The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-09-08
TALE OF WOE FROM
CANUCK LEAGUE

Winnipeg Free Press: The FIRST
season Of the re-organized Western
Canada Baseball league Is almost
over with Medicine Hat acclaimed as
winners. Excepting for the expert
ence gained the season can hardly be
described as a success. 1t certainly
was not from financial point of view.
and so far as the sport was concerned
there was much to be desired. In
competent umpiring, and the rowdy
tactics of certain players. especially
Taylor, OF Moose Jaw, did mucn TO
kill the interest on this end of the
circuit Eat least. Until the magnates
get together and reckon UP their
losses II is hazardous to venture an
opinion whether the league will go
through another year or not Secre-
tary Lamb seems to think 1t will and
Larry Piper agrees with him. Man
ager Traeger Of Brandon is not so
sanguine, but 1t may be he is merely
voicing the sentiments of the Wheat
City people, who would prefer another
international league. And 1t must be
admitted the average Winnipeg fan
feels the same way.
When the maroons started on their
recent western trip, only half a game
behind Medicine Hat, local supporters
were hopeful they would win enough
games while away to keep them in
the running for the flag That they
fell down badly Is now a matter of
history and for this they received
many harsh knocks from press and
public. It looked decidedly bad the
way the score sheets were coming in
and few OF us were willing to credit
the complaints OF raw deals made by
Acting Manager Piper and the team.
| Corroborative evidence mas however,
been received. Charley Traeger man
! ager OF the Brandon team. who either
followed or preceded the maroons at
all the western cities, makes the fol-
| lowing statement: Winnipeg could
not have won the pennant with the
! Chicago cubs"
This is strong statement to make
but Traeger is not a man given to
wild remarks. He is entirely without
prejudice in the matter and speaks
only OF what he knows. According to
both the Winnipeg and the Brandon
! players, 1t was all fixed among the
western teams to beat out Winnipeg
/ at any cost and they did not care to
what length they went to attain their
end. or course the object could not
! have been accomplished SO easily had
more than Medicine Hat had a chance
| to land the flag, but as there were
only the two teams in the race 1t was
easy, with the assistance of prejudiced
and incompetent officials, to sandwich
! the runners-up.
Shuster is described as being par
ticularly bitter against the maroons.
His career as local manager was a
short one and he was known to have
little love for anything Winnipeg. In
the face OF all this ne was left on the
maroon trail through nearly all the
trip. The pitchers say they could get
nothing, not even bare Justice from
him. while his base decisions were
just as bad. In one game at Calgary,
4 Piper made what should have been a
home run. Shuster called him out.
claiming he did not touch second base.
Connors, one of the Calgary players,
told Piper afterwards that IT was
Shuster who told them to throw the
ball to second base so ne could de-
clare the out; that none of them had
noticed the skipping of the bag--if IT
was skipped In acting like that
Shuster was simply a tenth man on
the opposing team; he was entirely
out Of his province as umpire. The
season is all, but over, Medicine Hat
has the pennant and 1t would prob
ably have had it even IL the condi-
tions had not been so favorable, but
it is only fair to the Winnipeg play
ers to show what they were up
against. in fact they are more deserv-
ing of sympathy than censure for not
winning more games on the recent
| trim