Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-12-03
WESTERN LEAGUE
ATTENDANCE LIGHT
Omaha Leads Loop on Home
Attendance and Still Draws
Under 100000.
LINCOLN THIRTY LESS

|
LINCOLN THIRTY LESS
| Not city>uf the Western league
drew a total Of 100000 attendance
during 1916.
Omaha easily led the league in at
Tendance. but fell considerably below
the 100000 mark The total paid at
tendance in Omaha for the entire
year was about $4,000.
Lincoln, which followed Omaha.
attracted somewhere around 10000
through the gate Wichita performed
before $4,000 persons during the time
it was in the league All of the other
clubs fell below the $4,000 mark.
Denver played to less than $4,000
lpersens for the first time in its his
ftory. but this extremely low record
of the mile city is due somewhat to
bad weather. When Omaha was in
Denver on the Rourkes' second tour
raround the circuit, Hugh Jones looked
for his biggest Saturday and Sunday
Of the season. He figured $500 to
5000 on Saturday and 5000 or 1000
] on Sunday And it rained both days.
With good weather these two days
and one or two other days Denver's
attendance probably would have
REACHED 10000.
Des Moines was close to the $4,000
kmark, but Topeka, Sioux City and
St, Joseph fell far short.
Compared to Southern.
How small these attendance figures
are can be-quicklv shown by COMPARE
SONS with the attendances i'll the
Southern league. Memphis led the
Southern with mark of f74,R3. And
Memphis flushed sixth in the league
race. Nashville, the pennant winner,
played before ll1,4l4 fans at home
and New Orleans, which finished Sec
ond, played to Ill 1887.
Both the Western and Southern
leagues are Class A circuits and
should draw about the same. The
Southern league cities are, of course,
little larger and should draw little
more. but not great deal.
Omaha is the only club in the
Western which is believed to, have
cleared anything on the season, al
though Lincoln is believed to have
finished about fifty-ffty on the bust
mess end. But Rourke spent several
thousand dollars for ball players the
first of the year and his stock won't
declare any war bride dividends. If
Smith, Kruger and Kilduff manage
10 stick in the big show Rourke will
make fair profit on the year, but
if they don't they will be turned
back, Rourke will make nothing on
the sales and his profits on the sea-
son won't make any steel magnates
envious.
The lot of the minor league mag
nate is tough these days Of the H.
Holland Gets Busy.
Jack Holland of ST. Joseph is the
only magnate an the Western league,
who is showing any symptoms of pre-
pairing for 1917. Jack evidently be-
lieves there will be Western league
/ in 1917. The others apparently aren't
so sure of it.
Holland is beginning to- assemble
a lineup He is after two or three
pitchers, a catcher and an puthelder or
two. \
Kirkham, the leaping outfelder, has
been returned to St. Joseph blythe
White Sox, but Holland is planning
to trade Kirk for couple of men.
He is also getting ready to dispose
of Wright. outhelder, and Beers,
catcher, neither o1e of whom is fast
| .,,..-xL r. ca, A ,o,,a,,, Co1J;a
Rapps returns to St. Joseph from
Peoria, and Holland expects to give
Goldie an in6eld berth. Holland also
drafted a couple of players, one a
shortstop, to take the place of keat
ing, who has been released. OF this
years team Holland intends to hold
onto McCabe, McClelland, Fusner,
Hovlik, Williams and Sommers. He
| believes the White Sox will return
Ted Jourdan, the first sacker, to him.
Holmes Signs Two.
+ Ducky Holmes, has secured Pitcher
East and First Basennan Schmandt
again from the St. Louis Browns East
was with Lincoln all year, while
Holmes had Schmandt the first part
of the season. This is the only deal
Holmes has made.
Pa Rourke has not made public a
move yet, but it is believed Pa has
the wires working! ready to turn a
trick or two whenever he believes the
time is opportune. Pa generally takes
his time looking over the field and
makes no headlong jumps in the fall
because something better may turn
L 80 L.. Ala lrcA Of 4ha ,nnr