COMING ALONG WITH THE DOPE
FOR THE LOVERS OF SPORT : : :
The schedule committee of the Western
will meet at St. Joseph on February 12 to
frame up the dates for the coming season.
"I guess we had some ball games in the
old days." remarked Ed Young, sr., the other
day. "We've had some mighty fine games
during the past three or four seasons, but
for real thrillers I want to remind jrou that
the game between Lincoln and Minneapolis
in 1S91 or was it 1893 was the real thing.
Duke for Minneapolis and Darnbrough for
Lincoln were the opposing pitchers. Seven
teen innings it went, and finally in the last
half of the seventeenth a Miller slammed the
ball over the fence for a homer. We had
some ball players then, too, same as now.
Irvin at first, Jack Rowe at Second, Jesse
Eurkett pitching when necessary, but play
ing the field mostly because he was even
then a hitter, and Stafford, another hitting
pitcher. Then there was 'Monk' Cline, who
could get a base on balls oftener than any
man that ever broke into the game. We
old-timers didn't have to wait until 1907
to see real classy ball in Lincoln.
Joe Tinker says he wants to play third
because it will mean his continuing in the
game several years longer. It is possible
that Joe's correspondence school of baseball
has petered out thus early?
Jake Beckley is going to manage a team
down in ol Mizzo this season, which means
that we'll probably miss the sight of his face
for another thirty or forty years. But Jaco
bus will come along again about the time
the next generation gets baseball crazy.
If the "Bug" of Will Maupin's Wreekly
were asked to put his finger on the weak spot
heretofore existent on the Antelope team, he
would say it was in the coaching depart
ment. Coaching is something more than
standing on the lines and signalling the
base runner. Your real coach can do that,
all right, but he can also do more he can
get the bleachers and the grand stand into
action, which is worth a lot at critical
times. More than that, the real thing in
the coach line will add dollars to the box
office. Arlie Latham was a baseball player
of the top notch kind, but it was as a coach
that he earned the money. His monkey
shines along the coaching lines were worth
the price of admission, and he drew dollars
to the box office in jingling. showers. Re
member Zackert, the sidewheeler Ducky
Holmes had the first season or two? Zack
was worth his price merely as a coacher, for
the minute he got out on the lines he got
the crowd to going, and that always put the
ginger into the home team and often gets
the goat of the visitors. Coachers the real
thing are a lot scarcer than pitchers who
can win 50 per cent of their games.
Some of these days the managers of col
lege athletics will realize that the rule pre
venting students from playing baseball for
money during the summer is even worse
than a farce. It merely trains young fel
lows to practice deceit.
And why shouldn't Gotch be as good or
better now ? He is only a year of two older
than he was when he promised that little
Humboldt girl he would quit the padded
ring. And he hasn't spent that year or two
in going against John Barleycorn, prancing
around under the white lights and dallying
with the painted female when she smiles
wantonly. On the contrary he has kept
right along with his system of clean living.
He has had a splendid mentor in that grand
old Roman, "Farmer Burns. He will go
up against a wonderful wrestler when he
again meets. Hackenschmidt, but he'll bring
the Russian's yellow streak to the surface,
just like he did when the two met before.
If the women of Lincoln knew what a
game this wrestling game is, more of them
would attend the matches pulled off at the
Oliver. There's nothing finer, or more ex
citing in the line of genuine sport than the
sight of two well trained specimens of phy
sical manhood engaged in wrestling. And
the exhibitions are as clean as a game of
lawn tennis, too. Mrs. Lincolnite, if your
husband is a devotee of this wrestling game,
make him take you to see some of the contests.
Of course the authorities differ on the
question of "Tex" Jones' ability. We can
pick a" dozen men in the Antelope grand
stand any afternoon during the season who
know more.about what play should be pulled
off than either manager on the field does.
What makes Levi Knapp such a prime
favorite in Lincoln? There are better pitch
ers, better batters and better base runners.
