Omaha daily bee., 1914-07-19
Judgments

" UST how much influence the Federal
league and the resultant condi-
tions are having on minor play
- ers we do not know, but We
think a good deal. Some OF the
young men strutting around on West
ern league diamonds this season strut
with a good deal more haughtiness
and devil-may-care air than formerly
The general result is lack of life in the
playing We think this is especially true
of the Omaha team as a whole, not of
every man, perhaps. But 1t is our delib-
crate opinion that Friend Rourke is not
getting all that some of his young men
have to give him. Their work lacks a
punch, lacks an evident zeal to win
Wednesday we looked on proceedings
very critically and were impressed with
this general indifference on the part Of
both teams, particularly Omaha Here is
a case in hand. Willis is on first the
ball is hit to third. Willis lopes on down
to second as leisurely as If he had been
walking to the bench. Only because the
third baseman was equally as unheeding
in throwing the ball to first instead of sec
ond, did Willis land safe and at that the
first baSeman came near getting him.
He might easily have been caught the
way he was loafing. Willis, of course, is
a pitcher and the idiotic notion obtains
today that pitchers who work about
once a week and maybe then for only
three or four innings, are excused from
batting. But here Is young Dunlop,
husky, rafting good ball player His
turn comes to steal second. He paddles
on down as IL the catcher had no notion
of trying to get him, goes into the bag
standing up as erect as Greek
statue, and, OF course, is out.
Anybody who watched the play
knew that he could just as easily
have run, slid and made 1t. He leaves no
other conclusion possible than that he just
didn't care. And here comes Nicholson,
Wichita's speedy left fielder. 1t Is agreed
that neither in major nor minor leagues Is
there a faster player on his feet when
he wants to be than this man Nicholson,
lie has speed to burn. He hits to deep
short. His team is badly in need OF runs,
but the way he loafed down to first
you would have thought he was pitcher,
too Off course, he went out when he
might have made 1t or come awful near
it. 1t probably never occurred to Mr..
Nicholson that one of the chief assets of
his speed lies in his ability to draw wild
throw. A man who can run as fast as
he can and always does his best soon be-
comes q terror to fielders and basemen.
1t is twice as hard, ordinarily, to make
a true throw to catch n fast man as
slow one That is one of the secrets Of
Ty Cobb's success in base running. They
are all afraid OF him, at least the coolest
man tends to get excited when it comes
time to make the throw on Ty There
is the chance of drawing a wild throw
and also of pulling the basemas off the
bag, giving him double chance of land
ing safe. Aside from the throwing away
Of chances to win games this sort of thing
IS about as disgusting as can be to intelli-
gent fans who pay their good money to
see good ball playing. IT all gets back
TO this, that the gentlemen paying the
wages of these young persons ought 10
sec to It that they do their work. We
don't hesitate TO say that large ma
jority of the games Omaha has lost this
year have been because the team has not
played the ball 1t is capable or II is all
right for the fans to pan the umpires
when they make a decision which the
fans think is crusty, but the player may
stand out there and make Ounce of
himself as often as he wishes without
exciting the tempest that comes down on
the head Of the poor Ishmaelite OF an
umpire.
Federals hail the decision In Chiei
JohnSon's case as a final triumph, while
organized base ball pronounces it but th'
first step to the end, which will be ir
their favor. They will appeal and expect
10 make the Injunction stick, because
they expect to secure the validity of the
reserve clause. which the appellate court
las dissolved. That Is, they profess L
expect this Meanwhile, the Indian IL
free 10 fling for the Kawfeds, whittier h,
Jumped from Cincinnati. If the ruling
IS affirmed It means one Of the most sig
nificant decisions ever rendered in a bas'
ball case. Joe Tinker. manager Of tn,
c1.;o.,,o I0adarals Tnakas "a comment M