Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-30
OMAHA PLAYERS
SLOW IN SIGNING
1919 CONTRACTS
Only Eight Men Have Re.
turned Agreements for
Coming Season, Five
of Them Pitchers.


The heads of the Omaha Western
league base ball club are little wor-
ficd over the delay of the Gate City
players to sign and return their
contracts for the coming season.
Thus far but nine players have
signed, including Manager Bill
Jackson, himself. Owner Pa Rourke
figures on securing some players
from the higher up" leagues when
they begin turning them loose.
n The Omaha prexy thinks he
wilfrg4t several good ones from
the American association, for he
says the Association clubs hope to
land quite a few classy performers
from the big leagues and will have
to- let some of their present players
nd to the Western clubs.
The ball tossers secured in trades
I for O'Toole and Krug have not
signed with the Rourkes yet, but
Jackson says he anticipates little
trouble in getting these men to come
into the fold. He also has lines out
Nor couple of outfielders, infield-
crs, pitcher and an experienced
catcher to fill in for Lingle, who is
Etill in France, but will report as
soon as he is discharged from the
service. There are other players in
the service that the locals expect to
have in the linup before the season
issvery old.
Players Signed.
The eight players already signed
are infielders. Donica and Jackson;
outfielders, Bashang and Red Mack,
a cincinnati semi-pro player; catch
crs, Ralph Corderrnan, youngster
with no previous professional ex-
perience and semi-pro player
named George Baker, of Peoria, ILL.,;
pitchers, Otto Merz, Charley Kopp.
Oscar Fuhr and the Council Bluffs
semi-pro HEAVIER, A. f. Manske. Pat
Mason of Kansas City will report
when he finishes his term of school,
early in June, and will probably han
die them at the hot corner, unless
Jackson changes his present plans
and signs Wees Corcoran, the local
semi-pro star from the Armours ball !
club, !
Townsend, secured from the
Texas league in exchange for Marty |
O'Toole is said to be classy south
raw HEAVIER, but he has not yet put ,
his John Henry" to contract.
When Townsend signs up the Oma-
ha pitching staff will be about as
complete as Jackson can wish for.
This will give him five pitchers and
with the one he expects to get from
the American association, will make
him half dozen beavers that should
hold tlseirsrsNn with any hurting
Il. MIME league this year. Merz,
kopp and Fuhr have played with
them before and Manske has had
some minor league experience be-
fore he signed to throw for the
Council Bluffs semis. His work
with the Bluffs team was good
enough last year for Jackson to fig
urc on him 10 a good share of the
work with the Omaha club this
year.
Mason to Continue Studies.
The owner and manager are now
doubtful about getting Pat Mason
10 forego his studies until fall and
plan to plug the hole at third base
base until Jun, when the K. {.
student will ioir them. They made
Mason an excellent offer to pass up
lie schooling until fall and play from
the start of the season, but the play
er didn't want to lose the credit
marks he ha already earned and
have to do all his studying over
again. He insists on finishing the
course before getting into the game.
The Omah.. club people offered to
pay his winter tuition, if he would
join the team at the START of the sea-
son, but Pat turned the offer down.
Rourke and Jackson are so Sweet
on this players ability that they will
hang onto him, even though he
won't get lnto the game until the
schedule is we'll under way.
Two More Signed.
Since the above was written, Bill {
Jackson, the Omaha manager, drop
ped in with the information that he {
had two more players signed. They
are Hi Hale, catcher, brother to
Brooks Hale, last year swith the
Rourkes as pitcher. Young Hale
has just been discharged from the i
aviation branch of the army, in |
which he served in some of the big
battles in Europe.
Another young inhelder from the
Coast league, Hal Cable, has sent in |
his acceptance of the terms offered I
him and contract has been mailed (
to him with orders to report as soon 4
as possible. This will make ten {
players besides the manager-hrst q
hasemau 2