Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-05
NEXT SEASONS BASE BALL
Prospects of Change in Circuits Opens
q Field Of Speculation.
OMAHAs CHANCES VERY GOOD

IL the Threatened Invasion of big
League TERRITORY Comes, IL Makes
Certain of Faster Company for
the Western Towns.
One OF the pecunarities Of the present
base ball situation ls that the end OF the
season brings next years. problem right to
the front When the Western league
wound UP its playing schedule Monday.
It was face. to face with a new epoch In
its career, Similarly the American assooi-
alton. which concluded it's playing season
several days ago. The agreement between
the clubs expires with the present sea-
son. and new agreements must be made
during the winter.
This situation opens up all manner of
possibilities as to the circuits for 1911. Not
even the wisest Of base ball dopepArtists will
now undertake to outline the circuits for
next year OF course, the big league lists
will show no change, but 1t seems as GER
tain as anything not actually accomplished
can be that another major league will
be in the field next season.
New League seems Certain.
1t is the purpose of the dissatisfied own
ers among the American association TO
'insurge'' and establish a broader scope
for the activities of their organization.
The plan contemplatss teams in Cleveland,
Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Louisville, Kansas
City, Indianapolis, Columbus, and perhaps
Milwaukee or Minneapolis. St. Paul and
Toledo will be dropped from the circuit,
and either Minneapolis or Milwaukee; 1t
is also talked that both of the latter will
be let out and Buffalo from the Eastern
league taken in.
With this shakeup, It ID almost certain
that a change will be made in tho West
ern league circuit The addition OF the
Twin Cities and Milwaukee in the place
of Topeka and ST. Joseph ana Wichita or
Lincoln would make up the old Western
league circuit of Its palnlest days, and
would insure combination that could
hardly be beaten. But this matter Is stu
ION the knees OF the gods" and Will not
be settled until after the proposed invasion
of the big league cities by the rival organ
ization has taken on definite form.
Omaha's Next Team.
The thing Omaha folks are most inter-
ested In, next to getting into bigger
league, Is the makeup Of next season $
team. The team with which Pa Rourke
| finished the season Is apparently a. fast
] as any In the league, II not the fastest
For ak weeks 1t has been playing the
most consistent ball. and has worked It's
way from q poor seventh to a command
ing fifth, and another week of play would
have landed 1t In good fourth. The hard
| luck that followed the team during three
fourths of the season was as inexpicable
as it was discouraging At the outset the
team looked strong ON paper, and was con-
! ceded to be a pennant contender. 1t
opened at Wichita by winning two games
in fine fashion, and then 1t dropped eleven
as fast as they could be played. II was
easily apparent that something was radi-
cally wrong. The management Of the play
ing was taken from Fox and he was later
released to st. Joe. While an Improvement
in team work followed on this change,
injurise began to figure. and one after
another OF the players was crippled. until
the hospital list was longer than that OF
the active players.
In the face OF decreasing attendance, of
waning interest and other discouragins
| conditions, President Rourke kept up his
search for players, spending money freely
on experiments, and man after man was
tried, until he finally landed winning
| bunch. But even here bad luck did not end
for Riggert was a member Of the Omaha
| team just seven days when he was drafted
by Boston, and Omaha is likely to be de-
prived OF next seasons services of the
classiest player found by any Western
league club during the season. This is one
OF the great injustices Of the drafting sys-
TEN as practiced at present. II Is also the
! cause Of the support Of the threatened in
vasion OF the big league towns by the
American association is getting among the
4 minors.
4 Players Carried over.
For next season Omaha will carry over
some players who will make the nucleus
Of q pennant winning bunch. For pitchers
that are proved, we will have Kselsv
Fentress, Rhodes and Hoienbeck. together
with Bovee and several others OF lesser i'm.
i portAnee who are under contract TO Rourke
bH. have been playing elsewhere. Foi
eatchers, Gonding and Cadman will be on
omaha's reserve hst for inrelders. Kane
Graham. Moriarity. Schipke and Rneaves
for outfieldsrs. Weleh. King and schoon.
over "Swampy'' Thompson 10 there foI
utility man, and some others who look very
good. At the same time, Pa doesn't propose
TO go into winter quarters till he has mad,
tsufe Of his ambition for next year, anC
that IL to land the pennant in Omaha IL Z
good playing team can be had. And THU
doesn't matter what the circuit is. He Il
already talking trade with other magnates
and when he goes over to the world serlet
he L. going along with his eyes set on get
ting players for 1911.
The new plant will be ready by the tim,
the playing season opens in Omaha mex
season. and this will make certain o
omahA's being leading factor in the has
ball life of whatever circuit Il becomes par
OF. The disasters OF 1910 will have beef
forgotten By that, time, and the Rourk
family win become again what II has al
! ways been, figure In the pennant race