The answer is easy. Levi is a willing work
er. He is ready to go in anywhere, any
time; and when he goes in he delivers the
best there is in him, does it willingly and
gives every appearance of being rejoiced
at the opporttunity to be of service to-his
employers. Not. knocking, but Levi's ex
ample, if followed by some others, would add.
a lot.
Don't know who has the "pop" conces
sion at Antelope park this year, but whoever
he is. will he please keep a bottle or two on
ice?
Xo, Irene. President Despain was unable
to snare "Muggsy" McGraw as manager
of the Antelopes. And Christy Matthewson
will not be one of the Antelope slabmen this
year nor next. But President Despain will
have a slabman or two, just the same. Quite
enough to make more than merely possible
the capturing of a little three-cornered bit
of bunting to fly in the breezes during the
season of 1912.
The rumor that the local management will
re-seat the grand stand, using soft pine, is
unfounded. Nothing will be done to inter
fere with the sale of those little discs used
to deceive the innocent into believing they
are getting something soft to sit upon.
Only forty-eight more days until the first
chance to see some cavorting around An
telope park.
Secretary Barrows will be rejoiced when
the managership question is settled. He is
getting cauliflower ear answering the
'phone.
Those alleged sport writers on the Omaha
papers are fearfully and wonderfully made.
A short time ago one of them gave out the
startling intelligence that "with one no
Sunday ball town Lincoln in the Western
league, it was sufficient." Again last Sunday
he gave out some more of the same kind of
dope announcing that the "passage of the
proposed Sunday baseball bill by the legis
lature would not change conditions in Lin
coln for there they were opposed to Sunday
ball." Inasmuch as a popular vote taken a
short time ago by the Star gave a majority
in favOr of Sunday ball so large that it was
practically unanimous, it is hard to deter
mine from what source the kiddy who dopes
so-called sport for the leading paper of the
little metropolis on the big river gathers his
reliable (?) information. Another sport
writer down there who loves to sign up as
the "Oracle," gave out last Sunday that
"the legislature had decided to permit Sun
day ball in Nebraska." These fellows should
get away from the South Omaha aroma far
enough so they could get a real good smell
at reliable dope.
Information received from the "Man who
knows," gives every indication that in se
curing Billy McCormick from the Galveston
club the Lincoln management have snared
a good man. In fact had it not been that
the climate down there did not agree with
McCormick the price on him would have
been up near the thousand plunks altitude.
The same information indicates that Tommy
Miller, secured from the same club and who
led the Kansas league last year, with a bat
ting average of .361, will be worth looking
at. Miller may be just a little lame in knowl
edge of the game as played in the Western,
but he has a good head and there is little
doubt that he will land all right after a lit
tle experience.
That man Applegate, who was purchased
by Lincoln from the Wilkesbarre club last
fall certainly looks good, judging from his
picture published in the local papers last
Sunday morning. He was under the weath-
er last jear nearly the whole season, but
notwithstanding that he won fifteen out of
twenty-seven games. He stole one base
which was as well as any pitcher on the
Lincoln team did last year, with the excep
tion of Levi Knapp, who stole seven. He
will be a valauble acquisition to the Lincoln
pitching taff, as he comes here with the in
tention of delivering the very best he has,
according to a letter received from him re
cently by the management.
There is something especially good com
ing sto Lincoln fandom this spring. The
string of exhibition games will certainly
be a treat and if the people of this burg
do not appreciate the efforts of the man
, agement by doing the right thing, we ought
to cut out spring practice in Lincoln and
have the team go to Crete or some other hot
town for the preliminaries. Look at the
bill of fare:
Chicago "White Sox, Thursday and Fri
day, March 30 and 31.
Detroit Tigers, Saturday and Sunday,
April 1 and 2.
Boston Red Sox (Speed Boys) Tuesday
and Wednesday, April 4 and 5.
Chicago White Sox, Thursday and Fri
day, April 6 and 7.
This is a menu of baseball which will pay
you to remember. To be sure you don't
forget it, cut this out and stick it in your
hat.
Will Maupin's Weekly is a dollar a year
and worth the money.