Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-20
COLLEGE BASE BALL LEAGUE
Plans Being Laid for Series Of Games
by Missouri Valley Teams.
SERIOUS ATHLETIC HANDICAP
Lack of Field on which 90 Practice
Has "a -DRmpening Eject on In
terest I'm Athletic
Lines.

first time in many years the base ball
championship of the Missouri valley will be
decided next spring by a series Of games
among the seven schools composing the
conference. Each college in the big
Seven will be required TO play at least
eight conference games and to meet no
less than three of the teams in the league.
The plan for organization of this base
ball league among the Missouri valley con-
ference schools was proposed by Manager
Earl o. Eager of the University of Me-
braska nearly a month ago and it has been
accepted by Nebraska, Missouri, Ames ana
Iowa. The three other schools in the con-
ference, Kansas, Drake and Washington.
are soon expected to get in line with the
rest Of the colleges and give their approval
of the proposition.
AS now planned the Big Seven league
season will open the early part of April,
when the Cornhusker team will make a
trip on which Kansas, Missouri, Washing
ton, Iowa, Ames and probably Drake win
be played in one or more games. Iowa will
also probably go on a trip at this time,
meeting some of the same teams that are
played by the ~Cornhuskers.
This big Eight" league was proposed in
order to get some means OF settling defin-
itely upon the leaders In base ball here
after, just as the foot ball champions have
been picked each season for several years.
This year Kansas met four of the con-
ference foot ball teams and by defeating
all of them established a clear title to tho
premier honors of the Big Eight" 1t is
not likely In base ball that any team will
defeat air of it's opponents in every game,
but the nine that wins from a majority ot
them and has the highest percentage will
be recognized as the base ball leaders.
n,,{A- ~ Ir.N Nw,o .,.1a. N.4L 49,
and Missouri had strong mines, but as they
did not meet any of the conference teams
to test the strength of their opponents there
was no way In which either Of them could
Justly claim the championship OF the
valley. For next spring both of these
schools have an excellent quantity of dla-
mond material and they are expected to be
the leading candidates for the Big Eight
title. Kansas and Nebraska both have
several good players in school. but they APP
pear to lack enough men of first rate
cali5er to round out a team that will be
strong in every position and able to COM
pete successfully against either Ames or
Missouri.
p BY Lack of Field.
The absence of a base ball field on the
university campus was a great handicap
to Nebraska last spring. and probably In
1ured the prospects of the CoTnhuskers for
a strong nine next season. There were a
large number of fast players among the
freshmen last season, but owing to the
fact that much of the practicing had to be
done on a crowded lot or at Antelope park.
a great many 'of these men did not report
for work and were kept. from developing.
These students also lost some of their in
terest In the diamond sport, and 1t probably
will be hard to induce them to get out
NTH The au,,a1 ,o-t IL ~ ~ IT,
do report for work with the other Corn
huskers they will lack the training that
they should have received last season and
will be just about one springs experience
behind the other men on the squad.
About the only thing that will assure the
Cornhuskers a winning nine next spring
will be the purchase of the land north OF
the campus so that a diamond and athletic
field can be laid out. with a new field
the spirit in university sports will be re-
vived and the students will make the
squads of all teams exceedingly large.
When they have a new field, the candi-
dates for the base ball team will also work
harder and make competition for places
on the nine keen. The taking away of the
old Nebraska field made many of the stu
dents apathetic toward the college sports
and some OF them who have great athletic
ability say they will not try for the teams
In the spring unless there is a field on the
campus so that they will not have to de-
vote too much time to practice. In foot
ball this past fall the candidates had to
spend nearly an hour each day in getting
out to Antelope park for practice and in
returning from there. Many OF the base
ball men say they will not practice next
spring unless they can play on the campus.
The only way to satisfy these men and
aga1Ira the Cnrnhngara a faaf baga han
nine will be for the university to buy and
equip a field before next April. Plans are
now on foot to do this and II may be ac-
complished within the next two months.
II they get the field in plenty of time the
Cornhusker athletes will undoubtedly make
a formidable showing in all the spring
sports by the Cornhusker athletes. Both in
and only needs a suitable place for this to
be developed.
Winter Sports Popular.
Since the close of the foot ball season
an unusual interest for the ante-holiday
period has been manifested in the indoor
sports by the Corhusker athletes. Both in
basket ball and track athletics an activity
such as never marked those sports before
so early in the year is noticeable. In
basket ball heretofore the squad before the
holidays never numbered more than thirty
candidates and often 1t had less than that
number. This season, however. the squad
numbers nearly fifty men. and. although.
many OF them are a little green at the
game, yet they have among their number
some excellent material which Coach Clapp
is developing rapidly into promising players.
Captain Bell and Russell Burruss. two
OF the best men on the five, were lost to
the Cornhuskers last season and the vacan-
cies left by their departure encouraged
many aspirants to try for the team this
year. OF last seasons IN" players four
OF them-Captain Walsh, Dwight Bell,
Perry and Woods-are out for the team
again this year. Besides these men there
are several others who appear to be OF
varsity caliber. Among these latter are
Petrashek. Hutchinson, Schmit. Richey,
Long. Flower and Stevenson.
TIE greatest problem Coach Clapp has
! t. solve is the development u a suitable
2 player for the center position. So far this
D winter Petrashek. a new man TO the var
sity game, has been holding down the job