The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-01
BASEBALL TALK.
Denver Wants a Manager For
This Season.
Have Their Line Out to Fill the
Vacancy.
ONE MAN In PROSPECT.
He Is Claude ROthgeb, Former
-s ly of Indianapolis.
Now Acting as Coach for Colo
RADIO Aggies.
NE MAN IN PROSPECT.

All for the want of a manager.
This solemn thought brings to the
mind the old story ''All for the want of
a horseshoe naiI,'' in which whole
kingdom was lost because the lack of
a horseshoe nail A parody might be
written telling how Denver has lost
pennant after penIiant because of the
lack of a manager, but the public has
to stand for enough without it.
At any rate the Denver team needs
a manager Last season Irwin was at
the helm of the Grizzlies. He was a
good player, but when it came to scrap
ping on the ball field and seeing that
his team got all that was coming, he
was a perfect lady. He wants the job
back, but he isn't aggressive enough.
What Messrs. Burke and Gunthrope of
the Denver team want is new man to
direct the team.
Many have been the applications for
the honor of leading Denver's team
which is representative of the largest
and best baseball city of the league.
And just as many have been the men
who were turned down.
Just now the Denver magnates have
their strings on a man whom they
think will deliver the goods He is a
player of considerable experience, and
! is an old Western league and Ameri-
can association star. His identity is
all contained in the few words "his
name is an odd one" He plays third
base and had good season OF 1t last
year. He hit .289 and his fielding aver
age was .945. He had a lot of putouts,
assists and but. few errors. Denver
will know in a few days
Among the men who have been con-
sidered for this big job, but who are
out of the running now, are Bobble
Lowe. Sandow Mertes and Joe Camel
Bobbie Lowe who is one of the re-
jected applicants. will be remembered
as having managed the Denver CLUB
-. As,Ix xfr,<r Inc q
the time when the season was Wen
along and the race already decided.
The main objection to him was that
he had game knee.
CAMEL tried harder than any man to
land the job but his efforts bore him
no fruit. Burke and Gunthrope tnves-
tigated his record and could only find
where he had played in twenty-six
games in the last four years. Denver
wants a playing manager.
Mertes was really seriously consid-
cred for a while. He is well-to-do,
however. and wanted more money
than the Colorado magnates were dis
posed to put up. But even then he is
shy on mana geriaI experience and the
Denver owners couldn't figure where he
would be any world beater.
In case the man who is now being
considered for the place refuses to play,
Claude Rothgeb, a former indianapolis
player, who is now coaching the vari-
Gus athletic teams of the Colorado
AGRICULTURAL college at Fort Collins,
will get the job. Rothgeb learned the
game at Illinois university but went to
Washington in 1905 He fell short and
was sent to Baltimore where he was
star under the management of Hugh
Jennings. The next season he played
with the Chicago Cubs but was sold to
the Indianapolis team a year later
where he did his best work. Rothgeb
got married then and went to Fort
Collins where he settled down.
He has done we'll with the Aggie |
team. He is a fighter. just what Den
yer wants. He is young, ambitious, |
strong, honest, conscientious and
mighty hard worker. He has had |
enough experience to enable him to |
lead the Grizzlies and he would make |
a good man for this place.
The following are the pet names |
for the different teams of the Western |
league: Des Moines, Boosters; Denver,
Grizzlies. Cubs, Teddy Bears; Lincoln, |
Green Bugs; Omaha, Rourkes, Sterl- |
ings; Pueblo, Indians; Sioux City. |
Packers; Topeka, Cooleysox, White |
Sox; Wichita, Jobbers.
Ed Eckman, who umpired for a |
part Of two seasons in the Western /
association has been given a job as in |
dicator handler in the American as |
ISOLATION, the same staff on which |
Brick Owens will be employed next |
season.
Warren Gill will hold down first |
base for the Minneapolis MiIlers next |
season. He was hardly considered |
fast enough for the Pittsburg Nation |
ais. Gill formerly played baseball |
and football at Washburn.
DeS MoineS has signed Phil Kerner |
a catcher of the Colorado State league |
and W. B. Kirwan, a pitcher, haiIing
from the Central league. Both are
highly recommended by members of