The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-03


StaH especially-and that these few
changes will give the local team such
strength that it will be able to win from
the start Of the season. John F.
higgins, the owner of the local team,
lays the series of defeats to two causes.
one or them being the pitchers and the
ctner. the umpires. In a letter TO the
sporting editor of the Register and
Leader. Owner Higgins is exceedingly
bitter against Jack Haskell. whom he
charges with being a homer of the rank
est kind. He has lost all faith in Jack
F1askeII as an umpire. There is no Ques-
ton but Des Moines IS badly in need of
pitchers. Not one of the men on the
present Staff has shown that he is in
shape to pitch frst-class ball, the kind
OF baseball that is needed to win in the
western League this year. So far the
feature of the Western League has been
the hard hitting of the sluggers. Few
pitchers have been able to get through
a game without being numerically
doped to start out well in the race this
year Were the ones of the southern di-
vision and as far as that is concerned
they nave done it all right, but ST. JOS
eph has done much better than any one
had any idea it would. Des Moines,
Sioux. City and nov Lincoln are bowling
to the team which rs managed by Jack
Holland. However, it is a long time
before the final games are played ard
the percentage table is going to be al
tered considerably during this time.
Two years ago the two best pitchers
in the league were Witherup of Des
Moines and Furchner of Sioux City.
Both OF them went to the big leagues
at the end of the year and seemed ripe
for a long season in fast company.
However, both of them got taste or
fast life and it put them out of base
ball. AT the present time Witherup is
not playing at all and yesterday Furch-
ner was released by Omaha because he
was not in shape to pitch good ball
=. Raftis. the new Les Moincs short
stop, is getting some favorable mention
in the press in the various cities His
hitting seems to please all. Niehoff has
had some high praise also. Pitch
er Freeman, of the Des Moines team,
has beer sold to Muscatine of the North
ern League. Catcher Bradbury and
Pitcher Wells have been disposed OF to
Elgin.
Omaha Bee: That mountain air is
still hard to breathe. Still, they don't
have mountains in Kansas.
Omaha Bee: What do you think of
the Western league racer" is a COM |
mon question lust now. Frankly. we
don't know just what to think, except !
that it probably will be a good one. AS |
to the relative positions of the teams |
at the end of the season, the man who |
can bring himself to hazard guess
on that at least has some courage or |
confidence in his power to work rid |
dies. 1t is entirely presumptuouS for |
anyone to make a prediction at this |
time. Most Of the teams in the league |
are largely worked over since last year |
and the majority Of the men are un-
known qualities, so are some of the |
forces. We believe, as TO |
Omaha, that President Rourke has COL |
Iected a good team, most of which he |
had last year and that when it strikes |
it's gait, when the pitchers get their |
arms and HaIley's comet passes away |
and the club returns from this first |
mountain trip-always hard PROPOSE |
tion-it will swing into strong pace |
and keep going that way the rest of |
the season. We believe several other |
owners have strong teams. We hope |
Omaha has the strongest, but we are |
willing to wait before saying SO.
Denver has bought another major
league pitcher but his identity is still |
a secret.