Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-03
SPORTING GOSSIP OF WEEK
Hard Luck Takes Final swipo at the
ROurke Family,
TWO GOOD PITCHERS LAID ON SHELF
Pfeister Out of Game Maybe for
season and Hall Down with
bad Shoulder, but May
Pitch Again.

h"u Shouiaers DuN Way
Pitch Again.
Hard luck, which has pursued the Omaha
team with more or less persistency during
the entire season, eliminated during the
last week, depriving the team OF the as
sistance Of two pitchers and one infielder
at a time when they were most needed II
may not be difficult for Rourke to supply
the place of Frank Martin, but 1t is going
to be very hard for him to get men to
takes the places OF Pfeister, admittedly the
best pitcher in the league and Hail. who
was making wonderful showing for
Omaha, having won six OF the seven games
In which he ofiiciated. Big Jack is having
a tussle with fever and will probably not
pitch again this year, but Halls injured
shoulder may come to in time to let him
get back for some of the important games.
Quick and McCloskey took up the burden
laid upon them with very good grace and
made fairly good showing, while Kelley
WEIGH, who came from Grand Island, did
a notable job of twirling in the one game
he was in. Frank Martin ended a sum
mer Of more or less open INSTRUMENTATION
by getting beautifully loaded, dumping a
game to Des Moines by his Indifferent
work, and then jumping town. II ever a
player deserved condign punishment, Mar
tin has earned it. He was well treated
here, and his remarkable fielding had made
him favorite with the fans in spite of
his poor work at the bat He is a really
brilliant fielder and can hold his own I'm
almost any company in this regard, but
he is possessed of an ungovernable temper
and makes hut little effort to control him
self on the field or or Several of the
defeats suffered during the season were
directly due to Martins failure to control
himself at critical times 1t is altogether
likely that Manager Rourke will pursue
his policy of forgiveness and will let this
recalcitrant young man off with no punish
ment whatever
Des Moines has nailed the flag to the
1 pole, and even the shouting seems to be
, ever there. Omaha still has a chance to
finish even as good as second. with ma
jority of the remaining games to be played
on the home grounds, and Rourke will
make the fight of his life to bring his team
up as near the top as possible. The loss
of two serviceable pitchers at the time
when the closing series with the leaders
was being played was a great disappoint
ment to Papa Bill, who had set his heart
on winning the seasons series from Des
Moines, but he had to be content with
though, is a better showing than any OF
the rest will make, and he can be consoled
with that. The other teams Will all be
here again, and the closing games will be
as important as any. Sioux City is making
its farewell bow, and the hustling Packers,
who have been the closest rivals of the
Champions all season, ought TO have ca
pacity crowds this afternoon and tomorrow.
-
One of the eastern experts who periodic
ally displays his knowledge of the game
through the columns of a western weekly
has semblance of a At in the latest issue
OF that publication over the prices owners
in the major leagues are compelled to pay
for minor league players. The minor
Lacquer is not worth even the draft price,
asserts this authority. and that the major
leaguers submit to the extortion IL simply
an evidence of weakness or unexampled
generosity. Probably the latter, but IL the
eastern man, who lives in a town about as
big as Council Bluffs, had his way the
minor league magnate would get but little
for the man he has developed. Every minor
league owner ought to get a copy of that
article and read 1t, just to get an idea OF
the fool notions that are sometimes sprung
seriously in regard TO base ball. Why
should a player be counted valuable
asset " a HldJut ltdb ut anu IOl " a. IlllloE 7
Have you ever heard of a big league man
letting go of player 10 a minor league I'M
less a good price was paid? And. II this is
So why shouldn't minor league player
bring a good price TO his team owner? It
is true that some minor leaguers have gold
T. hricked some of the majors most unmerci-
. fully, and the average fan who knows any
thing at all about the game has no hesita-
ton In naming George Tebeau and Joe
Cantillon as a pair of the most noted OF
these bunco men, but It is not true that
the owners in the little leagues throughout
the country are engaged systematically in
the business of holding up the big clubs. II
the owner OF big club would come out to
Omaha and take away part OF the grand
stand or the fence from Vinton park he
would do some damage that could easily
be repaired but II he would come out here
and grab Bill Schipke Jack Pfeister or
Johnny Gonding out OF the game he would
do a double damage, and much time would
elapse before either end Of II could be rec
titled. These men are good ball players and
their absence from the team would weaken
II materially and thereby arfect its drawing
quality. Moreover. each is locally popu-
lar and the patrons who know them are at
tracted to the grounds in hope OF seeing
them play. A stranger would probably be
hDle 10 play as EOou Ddlls out ne would
have 20 be here some time before he would
be firmly enough ensconced In popular esti-
nation 20 draw extra quarters into the box
once. And that is why a minor league
manager is entitled TO good money for a
player, even II he is not a star. II he de-
velopes into a star he becomes a valuable
asset to the big team, because people go I,
see him play. This is the same rule only
stepped up.
The shrek OF this eastern quid nunc Il
undoubtedly inspired by the criticisms
printed in many OF the minor league papers
on the Ban Johnson idea OF raiding the
minor league teams once year under the
double draft rule. The minors are getting
their eyes open 70 the real intent OF this
scheme. and are coming 10 see that Howard
Grihth is not such an enemy Of base bal
as the fuglemen Of the American league
would like 70 have It appear. They car
call Grihith the human photograph, and
speer at his EFFORTS TO stir up a revolution
but Il is not an unlikely condition that the
meeting OF the association in November
will have before IL some more pronounced
legislation on this draft matter than thS
resolution that started the trouble. Tn,
minor league owners are not inclined {,
be hoggish hut they do want Sometime