Omaha daily bee., 1915-04-25
Judgments

by the magnates, and by them
freely expressed, as to the out
~ come of tine present base ball sea-
son. 1t is yet too early to deter
mine II their fears are well founded or
IL they may realize the hope they have
that the public will turn back to base
ball for it's amusement. If the game
can survive the shock it received during
the last season and the following win
ter, tlien it is pretty well fixed in the
favor of the people. No disputing the
real popularity of base ball, for it is the
one game on which all can meet in COM
munity Of interest. AS to the CONNER
cialization of the sport, and the methods
and practices that have grown up in
connection herewith, much room for
public criticism exists. The sudden reali-
zation of this has moved the big team
owners to some effort to restore the
gone to the position Il held as a box
office attraction, and has also given
them q little occasion to worry. The
answer is still in the future, but the
we'll wishers of the game are hoping it
will be affirmative, and that the grand
stands will be infested during the COM
ing summer by the old time crowds.
Especially is this condition true of the
Western league. President O'Neil has
said that every effort is going to be
made to win back the crowds that have
been missing for some time In Omaha
PA" Rourke has given most serious en-
deavor TO the solution of the problem,
with the one fact before him that he
must have a good team to hold the at
tention of the fans, who have been some
what inclined to fickleness of late years.
He has gathered together what looks
ike nifty lot of ball players, and placed
them under the leadership of a young
man of intelligence and zeal. and now
can only await the issue. II the COM
bination does not prove a winning one,
he will have TO experiment still further,
but he proposes to keep at 1t until he
does get the winning team he feels sure
Omaha ought to have.
His letter to the people Of Omaha,
published last Sunday, was a frank and
open statement of his side of the case,
and a moderate request that he be given
such support as is commensurate with
his effort to provide Omaha with a rep
resentative base ball team The most
indicative home knocker" has never
accused Rourke Of not approaching the
fact that the only chance he has to win
local patronage is to provide good ball
and the public may be assured that he
Is as wide awake to that fact as he ever
was. The way to help is to go out to
The Vinton park on Tuesday and show
the team and its owner that they have
a place In public estimation, and then
judge them by what they do.
Much wonderment Is being expressed
out this way as TO why "Wild BIZ
Donovan keeps Pipp on first and Charley
Mullen on the bench. Pip hasn't shown
anything that Mullen hasn't got, and be-
sides isn't batting anywhere near up Il
Mulen's figures.
We have with us today j. Willard. Esq.
savior of the white race. head of family
and actor. He doesn't pretend TO be mucl
of an actor out on the stage, but he doe
show what he can do with his big mits
and that is what the people most want Il
see.
It's a good thing for Rowland the Sol
pulled that ninth inning rally. II tn,
team had lost that game after it's per
Torrance on the road. he'd have TO tea
right back to Rockford, without waiting
TO pack his Kiester.
Jimmy Jane showed the boys that hi
batting eye hasn't suffered any durinl
the closed season. II he keeps on tn
way he has started Sioux City will neve
miss Lejeune.
Wonder what Red" Doom thinks O
it now? He must feel something like h.
did the way he was going TO lick john
Gonding. down at St. Joe, and the
changed his mind.
Even Al Demaree can win a ball gam
with the right kind of a team behin
him.
Des Moines didn't show very much re
spect for the champions on opening day
either.
A lot of Omaha weisenheimers ar
about ready to lay off Joe stecher now