Omaha daily bee., 1910-11-02
WESTERN LEAGUE TO MEET
Session In Chicago Prior to Minor
League Meeting.
ROURKE AND soHRKE TO 60
Pa a. ArranEinG 80 Let some Of Hts
Players Go and 60 secure Others
by TradinE with the
MaEnatea.

one OF the largest and most important
base ball meetings that has ever been held
In the American base ball world will start
in Chicago November IS. Five hundred
men, representing large part Of the base
ball interests Of the country. will partake
IN the meeting. practically AL the minor
leagues Of the country, and the results OF
the meeting will govern base ball for the
next year in those leagues and to some
extent for the next ten years.
The most important Of the proceedings
will be the exchanging Of players and the
settlement OF the franchise question. Clubs
which for some years have been somewhat
backward are expected 90 take a livelier
interest In the business this season and the
usual number OF new players will be on
hand. In the franchise question the inn
portant issue is the signing OF the ten
year contract which many OF them came
to this year and which was the source OF
much trouble and pickering at the Memphis
meeting last year The four leagues which
have yet 70 sign are the Western league,
American association, Eastern league and
Pscific Coast league. The Western league
is partly In and partly out some OF the
teams having signed and some not. The
dispute over which the ball owners are
having the most trouble Is the one con-
corning the time the former ten-year fran
ohise contract ran out Some assert No
vember. 1910 was the closing date and this
year Is the time, others dispute this ana
state that the time is one year later-No-
vember, 1911
Representing the Omaha Base Ball club
will be the president W A. Rourke AND
the manager Of the team Bill Schipke,
Rourks states that he is unable
TO state what changes win be made in the
Omaha players until he sees what the other
owners have to offer in Chicago.
Instead OF having the twenty-eight play
ers who closed the season of 1910 there
will be but eighteen or nineteen when the
call comes in the spring for the Omaha
team to turn out for practice. Rourke
states that seven OF the players will be let
20 and that one or two others Will not
show up IN the spring making the number
dwindle by ten. Otherwise, unless he
thinks that he can materially benefit the
fighting strength OF Omaha by trading OF
buying new players the old team will play
In 1911
Prior TO the meeting OF all the clubs or
the 18th. the Western league men will hold
a meeting on November 70 to settle cues
tons of league base ball at home. w A
Rourke, Frank 1sbel. and J. s. Higgins
will hold the annual directors meeting and
a meeting of all the presidents OF the club,
follows The question of Topeka in tn,
league will come up at that time. 1t /.
understood that the Commercial club Of
Topeka Is anxious to keep a team in tn,
Western league and all the arrangement
are lined up to that effect
Il can't predict what will happen at th,
big meetings" said ROurke There's al
kinds OF things to come up and now is tn,
time to settle many things that have beer
wrong in base ball. think there will b.
number OF interesting developments tina
will interest the fans"