Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-01
LIFT BASE BALL
LID ON TUESDAY
Pacific Coast League, as Usual,
First to Start, Opening
On That Day.
TEXAS IS OFF THURSDAY

Only two more days until the bling
of the ball yard gong will be followed
by the old familiar cry of PLAY ball"
and the regular base ball season Of
1917 will be under way. Tuesday is
the day fixed for the opening in the
Pacific Coast league, which, as usual,
is the first to start pastiming. Fol-
lowing the lid-lifting on the coast the
big and little leagues will fall into
line and opening games will be staged
in different parts OF the country every
few days until we'll along in May.
About the only new attraction at
the Coast league opening will be the
debut OF George Stovall as pilot in
that circuit, the former Cleveland
manager and player having taken
charge OF the Vernon team.
Thursday will be the opening day
for the Texas league. A few days
later, on April II, the turnst.les will
click for the first time this year in
the American league, the National
league and the American association,
The big show will present two new
managers to the assembled bugs and
bugettes, the new leaders being Jack
Barry, who succeeds Bill Carrigan as
pilot of the worlds champion Red
Sox, and Fred Mitchell, who has
taken up the Cub burden laid aside
by Sir Joseph Tinker.
In the American association three
new managers, all former big
leaguers, will strive to win the PEN
nant. Danny Shay will hold the reins
at Milwaukee, John Camel will lead
Kansas City and Joe Tinker will en-
deavor to show Columbus the regu-
lation brand of big league pastiming.
Donlin Is Manager.
The Southern league ami the West
crn association have fixed April II as
the date for beginning their seasons,
The Southern league will be the
scene of Mike Donlin's debut as a
manager, the former well known Ma
tional Lacquer having been signed to
pilot the Memphis team.
On April II the opening games in
the International league will be
played, Napoleon Lajoie, former
American league star and one of the
worlds greatest ball players, will be
in charge of the Toronto team. Mike
Doolan, another former star in the
big show, will lead the Rochester out
fit, and Tom Needham, who returns to
the game after an absence of several
years, will be found in charge Of the
Newark team. .... ~,
Western league fans will be out
bright and carly April Is for the
opening contests in that circuit. Since
the close of last season the Topeka
franchise has been transferred to Jop-
lin, Mo. Jack Dalton, the former
Brooklyn Dodger, has been engaged
to pilot the new member and appears
confident of his ability to show Mis-
sourians winning stuff.
Change in South Atlantic.
The South Atlantic league season
will begin April 10, the schedule call
ing for a continuous season of 1866
games instead of the usual hrst-half
and second-h half seasons. -
With the salary limit increased
from 81 800 to $1,000 month and the
player limit raised from thirteen to
fourteen men, the Northwestern
league will start its sixteenth season
on April "a. One week later the
Blue Ridge league will get under way.
Central league FASTENERS will fire
the opening guns in their pennant
warfare on May 3. Richmond and
Fort Wayne have displaced Terre
Haute and Wheeling in the Central
circuit. The league this year will be
the first to try municipal base ball.
Under city auspices the clubs in
South Bend and Grand Rapids have
disposed of 10000 tickets at 81 each,
making the average rate of admission
) cents for each game.
May 3 will also be the opening
date in the Central association. From
May 7 to August 4 the Georgia Ala
bama league will stage its pennant
struggle. May II will be the open
ing date for the Eastern league, the
Oldest of the minor organizations.
The league has been reduced from
ten to eight clubs, the circuit now
comprising New Haven, Hartford,
New London, Bridgeport, Worcester,
Lawrence, Springfield and Portland.
If present plans of its promoters
are carried out the old Cotton States
league will be revived in time to be-
u;n the ceacno m Nav IA