Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-10
SPORTING GOSSIP OF WEEK
Omaha Certain to Finish in Third Place
OF Better This Year.
LEAD LOST FOR LACK OF A FEW HITS
sixteen Games that Wight Have Been
Won by Timely single
Cost Champions the
Championship.

Third place.
That appears 20 Be the billet for the
champions this season. II might have been
second, or maybe better but for the hard
luck that followed the bunch from the
fret day down 10 the present Just
little hitting would have made all the
difference in the world. Sixteen Of the
games Omaha has lost this season have
been lost by a single run. and in each OF
these there were times when a safe hit
would have sent home two runs or more
than enough TO win. II YOU adjust the
balance Of the Omaha team on this basis
1t would be perched in first place by a
small margin. Two games were lost 10
Des Moines by the merest turn Of luck,
one through Martins failure to handle an
easy hit grUunder, and the other through
McCloskey's inability 10 play left field. and
II these had gone right. what a difference
II would have made. But a post mortem"
is unsatisfactory; II Omaha had won the
pennant again the Rourke family would
have been champions for 1906. but Omaha
didn't win the pennant, and it wasn't the
fault OF Papa Bill either Next year the
tribe Of Rourke will be making the rest
Of them hustle just the same.
.
Omaha was jolted pretty hard by the
hAoaAs hNAlNHhfe anu oiIlnhe DelnB Two
mighty hard men to replace. but Manager
Rourke had been looking for something Of
that sort, and has already several young
fellows under leash for next season. He
may not get star like Slugger Bill right
away, but he will not be found without
some one to play the bag Some explana-
ton should be made Of the Pfelster case
as great many OF the local fans are
wondering why Big Jack was not taken.
After his deal with the Chicago Nationals
fell through. the Hart management thought
10 save about half the purchase price by
drafting him. II so turned out that three
drafts were made from the Omaha team,
1 while but two are allowed under the rule.
In this case the dispute is decided by lot,
tSand Cleveland and Philadelphia won
Schipke and McCloskey. and Chicago was
left, a proper result for not taking Pfeister
at the start instead Of trying to draft him.
Big Jack now has a deal on with a Ma
tionA league club, the outcome Of which
will not be known for some time. The
manager wants Pfeister bad enough, but
does not want TO meet him on salary
terms. II must be understood that Pfeis-
ter is not under reserve to Omaha. and
, has full control OF his own movements
= after the playing season closes. He was
subject to draft, but not TO sale. and the
negotiations with Chicago were carried on
through Rourke with Pfeister's consent.
The deal now on is Of Pfeister's own ar
rangement. He has told Rourke that he
viii play in Omaha next season If he does
not get his terms from the big league. He
Is anxious to go up, but he wants the
money II he goes. His $3.50 per month in
Omaha looks much better than the same
sum in National league town, and II he
goes It will be for just double the salary
he is now getting. Pfeister is the king pin
south-paw Of the country today, and the
team that gets him will have a star and a
money bringer.