Omaha daily bee., 1906-03-18
SPORTING GOSSIP OF WEEK
Fortnight Only Separates Rourke from
Joyous Reunion.
LOCAL OUTLOOK BRIGHTEST IN YEARS
Omaha Team Has Promising Lot Of
Youngsters and Papa Bill
Promises His Annual
Surprise Party.


Two weeks
Fourteen days more and the Rourke
family will have again assembled around
where Pa hands out the pay checks, and
the work Of getting team ready for the
summers campaign will be under way.
Mr.. Rourke is pleased with his prospects
as never before and looks forward with
great confidence to the playing season, feel
ing sure that he will spring his annual sur
prise, and spring It in several places. too.
Each year since the present Western
league has been in existence Papa Bill
has handed a new one 20 the waiting pub
lie. Beginning with Tommy Hughes and
running down to Pfester and McCloslxy he
has had at least one pitcher the big
leaguers wanted, and with whom the local
fans hated to part. And this season is not
at all likely TO see a break IN the record II
is a great training school for ball players
Bill Rourke runs out at Vinton park, and
any Of his graduates who go up stay up.
Bill teaches them the game as It should be
played. and his output is looked on with
respect all over the country. II you doubt
this. just take a look at the former Omaha
players who are doing things in the big
leagues. That is why the youngsters like
" btA Du Win Oulhid lhtg hIOW lnal
when they get a season or two on the
Omaha team they will be ready for the
fastest of company. This season several
candidates win start on the course and
the veteran Rourke smiles at the ceiling
whenever he thinks OF the fun he is going
10 have with his rivals during the season.
President O'Neil is on his way east and
Is likely to drop in on Omaha during the
present week; not that he will stay here
long for the local atmosphere doesn't seem
TO agree with him, but he Will show up to
convince all doubters that he is still among
us. alive and able to sign his salary check.
lie will bring with him his draft of the
playing schedule for the season and the
assurance that Pueblo and Denver are IN
good condition Then he will slip on over
to Des Moines and probably to Chicago,
whence ne will call the meeting of the
league. 1t hasn't been settled in which
city this meeting win be held, but II ought
to go to Lincoln. The new member of the
circle will be only too glad to see the mag
mates of the other cities and provide for
them a real good time during their stay in
the city.
One Of the announcements that will
cause a great wave of Joy to sweep over
the circuit is that Ira ]. Davis CSlats')
has been secured as a member Of the West
ern league umpire stan. Keefe will be
with us again, and a gentleman of the
name OF Peter #. Fuller, from the wilds
of Chicago. But it's Stats" who
will be the warm member Of the
bunch. He talked himself to death on the
coast last season, was slugged several
Of hat on
games and umpiring the way he had
placed bets and otherwise given good
character. Just at present he is weighing
malls on a pumpkin vine railroad out in
California and is reported to be enjoying
his life immensely. The road carries about
eight pounds of mail a day and "slats"
is happy. Just think of letting Bobby
Caruthers go and employing this freak.
Until the seasons schedule has been
adopted it will be impossible to fix the
date, but steps should at once be taken to
make the occasion of the first appearance
OF Pueblo on the local diamond a memorable
occasion. 1t viii be in honor of Frank
Selee, one of the best base ball men who
ever lived. He gave Omaha it's first pen
nant ard has always been looked upon as
one of us. For this reason IL ought to- be
easy TO give him as great a reception as
was accorded TO Kid Nichols in 1902 All
the old guard will take delight in making
such an affair a success, and, while It il
little early yet for details, It is not toe
soon to begin agitation Remember the
occasion and be ready to make it one thai
selee win be glad to recall all his life.
-
Johnny Bender will surely be a big hell
to the Rourke family during the hot day.
OF the coming summer. He has Away
been one of Papa Bits favorites. but wa
missed when he decided to ''go out" by
misunderstanding. Bender signed will
Little Rock because he was under the i'm
preston that Rourke didn't think well o
him, and Papa Bill was much downcas
thereat. He FASTENED to tell Bender Il
what high estimation he held him, and ha
mover since ceased to labor to secure tn
ex-Cornhusker for the Omaha team. Ben
der is not only erackerJack catcher, bu
us a good inielder as well. and is a high
grade hitter one of his favorites bein
what is known home run He Is a
ambitious in this regard Bin schipk
ever thought Of being. ana knocks the bal
out OF the lot every chance he gets. Hi
presence on the team will be a great sup
port to all
John c. Drexel, ex-county clerk, and oil
base bali fan. who has Just returned fror
pleasure trip 20 Cuba. reports the interes
IN base ball on the island to be somethin
marvellous and great surprise 10 hin
He said: Il never saw such base ball 1
my life. Many OF the base ball player
OF this country had run over there for
short trip and a to game was playe
one Sunday before 10000 people. The In
terest IN the game was at a fever heu
at all stages and a wager was made o
every move. Bets we're made on hit or n
hit on every man, and II a man reache
first they would bet even money on hi
setting second. They bet on every con
oeivable phase OF the game. The trans
portation facilities were wholly inadequai
for the handling OF such q throng an
nearly all had TO drill in from the game.
Glcnn CISiD Carson Of Geneva. sou OF e.