Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-04-15
Judgments

ened strike was called of, the players
fraternity, through its president, was
always on hand to give extensive in
terviews on current base ball topics.
A magazine. devoted almost exclu-
sively to base ball, was the fraternity
organ, and the views of the fraternity
were in each issue carefully explained
in detail. These reviews no longer
appear. The card showing the per-
sonnet of the frats executive staff and
board of control, which also was pub
lished in this magazine, has been with
drawn and the fraternity has notified
the editor of the Blue Book, a COM
plete roster O. all officials connected
with base ball, that it will not give
for its publication this year list of
the officers. Thus, surface indica-
tons, at least, would warrant the be-
lief that the players fraternity has
been given thorough trouncing by
organized bali, although there is, Of
course, a chance that Fultz and his
confreres are merely laying low pend
ing a reorganization OF that body.
The major leagues have started the
season. In few more days those
clubs which partook Of spring inter-
league games will begin to realize
their folly. When the major league
clubs announced the spring inter-
league games, critics who looked
upon them from an unbiased angle
advised against them, but the mag
mates who have for several years been
trying to conceive plan to make the
spring training trips profitable, or at
least self-supporting, believed they
had discovered the solution and went
right ahead But they are going to
discover shortly that they have mis-
cued again. Take, for instance. the
Red Sox-Robins series. Last fall the
Red Sox won the worlds champion
ship from Brooklyn. But when these
two teams opened their spring series
Brooklyn crushed the Bostonians
easily in the first two games. The
reason was manifest. The Red Sox
weren't ready. But no matter what
the reason. Boston fans will be dis
appointed because the Red Sox didn't
wipe the earth with Robinson's crew
again, and it will take a winning
streak to restore their confidence in
the 1917 Red Sox. Fall interleague
games are interesting, but the spring
games are injurious. They are very
likely to bring about a loss Of pres
tige and resulting shrinkage of gate
receipts during the regular season.
Barring the possibility that some
OF the stars are lost through injuries
or that one of the other clubs develops
extraordinarily strong, the kourkes
have almost fifty-ffty chance to re-
peat their success of 1916 this year.
The Rourke lineup looks pretty
formidable today. The new men have
more than filled the vacancies left in
the ranks and the 1917 Rourkes should
prove pennant contenders from gun
to gun. Tony Brottem looks to be
about the best catching bet in the
league. He is nice receiver and he
hits well. Murphy Currie and Wayne
Barham, new hurlers, show every ear
mark of developing into winning
pitchers. The outfeld, we know, is
the class of the league. 1t was last
year and as the same three stars
Smith, Thompson and Forsythe-are
back in their places it will be this
year. The in6eld will be almost as
strong with Krug filling Kilduff's
shoes and Brokaw Miller's. Brokaw
looks like a real first basemar.. He
handles himself easily and smoothly
and he hits the ball hard. He may
not hit as well as Ray Miller, but
he won't be far behind. With player
or two still coming the Rourkes really
look mighty sweet.
Coincident with reports that new
golf ball with wonderful flight or
carry is to appear this spring comes a
suggestions that golf balls be stand
ardized. For years. in order to
maintain a standard of play, golf
courses have. been heightened until to-
day the average course is 6,400 or
more yards. In addition, traps have
been set at certain distances from the
tees, water hazards regulated and
every other possible difficulty provid-
ed to make the game competitive.
And now ball with twenty yards or
so additional flight threatens to upset
the whole scheme. If golf courses
are heightened for this ball the golfer
of the future will have to have the
walking qualifications of an Edward
Payton Weston and the endurance of
a camel 1t would seem the time to
standardize the ball has arrived.
A new wrestling champion was
born in Omaha last week and the
muchly-cherished championship has
reverted back to Iowa. The Hawkeye
state has now produced three wrest-
ling champions - Farmer Burns,
Frank Gotch and Earl Caddock. Cad
dock has said he will defend his title
against any and all wrestlers named
by his managers. 1t is to be hoped
lis managers, when selecting op-
,onents for the new champ, will see
t to name those grapplers who reside
J this section of the country--those
re know can wrestle-for matches
cid out here at least, instead of inn
orting some of the huge hulks from
re east who bat about .007 in the
resting league, but are equipped
it'll high-powered press agents with
elve-cylinder typewriters.
Our old friend, Ham Patterson, got
,say to flying start in his new berth
manager of the Dallas club in the
.'exas league. Running true to form,
lam got into row in the very first
game OF the season, was escorted from