Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-12-27
FANS LIKE SCRGPPY GAMES
Polite and Attentive Athletics Fail
10 Attract Tickle Bug.
UMPIRE BA1TERs POPULAR
TT Cobb, the Great zim, McGraw'
PuRiIists Extraordinary, Are the
Men who Act as Magnet 60
Bring Fans Go the Park.
NJ FRANK q. MENKE.

Nv EHANh - AAhsNANAf'
NEW YORK. Dec. 2s-The base ball
club that draws the crowds and brings
home the bacon for the magnate Is the
club that is composed Of scrappy. umpire
hating players-the club that has color,
even ~ e lacks In base ball skill. Ana
the club that falls as a drawing card Is
one that proceeds about It's daily JOB with
machine-llke regularity and whose tactics
on the ball field are Of the Sunday school
pupil order.
The Athletics in 1914 furnished an ex-
cellent example Of the latter instance and
the Detroit Tigers and Chicago CUBS
were fine example Of the first instance
There never was smoother working
machine assembled than that which Con-
ME Mack sent into action In 1914 II was
as near perfect as a ball team can De-
At nearly every position - bad a player
who either stood head and shoulders
above every other man in the game or,
at tho worst, was the equal Of the best
man at those positions.
Ty Cobb Draws Crowds.
with such a club, and with the added
distinction Of being the Championship
base ball team Of the world. Il was only
reasonable 10 expect that the Athletics
would outdraw every other club In the
American league. But they didn't They
drew less than some OF the clubs that
finished in the second division. And the
reason for Il was that the Athletics were
a coloriess team. They were out on the
diamond 20 play ball and they played
ball. They did nothing else. They never
baited an umpire. They accepted the
ruilnge OF the arbitrator in silence. They
never hurled a glove at the umpire.
They never sprayed him with tobacco
Juice, never soaked him on the knob
with a base ball bat. nor did they ever
swat an opposing player on the pro-
poscis because he happened to be In their
way.
And the fans turned away from the
Athletics. When Connie Mack brought
his wonderful machine to New York the
crowds used 70 average around 5000 The
Athletics were in first place and they
were headed for the pennant. In view OF
this Il would have been safe TO assume
that they would outdraw any other club
two, to one. But they didn't.
whenever Hughey Jennings led his
second division Tigers into New York
they would draw from 5000 20 5000 rogu-
larry. Why7 Not because the team was
real base ball team. but because It had
Ty Cobb on It's roster. Ty Is no greater
star than Eddie Collins. but Ty is human
and sometimes inhuman, according to
the umpires. There never was any monot-
ony about the game when Ty was In II.
Something out OF the ordinary always
was sure to happen. And the fans went
TO see what II was going TO be.
The old Chicago cubs were great draw
ing cards. The old Cub team was nearly
as good as the Athletics. But as road
team they outdrew the Athletics three
and four to one. They did It merely be-
cause they had on their rosters some
men who were liable to ''start something
at any minute. Tinker. Evers. Chance,
Steinfeldt, Schultz and some Of the other
old Cubs were full Of life and pep and
when one wasn't pulling off some scrappy
stunt the other was.
Play Polite Game.
The 1914 fourth place Cubs were better
drawing card than the first place Ath-
ietios. why7 Simply because the Cubs
had In their lineup a fellow named Heinie
Zimmerman who could be counted upon
20 start a little something each day.
whether the ''somethipg'' involved cuss-
ing the umpire or soaking an opposing
player or one Of his own teammates.
The Giants are rated as the best road
team in the country. The Giants are
scrappy-and even more. They are led
by a man who has worldwide repu-
tation FOR being an umpire batter. They
have In their lineup a half dozen players
who are eager TO shift from base bali 70
prize ring methods at q moments no
tice.
And 30. when tho Giants are the at.
traction the crowds hustle to tho park
They want to be sure TO get there early
so as not to miss anything that happens
They go to the bali park expecting the
Giants 20 pull something out of the OF.
binary. They seldom are disappointed.
The fan loves base ball. all right. but
he likes TO have Il with variations. And
because the Athletics gave nothing but
base ball they failed IA n drawine card