are cernlinly capable, it would seem.
of forejudging matter of this kind to
some extent. The case is similar. but
not quite SO aggravated In Waterloo.
Myers was there last summer with his
independent team. which skinned
them ALL and they thought him the
only manager on earth. In other COM
pany they now refer 10 him as being
'.an also ran" 1t makes all the differ
ence in the world the company man
keeps, If he would be popular.
Not content with having a losing
team. the pa pers of these two towns.
must neads rant and rave and roast
players, managers and every one con-
cerned. There is always a tendency TO
Jump on the man who is down espec-
tally # he be the fellow you once
lauded as the only lit" But If there
ever was an instance when rubbing de-
feat in by caustic criticism produced
future Victories. it is yet to be heard
from. The fellow who loses, If he be
half white man, feels bad enough
after being walloped without having
some one add additional gall to his al
ready bitter dose. 1t is liable to make
him moose and hostile, and foster
spirit of don't care that may bring
nothing but defeat and disaster. Ii the
manage ment Is poor, why change il.
not all The managers are employed. No
one has corner on the market, but
why talk about 1t so much. Let re-
leases take the place of ''roastss' and
boosts the place of boodngs, If the
clubs are to succeed, and the league is
TO be a success.
All this roasting" does no good. it
not even relieves the brain that creates
ii. Let these towns and others SINH
iiarly affected boost not knock. oska-
loosa seems to have seen some hard
lines along the losing side, but TO the
credit of the press and public or that
city it mas been encouragement and lot
fierce denunciations that have been
heard There are plenty of those carp
ing one.; in the state, who would, 1t
seems, ike nothing better than see this
Iowa league go up against" 1t good
and proper, without papers OF the
towns n the circuit taking hand IN
the tearing down process. 1t would
seem a 5 tho some considered this the
closing week of the season instead OF
the first week after the opening. Who
can tell where Waterloo or Burlington
NAV be in month from now, ii their
supporters are only game enough to
grin thru these losing days and bear it.
Why ottumwa. which has a good
team. should hold within its limits any
one WHO seas future pleasure in the
failure of the Iowa state league is hard
TO understand Yet this statement was
published under head lines there.
that the league will see its funeral in
June. and be forgotten in July. Well.
suppose IL does, what will Outunwa
gain by 1t? BY the statement referred
to one might think that some great
benefit was to be the result for that
city especially when it did hit the CELL
ing.
Another thing that has been espec-
tally noticeable to the northern towns
is the biased and unfair reports OF
games won by the teams which have
been playing in the south. Almost in
variabgy the stories have read that the
home club gave the game away. Judg-
ing by them the northern teams have
won NO legitimate victories, but have
been able TO take only those that were
given 10 them. In a spirit of fairness
to the teams as we'll as the cities they
represent it would seem that 1t might
be possible to get a fair and unbiased
report whether won or lost. 1t would
not be hard to give credit where credit
was due and place blame where it be-
longed.
YOUR Hal