Omaha daily bee., 1916-07-09
Judgments
} EFEREE EDDIE SMITH had
(, an opportunity to cover him.

self with glory, to deliver a
X 1ust and equitable decision. and to
save the wrestling game as a credit
able sport in Omaha, but he wasn't
equal to his great opportunity. When
ne was apprised that to further con.
I tlnue the farce at the fair grounds on
the evening Of July might "endanger
N the physical health of one or both oi
n the contestants" he should have
y promptly declared it no contest. This
4 would have been in accord with the
letter and the spirit of the articles I'm.
4 der which Stecher and Lewis met
they having engaged over their sigma
lures that the match should not end
i in draw. Smith knew this, but he
deliberately violated the letter Of the
contract, just as Ed Lewis violated its
!. spirit. 1t is useless to talk of moral
k9r ethical obligations to a professional
kport; he knows of nothing save to
secure an advantage for himself, by
whatever ruse, trick or subterfuge he
may successfully adopt. Yet it re-
mains true that Lewis was in all honor
bound to undertake to throw Stecher.
The articles called for a wrestling
bout, and this does not mean that one
|. man shall continually act on the de-
Z enSive, but does in a sense at least
contemplate that he shall show some
purpose of dumping his adversary.
Suppose Stecher had gone on the mat
with the same idea as filled Lewis
' brain; what sort of an affair would it
have beenl 1t was farcical enough as
it was. Had Referee Smith been a
really big man, and true friend OF
sport, he would have set the seal OF
disapproval on the Lewis tactics by
disqualifying him, and declaring the
match off This would have prevented
either man from getting any share OF
the purse, it would have protected
Gene Melady, and would in some de-
gree have Modified the thousands who
paid to see a contest, and who saw
A only pushing match. Lewis showed
he was too strong for Stecher to
handle, he earned thousands of dollars
for those who backed him to stay a
reasonable length of time without be-
ing thrown, and secured his share of a
princely purse, but he also killed the
wrestling sport as dead as julius
Caesar in these parts. He may trade
on the capital he has thus acquired
and doubtless will, but he would stand
n lot better hereabouts if he had
Fshowed little inclination to wrestle.
Eddie Smith may be asked to referee
many another bout, but he will never
have another such chance to show
bnself big. square man.
The open season for optimists is
about over. And now that July is well
upon her way those hopeful persons
who were predicting pennants for the
home folks have begun the round Of
alibis and are starting to talk of 1917
instead of 1916. But in Omhaa this
July its considerably different from
what it has been in years gone BY
Last April Omaha fans didn't have
much to say about the pennant pros
poets in Omaha. Pa Rourke had as
sembled an almost entirely new team
Nobody knew enough about the play.
ers to make any representations as
to where the Rourkes would finally
land in the percentage column. They
were merely hopeful that the team
would be . good one. But its . diff.
ferent story now. Not only is Pa
Rourke's team a good one, but-and
this without any of the home pref
udice either-looks like the best in
the league. 1t is leading the loop now
and at the gait it is travelling, the dope
reads for Omaha's pursuit Of the pen.
nant to be successful. Only streak
of bad breaks in the luck, slump, OF
injuries can stop Omaha. OF course
the element OF uncertainty in base ball
is one Of the predominant features
which makes it such an attractive
sport to the American public and as a
\ result even predictions in July are
dangerous, it seems safe to venture
thst Omaha Is going to own another
penhant winning club.
While the Western league is sing
1 ing the praises Of Kewpie Kilduff, the
sensational little Rourke shortstop
and the ivory hunters are chasing him
around the circuit to get an eyeful
it might not be amiss to call atten-
tion to another member Of the Rourke
tribe who is playing brand of base
ball that isn't even shaded by Kewpie
That player is Lou North. North is
today the class of the Western
league hurlers. Last year North
pitched some mighty swell base ball
in fact he led the league in the num-
Der of earned runs made off him
But this year he's hurting 10 per cent
better ball. They're not making many
runs off of him and they're not max
ing many hits. Neither has he been
!. addicted to wildness, or does he blow
up in the pinches. If Kewpie Kildufi
is big league prospect-and it's
pretty generally agreed he is-Lou
North is too, and the scouts are over
looking bet if they are passing up
this strapping young chap.
Schoolmaster Mack of the Phila.
delphia base ball academy has grabbed
eight collegians for his educational
institution. With Witt, the new short.
stop, who has already made good, this
,R-Nkes the number Of players on Con.
MES nine who have never played
minor league ball, total nine. How
many managers in the big leagues
would sign nine ball players who
have never had day of minor league
experience? Probably not any. But the
foxy Connie developed Eddie Collins
and Jack Barry and some others with.
out a day of busher experience, and
he's as good as made a big Lacquer
out of young Witt. Maybe Mack will
be successful with his eight new col.
,Ierians. and maybe he won't but al