Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-07-08
SPORTING GOSSIP OF WEEK
Omaha Team Making Better Showing in
Every Department.
PLAYERS ALL ANXIOUS TO WIN GAMES
Loss of Two on the Fourth Not Dis
cOuraEing and Faot that Pitchers
Are Doing Better Helps
a Some.


on the Fourth made Omaha fans grunt as
nothing else has this season, but 1t couldn't
be helped. Omaha wasn't alone In the muss,
though, for Lincoln and Denver each lost
two games at home on the Fourth, and look
what Chicago did to Pittsburg. This just
goes to show that home players can get
too anxious to win, and that is what was
the trouble with Omaha on wednesday.
1t is all right to say that a professional
ball player ought to be proof against stage
fright, but he isn't any more than any one
else. He is eager to win at all times, and
when he sees the grandstand filled with
loyal, roofing friends, and the bleachers a
bowling mass OF supporting cranks, he Is
Just crazy 70 pull on a play. The result is
he is overstrung, and his nervousness leads
him into blunders he wouldn't make under
ordinary circumstances The opposing
team is just anxious to win, maybe, but
It isn't overwrought by a desire to excel
in presence OF the crowd, and this gives
II much the better of the situation. The
tribe OF Rourke played good ball, II It did
lose, and the games were worth all that
anyone payed to get into the grounds. The
magnificent crowds show the interest Of
the public in the game and the apprecia-
ton was proven by the applause that
greeted every play. Omaha loves good ball.
even II the home team does lose.
The Rourke family pitchers are showing
some Improvement, and It is not impossible
that they may yet make the leaders trouble
The Des Moines bunch got OF very lucky
during its visit to Omaha, and at that had
all II could do TO win. Dodge pitched a
very pretty game in the morning and II he
had fielded his position with zeal he might
have won. The hit that settled the game in
Des Moines' favor was through the box,
and looked as If Dodge should have stopped
1T. Corns pitched a fine game against the
Pueblo sluggers, striking out thirteen of
4 them, and otherwise gave indications that
he has arrived 1t seems II he is going
TO develop all at once. Ayres has not yet
been paraded for a game, but Rourke says
he has everything. and will give a show
before an Omaha crowd at the first oppor-
tunity. This Is where the weakness OF the
team has been, and II It can be remedied
the Rourke family will get up alongside
! Fthe Champions before the end OF the season.
J %
Some Of the local fans have pretended
TO believe that the "spuds' could not stand
the gan and that the pace they have cut
In the national race is too strong for
them. This may be, but the series with
Cincinnati and Pittsburg looks as II the
Chance bunch had something. Here Is
the record for a week: Thursday with
Cincinnati, lost. to 2; Saturday, won,
to i: Sunday, won, to o; Monday, lost,
to L; Wednesday, with Pittsburg, won
twice, to O. II that Is not going some,
what is? Six games played, four won
and the biggest score made, to l. 1t
surely does look like Chicago had the
goods this season. Murphy has not been
at all stingy, either, for he has given Gin
cinnau its best pitchers in Weimer and
Wicker and St. Louis a winner in Beebe.
The Ban Johnson bunch may make fun
Of Chubby Charlie" but it's not at all
unlikely that they will change their tune
when their leading team, which will prob
ably be Cleveland, plays for the worlds
championship with the Cubs Murphy and
Chance are surely making a record, even
for Chicago this season.
Howard is hard at work Justifyinlg
Rourke's statement that he is a ball
player. His work for the last two weeks
has been of the gilt-edged variety, and
he shows every symptom OF continuing
It. He IL fast and sure in the field, a
hard worker and getting to be very relia-
BILE. At the bat he is learning to pick
them out, and his hitting will surely be
a feature. Moreover. he is tractable and
q is willing to listen to advice from the head
OF the team and is learning fast the
points a Dase Ddll payer neeuS 10 hhoW'
- The general opinion of the fans now Is
that he is already a better ball player
than his brother and that he will yet be
better batter Like Perring at third,
he is far and away the best second base
man in the Western league. He suf-
fered somewhat during the early games
OF the sea son from lameness, but this has
\ all gone and he is daily eating up base
hits and making quick throws from all
= positions with a certainty that gets him
many rounds Of applause. II he keeps or
the way he is going he is sure to be star
in the game.
with the coming of Manager Wilkins OF
the Horse show and the fixing OF the prize
list, Omaha owners are beginning TO hs-
ure on the prospects OF the fall. Several
new owners have been added to the list OF
Omaha men who will show and the pros
poets are the local entries will be larger
than heretofore. The purses. aggregatinE
S11.2B. will be enough inducement to brinl
the best there is and with the complete
circuit 10 which Omaha now is lined VI
the foreign owner will surely come. The
circuit now stands IN this order with nc
week intervening: Louisville, st. Louis
Kansas City, Omaha and Chicago. Louis
Vile and Kansas City have been getting
the best heretofore and II they show there
this year they will surely come to Omaha
for they might as well take in the dollars
which are hung up by the Omaha directors
-
The Transmississipp golf tournament
surely gave golf quite boost in Omaha
The links have been crowded ever sine,
with players trying 10 emulate the exampl'
OF the cracks who were here on that ocea
sion. Seeing the best In the west play tn,
golfers seem 10 realize that II Is simply
matter OF practice and that some OF thes'
sharks cannot hit the ball harder nor driv,
farther nor putt longer than they; the!
simply do Il more often and hit their bes
ball more times than the noviees. Tn
Field club team was given an awful trim
ming at the Country club on the gloriou
Fourth and they do not know how Il al
happened. Every man but four was givei
beating he will remember for a time. IN
Country club players were laying for re
venge for the defeat OF the former mattel
and they surely got II. The new links a
the Field club we're opened Tuesday AM
were used in play on the Fourth. All tn
players were enthusiastic enough over tn