Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-16
SPORTING GOSSIP OF WEEK
Omaha Comes Back from West with Record
Of Victories.
COLORADO SPRINGS GOES TO CEMETERY
"DOwn Among the Dead onesD IL the
soma for Little Lunnon while
Pueblo takes Up the
Burden.

Pueblo Takes Up the
Burden.
Best IN years.
4 1T has been exactly I'VE years since
| Omaha went 70 Denver and won three
games out Of four. That was in 1900. when
Nthe league was young thing and Tommy
Hughes was puzzling the batters Last
week Jack Pfiester. Eddie Quick and War
Sanders turned the trick again and put
Omaha on to the good once more in Colo
RADIO. The douDle-header on Sunday, won
by Pnester and Quick, created more real
enthusiasm here than we have enjoyed this
season. Misfortune overlook the bunch at
Colorado Springs, where one game was
won, one was tied and one was lost. Judged
by the reports that came trickling through
from the scene of Tommy Burns downfall
as magnate, the Champions evidently
sympathlzed with the Orphans, and were
too kindly disposed to think of jumping on
them In their hour of bereavement Now,
II that had been Des Moines. the bereaved
Burns band would have been hammered
Into the ground and then some. But It
pays to be lenent with the weak and let IL
30 at that. 1t is up to the fans to hold
fast for few days now and pray that
Pueblo will make good and keep the six
club circuit intact for the rest of the sea-
son.
Colorado Springs second detection was
distinct disappointment in a way, but II
has proved beyond any doubt that the peo-
pie there do not want base ball. For a few
games after the team returned home some
pretty fair crowds turned out but since the
Fourth the attendance has been back TO
guarantee figures and visiting teams have
been more than discouraged. Team own
ers do not care TO keep on calling at a
town year after year where they are only
going to get money for hotel bills, with
nothing for salaries, hotel expenses and in
cidentals, The people Of Colorado Springs
have seemingly forgotten that II costs
Omaha or Des Moines or any of the other
towns much to maintain team at Colo
RADIO Springs as It does at home, for the
hotel bills abroad equal the expense of the
grounds at home, and that the only way to
meet this expense is by the gate receipts.
For two years the Springs team has been
making the eastern trip and drawing thou
sands to the grounds, the management re-
ceiving hundreds of dollars as Its share
OF the admission fee, while at home only
hundreds were out 20 see the Springs team
play and the visiting manager has been
handed again and again the stipulated
guarantee, which barely meets the daily
bill of the team at medium priced hotel
No amount OF appeal has changed the pub
lie attitude toward the game, and the only
rational conclusion is that the people do
not want 1t. And so the Western league
magnates have determined that Il win not
be forced on them any longer than is abso-
lutely necessary.
sort of poetic justice or retribution, or
something like that, tinges the return of
the franchise to Pueblo. Five years ago
Pueblo had a franchise In the Western
league and was putting up a very fair ar
eicle of base ball, and doing fairly well.
Billy Hulen, a protege Of George Tebeau,
was then manager and owner of the team.
Colorado Springs wanted base ball, or
thought so at least; or maybe Hulen and
Tebeau saw an easy spot; at any rate the
team was transferred to Colorado Springs
and the big show was on, with the eight
club league, Sioux City and Pueblo dropped,
and st. Paul, Minneapolis, Kansas City ana
Colorado Springs added TO the circuit.
Hulen only made a little over million
dollars that summer at the Springs. which
was hardly necktie money for him, so
when the end of the season came and Tom
Hickey and Tebeau were ready to spring
the new American association circuit, which
was to give Tebeau control of two great
franchise to Tommy Burns for 81 800 Burns
didn't know as much about base ball then
as he does now, and was somewhat per-
turbed few days after he had made the
deal to find that he didn't even have bat
bag or a felders nit to show for the
amoney he handed over to Hulen, and
which was promptly split between him and
foxy Whitewings. Then came the war; the
ME and vanBrunt' campaign, and the
deluge. And now Pueblo has the franchise
again Several thousand fans will be glad
to know this.
The work that is now being done by the
Omaha pitchers Is surely entitled to rank
with the highest, The splendid ability
shown by the whole corps is such as &c
almost prohibit individual comment. While
the records show. that Phester has wor
more games and that McCloskey is the
loser, those who have ltched the work
of the men and the work Of the team be-
hind them make little choice between thS
two. McCloskey is still youngster, and
can not as yet patiently abide the sigh
OF base runner nor has he reached thai
point where he can look on an awkward
fielding blunder with equanimity. WheT
he gets 50 he can stand to have one or twI
hits made of him, or can set his tectl
and never mind a foozle by a fielder, ~
will be a wonder. He has speed and con
troll even to a greater degree than thu
veteran, but he lacks experience. Pheste
Is In many ways one of the most provok
ing of pitchers. He has the most deoeptiv
lot OF curves In the Western league, ant
has fairly good control of them, with am
pie speed to make them effective. II