Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-04

IAEAAAn hAu hEhIlNll = VI NAN1 aAE hNN
act, except 10 say in passing that young
Mr.. Merkle probably learned a lesson from
his stupidity and decided that next time
he II on first base and a man Is Oh third
when the ball n hit 60 the field the thing
for him to do is TO run for second and not
for the club house. But here IS a point
In that disgraceful episode at New York
which should not be overlooked in the eX-
itemen OF the moment Of spasmodic trib-
ute to Pulliam or O'Day for refusing to
give the game TO the Giants. The umpire,
Hank ODay, instead Of allowing the game
to end I'm a row and a tie should have
cleared the field and ordered another in
ming played there and then. That would
have disposed of ell further controversy.
And why didn't Hank ODay pursue that
course? Is Hank O'Day a coward? Is he
unfair Neither. Hank O'Day is one Of the
n~erviest men that ever worked an indi-
Gator and he is also one of the squarest.
Nobody doubts that. And this brings us
up TO the kernel of the question. It would
have been flying in the face of mortal dis
aster for any umpire at that time to have
attempted such a thing as forcing the
Giants to play another inning. The mob
had surged down upon the field and, led
by the McGraw rioters in uniform, this
mob would have ruined O'Day had he
sought TO do what he knew should have
been done. II was not cowardice on the
umpire's part, but it would have been
foolhardiness on his part had he pursued
a different course. The fact is simply this:
In New York neither umpire nor visiting
team has police protection. That means
that there is no base ball law in Gotham
and that the home team and its cohorts Of
outlaws in the grandstands and bleachers
are at liberty to steal games they cannot
win and do with the umpire what they see
fit any time he temps to prevent a
case of grand larceny. New York has be-
come a law unto itself. And who is to
blame? Muggsy McGraw, Brush and
Freedman would be just as tame as any
body else IL the magnates of the National
league would simply stand up for their
Individual and collective rights, put the
damper on this combine of outlawry and
bulldozing and make New York subject to
precisely the same law that applies TO and
governs other individuals and clubs of the
league. Unless this is done and done
speedily the National league is going to
suffer. The old league cannot quite ar
ford to invite any matching of swords
with it's robust young rival just now.
There are more ways than one by which
the American league could derive advantage
from a break in the National. But over
and above the interests Of the National
league or any other league are the interests
of the same, the interests of base ball as
a. great American institution into which the
public pays annually the sum OF $17GOO,OOO.
These interests should not, but they are,
being subordinated just now in "A blind
cowardice to those of one club, one city
and a handful of unscrupulous persons.
suppose such a direful fate should come
a.. -. .aNfnn ne That a. uynnld
be deprived of New York's membership
and support of the National league? The
United states has survived other calami-
ties. Look at the civil war. But there is
no need of this. Let the owners and man
ayers of other National league teams unite
in a solemn determination to subject New
York. the most provincial town on the
man. 20 the same law that governs other
clubs and the matter will be settled
Creighton. Bellevue and high school foot
ball teams are goIng through a better
course Of training this year than they have
for some time, and each team ought to be
able to get away with the majority or us
schedule. Creighton's acquisition Of two
expert coaches and several new players
should give that team a vantage ground
in the west which it has not held for some
Seasons ~ do bAAAb AANAN eeANN' 1900
but as the season progresses and the mer
become more familiar with each other anC
the minutla OF the system they are fol
lowing, their strength should steadily In
crease. It is to be hoped the university
boys can hand It back to st. Louis THU
year. Bellevue won the state championship
last year and asplres to the same distinc
ton this fall. The chances of the higf
school outstripping Its 1907 record lool
like a foregone conclusion.
Dietz park will be fitted up for the Corn
understands game so that foot ball fam
viii be comfortably cared for. Oman;
hopes and believes this game will estab
fish an annual function for this city; tina
each fall the metropolis will have tn,
pleasure of at least one big game on tn,
University of Nebraska schedule. II seem
scarcely necessary to suggest that on
good way to bring about this desired en-,
is for Omaha fans to turn out TO the ca
pacity of the park this fan. Let's max
the University Of Nebraska feel that I
cannot afford not to give Omaha a game
That is the best way to get at this mat
ter. The business men Of Omaha hav
assured Manager Eager of their anxiety I
lend him whatever assistance they can
4 ms 70 a SuboAuiANAdl GNNF III NAAN AAShN vi
rection.
Does the fact that Manager Billy Fo
has been re-engaged by Owner Green sig
nifty that some OF those recalcitrants wi
not be on the Lincoln team next year?
was gratifying. anyway, 20 find that NJ
Green was able to check up properly o
the friction that existed between Fox an
certain players and greatly weakened Lin
coin this season.
Out here In this western country, wher
the wind blows free and the square dea
reigns. there Is a persistent feeling tina
New York would have a tough time win
ming the worlds series with Mathewsor
Bresnahan. Tenney and Donlin. no mat
ter which American league team win
Suppose the Giants win the Nations
league pennant and the Sox the America
league. Can anybody imagine what woul
happen to NJ. MoGrsw ct al. out in tha
packing house district for attempting an
MerkIe scts2