Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-21

~ RESIDENT PULLIAM Of the Ma
tional league says he will never
resign. that "they may fire me.
II but ! will not resign Wen, many
a nan In Puilism's place would re-
sign and Il IL a serious question ~ he ought
not in Difference TO his own welfare. to say
the least. Mr.. Pullism certainly must hsve
had his patience sorely tried. for men Of
the Ban johnson and Hermann type are
enough to try The patience OF most men,
but in the hour Of his trial Pulllam lost
his head and forfeited to his enemy the
advantage OF public esteem that has always
been one OF his strongest assets and all
lowed the balance OF power to shift from
his hands. His announcement that night at
the banquet was all but fatal to his repu-
tatlon as a dominant force I'm the affairs Of
base ball. From now on he Is. by his own
conduct. on the defensive. II he fights his
way back up to the position he once occu-
pied Il will be against odds he does not
seem able to overcome. IL is never a good
thing for a man in Pulliam's position to
place himeelf IN the way Of inviting com
missration. No matter whether he returns
to office after his temporary leave OF abb
sence or not. he has shorn himself Of much
necessary power and lessened his useful
ness TO the National league as it's chief
executive and to base ball as one OF its
highest authorities. with all tina the base
ball world is perfectly willing to believe
most, IL not all, that Mr.. PulIiam has said
~derosatory OF Johnson and hermann.
Doubtless they have bounded his steps.
boubtless they have dealt from the bot
tom OF the deck. Doubtless they would
like to return to the days OF the gum
shoe. Mr.. Pulliam could have announced
all this to these men and yet preserved his
own dignity. but IN stepping up to the
brink he lost his equilibrium and fell over.
That left his adversaries. in q way, above
him. 1t is all very regrettable, both for
Mr., Pulliam and base bali.
The story OF the game or cricket re-
Gently played at Sydney. where the win
ming team. after six days. scored 1,eI1. is
the answer TO the question, "'Why doesn't
Johnny Bull like base ball7" How could
mems tastes run in such Numerically OPP
posite directions at one and the same time?
A game lasting six days! A score Of 1911
runsi The difference between base ball
and cricket il a difference of tempera-
ments. You can't excite a man who can
sit down and contentedly follow q cricket
game to its ultimate possibilities. And, on
the other hand. how would you go about
interesting a devotee of base ball in the
English game that stretches ~languidly out
for a space OF six days? Why, the base
ball fan would become a dope fiend over
night. American sports OF the more
characteristic kind must be settled on the
spot. No retiring for an evening tea. or a
blooming smoke. Why, last summer out
at Vinton street park the umpire came
near being mobbed because he refused to
allow the second game OF a double-header
60 be played after the anxieties Of several
thousand fans had been worked up TO the
pitch Of watching It. Think OF two great
teams in the midst of a des-
perate championship struggle CALI
ing off the game until tomorrow II
you want to get an accurate notion OF the
breadth OF difference between American
and English sports, some time. when you
have nothing else to do. step off, the
ocean and see how wide it is.