THE COURIER
THE NATIONAL GAME
News of the Week Among the Ball Players.
Tho annual meeting of the Western Association will convene in
Des Moines, January 10th, anil aB the time draws nearer it is evi
dent that the meeting will bo a red hot one. There are at present
nine clubs in the league; not counting St. Paul which has been sur
rendered to tho Western League and it is now a iiestion whether
tho association will take in another city and make it a ten club
league or drop one of the citiep nov-i holding a franchise Rockford
is wild over base ball and will almost jm11 its court house, post office,
or anything it has got to got into theyWestern Association, and
while it is not a largo as some of the othecitics the people have
raised S1S00 and will send Hugh Nichol to tho meeting. They aro
willing to give a bond as evidence of good faith and promise to finish
the season. At present the National League is trying to cut from
twelve clubs. Magnates say there are too many tail. enders and it
does not seem a good thing to have ten clubs in a minor league.
Last season tho Western Association was tho most successful minor
organization in the country and it does seem that the best thing to
do is to throw out Jacksonville and take in Sioux City.
t
Dave Rowe is a pretty smooth politician and if he wants anything
he is not the least backward about asking for it. Hejealizesthe
fact that Lincoln people are after his scalp and he threatens to
throw out all cities that do not play Sunday ball. He does not seem
to know that the supreme court has decided that it is against the
law to play Sunday ball in
the state and if he gets real
funny eoiuu one will stop
tho Sunday games in Oma
ha. Dave has both papers
in Omaha on hfs staff so to
speak and the World-Herald
shows how Omaha paid
Lincoln 8700 more last sea
son than Lincoln paid
Omaha. They do not take
into consideration the fact
that fourSundaygamesweio
transferred to Omaha. Tho
reason tho place of meeting
was changed to Des Moines
is because Dave hoped to
get another vote for him
self. When he was elected
president ho promised that
he would have nothing to do
with any club in the Asso
ciation, yet he was the indi
vidual who got most of Kid
Fear's salary last year. If men "s word is worth anything the next
president of the Western Association will be W. W. Kent, die
talk of throwing Lincoln out is all rot. Lincoln was second to the
best city in the association last year without Sunday ball and if the
directors ot the Lincoln club are wise they will not attempt to play
Sunday games next season. Sunday games draw out all the tough
element and keep the god class of people away and it is hoped for
the good of base ball in Lincoln that the season of 1S95 will be in
one respect like the season just past, viz. a nice, clean nine of gen
tlemenly ball players and an audience that a man dare take his wife,
daughter or sweetheart among.
t
Fred PfelFer, the "blacklisted" second baseman, will coach the
Princeton college team this year.
r
Ed Flannigan, who at one time played first base for the Lincoln
club wks married last Thursday in Dover, Conn.
T
The Pittsburg National league club will train for the great race
at Hot Springs, Ark. Big Jake Beckley, who was always a favorite
in Lincoln will start January 15th to get into condition.
t
Lincoln and Des Moines are the two cities in the Western A6so-
EVOLUTION OF THE "BUM" TO THE "BOMB'
ciation that aro Rotting their teams signed early. All Des Moines
lacks is a catchor and Lincoln absolutely needs no more men. Tho
team next season will not only bo a better fielding one than last
year, but great care has been takon by Manager Ebright to get
players who can hit tho ball hard and often. Next week Tiik Cook
ieb will publish the batting and fielding averages of the men who
will represent our city next year.
t
The two men signed since tho last issue are Ernie Gragg, who
pitched for Des Moines last season and Lou Myers of tho Atlanta
club of the Southern league.
t
Lincoln is particularly fortunato in having so good a manager aH
Buck Ebright. AH of the best players in tho Western Association
wanl to come to Lincoln next year and Buck is accomodating as
many of them as he can and keep in tho limit. While somo of the
peoplo say that Mr. Ebright is hard man to play ball for he is in re
ality one of the easiest. He tongue-lashes the boys somewhat stir
ringly at times, perhaps, but under tho same circumstances other
managers would deduct a largo slice of salary. If a player only putt,
up an honest, intelligent game Buck will treat him as well as any
man in America. He means to give the patrons of the game the
.rorth of their money and it is not his fault when they fail to get it.
t
Omaha so far has ShaolTer, ot last year's Peoria team, O'Brien, a
third baseman from Pittsburg, and Slagle, an outfielder who no one
knows anything about.
Dav Rowe has Been tit to
re-instate Kid Fear and he
will probably play in Grand
Rapids next season.
t
The Sunday ifceintimates
that Pittsburg holdsa string
on Taylor who will play in
our outfield. This is not
true. The contract was
made with Taylor for tho
full season of 1805 and ho
has already received his ad
vance money. IT any club
wants him they will have to
purchase his release fro.n
Lincoln.
f
Jacksonville has not se
cured a manager for next
year.
t
The Peoria team will be captained and managed by Ed Dugdale
who has been with the Washington National league team the past
season.
t
Peoria and Quincy have secured new grounds.
T
The prospects for the Western Association wero never brighter
than at present and some of the cities have a good number of play
ers signed though they do not say who tho players are. The patrons
will bo furnished with a little faster ball next season as there are
several very fast men in the teams already made up.
t
The newspapers of each town in tho western association aro busy
these cold days winning the 1895 pennant.
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Peoria hasBigned Flynn to play cecterfield for next season.
t
Billy Turner thinks that Voungy Johnson is the best pitcher who
ever "tossed them over" in Lincoln.
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Base ball in St. Joe is a sure thing this year.
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