Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-07-16
Judgments

continue to gallop along at
their pace-making clip, an Omaha tan
doesn't have to be overly optimistic
to entertain prospects of flag raising
day in the Nebraska metropolis. OF
course, it is always possible for a ball
club to crack under the strain But
the Rourkes do not exhibit any symp-
toms Of an impeding crack and the
team is not the kind that cracks. II
the Rourkes were the cracking kind
they would have cracked some time
ago. Because, despite their success,
the Omaha club is the hard-luck team
of the league. At the start of the sea
son Harold Irelan broke his leg. Then
it was discovered Outfielder Anderson
would be unable to report at all. John
Priest, for whom a big price was paid
proved failure in the Western
league. Ernie Kruger was out for
over two weeks with a split hand.
Earl Smith hiked away to get married.
Lou North, the best pitcher on the
squad and also the class of the league,
hurt his arm, Marty O'Toole hurt his
foot and Kewpie Kilduff took i'll. And
last, but not least, as is always the
case, there is that old concentrated ef-
fort on the part of every city in the
league to trim Omaha. If you can
find team in the Western league that
has harder luck than Omaha, we
would like to inquire which one it is.
And still the Rourkes continue to win
and lead the league race. 1t doesn't
take any expert prognostcator to pass
the judgment that the Rourkes are
the class of the league.
Following the complaint of Harry
Sallee that the hotels in New York
were not of sufficient Glass" for him,
roar has arisen from the ranks of
the Pittsburgh Pirates because Barney
Dreyfuss refuses to provide taxicabs
to and from hotels and railroad sta
tons for his players. This is indeed
an heinous offense. Too little atten.
ton is being paid to the down trodden
athlete by the greedy magnates now
that the federal league has expired.
Such niggardliness on the part OF
Dreyfuss should not 60 uncensored.
The players fraternity should look
into this at onoe. For if the magnate
is not punished Immediately he is
likely to become more arrogant than
ever and inclined to be still more
harsh toward his shackled slaves.
The bean ball problem is up once
again. The bean ball will always be
a problem and the Ebbett suggestion
that batter be permitted his base
when the hurler throws a bean ball
will not help the situation. Because
what umpire, calling upon his we'll
known Judgment, could determine a
deliberate bean ball? He couldn't do
it and wrangles and protests would be
constant. The bean ball is dangerous
business, but on the face of it there
doesn't seem to be anyway to avoid it
unless all of the managers get to-
gether and agree to prohibit its use
among their own hurlers-and that is
something which never will happen.
The pace the Boston Braves are
making in the National league Dor
ders pretty closely on the remark
able. The Braves are last in team
batting in the league and they
haven't a single pastimer on speaking
terms with 800 swat Percentage.
Yet the Braves are fighting for the
lead. They used to call Fielder
Jones' White Sox the hitless wonders,
but with the Braves this title would
fail to be explanatory.
Cyrus Forsythe is coming into his
own again. Cyrus started bad
slump the first of the year and it
looked for while as if the veteran
was approaching the end. But a few
weeks ago his batting eye returned
and since then he has been playing
a whale of game and is now slug
ging the ball at a 3l6 clip. Cy IS
still young man and he should have
a good many more years of base bali
in his system if he'll keep his head
up and fight.
Wild Bill Donovan, manager of the
New York Yanks, sent his trainer, an
ex-pugilist, up into the stands at
Philadelphia the other day to lick a
fan who hurled remarks at him. The
ex-pug trainer did it. All of which
adds luster to the fair reputation of
the manly art of base ball.
Three Omaha hurlers are now lead
ing the pitchers of the Western
league. Marty O'Toole with seven
games won and one lost leads the
league, while Lou North follows with
nine won and two lost. Otto Merz
with nine and four is third.
The difference between a German
submarine and the Athletics is that
the submarine comes up from the bot
tom occasionally.
Christy Mathewson's fadeaway may
be less effective than of yore, but the
Giants fadeaway percentage is still
on the job.
If the Rourkes keep on going
they'll sail clear through the top OF
the league.
Southwest Tennis
Experts Hold Fast