Omaha daily bee., 1915-11-21
Judgments

I'D Tip oNeill resign from the
presidents chair OF the Western
league or was he dismissed2
Two months ago IL was an
nounced following a meeting In Omaha
that o'Neill had been deposed. Now
comes word from San Francisco that
ONeill resigned at the meeting out
there. Perhaps ONeili is like the office
boy who was informed by his employer of
his discharge and he answered You
can't fire me, l quit" But no matter
whether o'Neill was officially fired or
whether he resigned. his sudden and
graceful retirement Is a matter of much
speculation. When TIP left Chicago for
San Francisco he heralded his trip with
many declarations OF war and emphati-
cally asserted he would get his 1916 sal
ary or fight to the last ditch. The West
ern mags were equally emphatic that
O'Neill would not get his 1916 salary and
he could fight to the last ditch If he so
chose, they would be right with him.
Then out of the chaos comes the an
nouncement that O'Neill resigned and
that a compromise was made" What
the compromise was Is a mystery. but
It is one certain and sure fact. O'Neil
is a foxy business man and his deal with
the magnates was not to his own dis
advantage.
The election of Frank c. Zehrung to
the leagues executive office should be
a boom to the league. In the first place
zehrung will make Ancoln his head
quarters. 1t has long been the senti-
ment around the circut' that the leagues
5 offices should be in q league city, and
Zebrung's announcement that he will
do that very thing should make hit
with tho fans who never could see why
{ O'Neill as president of the Western
league should sit in Comiskey's ball
park and tend to the Old Romans busi-
ness for hima Another big advantage
ZehrunR has is the fact he is not
base ball politician. A base ball politician
can wreck a league about as fast as any
person in the world. zehrung is show
man, too. He is manager Of the BrandeAs
theater in Omaha, he is manager Of the
oliver in Lincoln. and he has theatrical
interests In st. Joseph, Topeka and
Wichita. He knowna something OF the
Western league territory and IL there
is any person who has a chance to better
the affairs Of the wobbly Western league
zehruns is the man.
The 1915 foot ball season is practically
at an end. The Cornell-Pennsylvania and
Army-Navy games are the only big
games to be held. yet and they are OF
little Importance in settling divisional
honors. This years griditon season has
been a paramount success. 1t has seen
smaller colleges come into their own by
defeating the larger schools. which in
the old days were regarded as invincible.
II puts a new aspect TO foot ball. You
don't have to see Yale or Harvard play to
see good foot ball team or a good foot
ball game. Cornell and Pittsburgh in the
east both have better teams than Har-
ward. There are also few teams in the
west that probably could lick Haughton's
charges. probably they could trim Cor
nell and Pittsburgh. too. Like the
smaller colleges In the east, western
schools ara at last coming into their own
and the eastern critics who have in the
past found difficulty in extending their
vision beyond the Allegheny mountains,
can no longer sidetrack the western
schools and the western players.
While Creighton has been defeated three
times this year and is expected to suffer
another trimming when South Dakota Is
met on Thanksgiving day. much credit
must be given to Coach Tommy Mills and
Captain Shannon for turning out the
team they have. 1t Is a good foot ball
team that represents the college on the
hill. 1t plays a good game. no matter
whom II bucks up against. 1t plays for
all that is IN IT, And it cannot be ex-
pected that Creighton could defeat such
teams as the Haskell Indians and Notre
Dame The Blue and White must be
given the credit due II for It's gameness
in tackling schools which are indisput-
ably superior and for making the hard
fight II does against them.
Omaha is today the mecca OF the bowl
ing fraternity Of the United States. The
second biggest bowling congress Of the
country Is holding it's annual tournament
here aud all ewes are pointed TO the Gate
city. When Omaha went out TO get this
tournament year ago, the bowlers were
Informed that Omaha would break all
records for the number of teams entered.
And Omaha made good. One hundred
and twenty-three five-man teams are
rolling in the event. The former record
was made two years ago at St. Louis.
when lW teams tumbled the pins for the
big prize money.
Now that the foot ball season is over
the winter stove league can draw up its
schedule and settle the 1916 races 80 that
Bill CarFigan and Pat Moran will not
have to worry over their chances TO cop
them again.
Who would be 30 bold now to dispute
the supremacy OF the great cornhusker
eleven in all the western country3