The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-25

teams and making other necessary ar
rangements for the opening Of the sea-
SON. The schedule looks good. and it |
met with the approval of everyone in
terested Some still believe that it con-
talns IL too many games, but be that
as it may, time will tell.
Western league magnates are leav-
ing no stone unturned to build up fast
ball teams. In some cities, Denver in
particular, there seems to be an utter
disregard of finances, and players are
going to be had at any price. Just
what is being done in the western met
ropolis we have not ascertained, and
what has been learned has come in an
indirect way. Somehow or other Den
Yer papers right now aren't devoting
much space to local baseball news.
Perhaps the Denver management is
averse to handing the boys little dope,
anyway they are keeping mighty mum
out there these days.
When it comes to 1oosening up the
purse strings, President Tom Fair
weather is right up among spenders.
President Tom not only made long
trip to land fast one, but he dug up
a fancy price for that shortstop. Fair
weather and Towne are wise to the
fact that live ones cost money, so they
did not hesitate in handing over a nice
bunch of coin for Mr.. Mysterious. of
Mystryville. That isn't all, either. There
are still a few Simoleans in the old
sock and if the Packer management
locates a classy player who is on the
market he'll be ours. By the way,
F'airweather didn't get there any too
soon to land the mysterious one. An
other team owner in the Western was
hot on his trail, but the Sioux City
owner got his signature on a contract
first
Even with the Packers present strong
lineup, the other boys won't concede
us better than third or fourth, and
some are unkind enough to say we
won't finish in the first division. All
right, fellows. wait and see.
Be prepared for a shock. The West
ern leagues obsequieS are likely to oc-
cur at any time. Who said so? Otto
c. F'loto, sporting prophet and wonder
full athletic soothsayer. And it's all be-
cause George Tebeau has retired from
the league. OF course F'loto doesn't ex-
actly say the league will be disrupted
because of the loss of Tebeau, but ne
expresses grave apprehension over the
absence of the guiding hand of White
Wings. Listen to this:
Just fancy the Western league
bunch in session fighting out a schedule
without George Tebeau as the guiding
hand! They were at 1t in Chicago for
three days and during the time made
out dozen schedules, only to find them
all conflicting with each other. They
now have one which has been adopted,
but may prove to be just as much a
puzzle as all the others have been.
In the American association George
Tebeau prepared a schedule, presented
it to the meeting, and it was adopted.
At schedule making the Kansas City
magnate is past master. His long ex-
perience with minor league affairs has
enabled him to grasp the situation at a
glance. Just give him the number of
games to be played and he will do the
rest. This is the first year that the
Western league is without his services
and you will notice how they are all up
| in the air. He sold out his Denver in
| terests last year to Mr. Gunthrope,
for himself. By the way, remember,
| too, that Denver always had pretty
| good protection while Tebeau was a
member of the Western league.
Manager Jack Holland. of ST. Joseph,
has got another booster. A son was
| born to Mrs. Holland, while he was IN
| Chicago attending the schedule meet
ing.
President Tip o'Neill's announce
ment that he will have five umpires
| during the coming season will be hailed
with satisfaction by the fans. An extra
| man will make it possible to have a
| double umpire system in vogue if the
| occasion demands it. Two arbiters are
| frequently needed when two teams are
| playing that are making a hot fight for
| the lead.
| Mullen can have a berth in the West
ern league this year if he wants It,
John Haskell, chief of umpires, has
| written to him Offering him his old
place. Mullen probably would have had
a steady job in the National if Heydler
| had been retained as president.
A Lincoln writer unburdenS himself
| thusly: Don Despair of this city tri-
umphed in the matter of a long
| schedule" for the western next season.
| Despair, who is a member of the
| schedule committee, has been strong
| ly in favor of a 16S-game list and
Western league baseball dopesters hit
wide of the mark, for they insisted
that Despair was practically alone in
the long schedule idea and that he
would have to back down when the
magnates got busy in meeting. In the
meantime Despair said little and
sawed wood. AS a result the league is
reported as having been unanimous
| for the 16S-game schedule and Cool
ely of Topeka was the only one who
/ had to surrender serious objections.
1t is admitted that the 16S-game
| season, covering five and One-half
months, is an experiment in the West
ern league, but there are some good
reasons for giving the long schedule
| a tryout. Old baseball heads assert
| that 16S games will be all right for
| the larger cities of the league, while
| the smaller towns may find it a bur-
| den. That is probably the reason
Cooley has been dead set against the
| idea. Topeka proved a disappoint-
ment financially last season, and Cool
l ey is finding some difficulty this year
in signing up his players on the low
salary scale prevalent with the Sox
last year. Two good reasons for the
| long schedule are given in the fact
that the early spring games are al
| ways money-makers if the weather is
| favorable, and, again the falls in this
section are usually ideal for baseball
| giving the clubs an opportunity to
make up for spring losses if a chilly
rainy season interferes with the first
months playing.
| That gap in the Lincoln infield,
which has been giving President De-