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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1911)
. TIIH ()MA11A t'M'AV HKK: 1 MX'K.M lKK ;il. V.). j 1 Ether; the Book Lies or Mutt Has LosT; His i 1 - i f . . , Judgments COMISKEY has ben chosen as the man to make the declaration that ' the American league's defy to the National did mean rome thlng, that Is was not a trick to enable Ban Johnson to escape criticism for his bold utterance about ticket scalp ing;, which ho failed to follow up. Com key la the best man ' to have been selected for such a speech, for he talks o seldom on base ball polities, os Ban uorn ays, that what he has to say car ries weight. This much every Informed, unbiased fan will admit: Dase ball has been hurt by the character of certain small-bore plungers with gambling In stincts who have got into base ball by way of the National league, and some thing needs Htb be done to repress their Ignoble rage, as our old friend. Tom Gray, would say, and curb their avarice. Base ball ha hot been raised to tho Nth power by tnat kind of Influence and It cannot be maintained at the Nth power by It. We do not noed any Ban John ' sons or Charley Comlskeys to II us that the bane of syndicate ball Is beins thrown over tho game by certain of these unscrupulous. National league fellows and every friend of the game will hope that their Influence and power can be suc cessfully overhauled. But we cannot quite go with the Old Itoman to the ex tent of saying that Ban Jolinxon should not be criticised. That Is spying that "the king can make no mistakes" and that Ban la the king. Ban li . big fellow and has done a good deal for the American league and base ball In gen eral, but' riot' enough to entltlo him to Immunity from all criticism. We still think he made several blunders In tho Mvay he went about this ticket-scalping scandal. To a man up a tree It looks aa If he and other American loaguers, who had It on New-York so strong, becarao embarrassed when New York produced imllar things on Philadelphia. Of course, this does not atone for what went on in New York .and -fthe .ehanie. la. that the whole thing 'in both cm,.. ,.0 further aired. . .. Frank Ootch, who Is not only tho world's champion wrestler, but undoubt edly the greatest mat artist the world ever (Bftw, announced after his frolic with the big Briton, Munro., at Kansas :iett.: Iris retirement. Of course, the" public Is tol erant of such announcementa by sports men and actors, but Gotch might well re tire, for he hag made a fortune out of wrestling and lifted wrestling , to lta pin nacle of excellence. Undoubtedly he and hia muUr, old Farmer Burns tt Omaha, have done more to Inspire other young men to great prowess on the. mat than all others put together. Tho Burns-Ootch school of wrestling stands, as It were, for the triumph of mind over matter, though those who have been locked In the vice of their toeholds or hundred other fatal grips have doubtless berfn deeply Impressed that matter cuts quite a figure in their work. But they have trimmed off the rough edges of the wrestling art. inspiring, men of their own and other countries to rise higher in the game than they had ever risen. It Js too bad that wrestling has not also been aa completely purged of the element of hlppodroming, but) that is a harder task, and perhaps Go(ch and Burns have done as much aa they could to perform tho task. Ootch, if he retires, does so admittedly the mas ter' of "tho mat, with no other man now before the public, able even to cast the slightest shadow of doubt upon his title. Thomason came out of last season the real slugger of the league, for while Bor ton of Kt. Joe led with an average of .iO. he only pluyed in 116 games, while Tommy played In 1C3 games and had a percentage of .S4i But at that Jim Kane is the hitter of thla league when it comes to .scientific batting. James copped an average of .50 for. 171 games, but that only tells part of the story. Jim was even more timely with hia hitting than Thomason,' who was very timely. Kane was by all odds the most dangerous hitter in pinches and the most successful bunter. lie quit the Beason of 1911, In fact, about the best all round player in the league, which la not to discount men like Thoma son and Niehoff and Cansldy and Gil more and others. What Is of particular Interest In this connection Is the fact that Kane has risen to his position under the heaviest kind of knocking. . o player Omaha ever had was more Thoroughly knocked, but tho excellence camo out of JIra simply becouiie it was in him. He grows every day He la one of those fel lows whom knocking does not arfect. He realises that the average knocker knowa nothing about real base ball, and that that la why he I a knocker instead of a booster. But Juqt (he same It Is better not to knock. Thia has been no week for ball playing at lloarke park, but a great one for the Stove league. How those old cobs have ahot Into that stove! Jack Pfelster never drove them hotter at old John Con. ling than Brother Dave and Dick Orotte have been ahootlng 'em Into that old burner. In the meantime, however, there Is a aemblance of peace between the National and American leaguea, aa alsj there is between Russia and the United States. Jack Curley ought to propose Doc Rol ler for a match with Jack Johnson- It would be taken aa seriously as the Fiynn proposition. aLjj iNr PL, JssT y v L. ATHLETICS ON A SOUND BASIS &gh School tads End Season with a Substantial Surplus. ALL ' BRANCHES SHOW UP WELL Foot Ball Cornea First on Account of Llvetr Interest, but Wendell rtall llps Oarao Was Needed to Full Bora Through. During the year ending today athletics have taken very prominent part in the many atudent activities at the Omaha High school. . The report of Prcf. C. K. Reed, ath letic director, shows that the manage ment !' ending up the year with a total of S218.91 lit the 'treasury, enough to put the remaining branches of athletics dur ing the new year on a sound bais. Had It not been for the large attendance at the .Wendell. Phillips game on Thanks giving, the , school;, finances for the yeai would have ended with a largo deficit. Foot ball la classed first on account of the competition which It involves and be cause of ita general popularity. Another point . In. Ita favor Is that it generally maintains itself, something the other sports do not. The record of the eleven this year was a Rood one centering the difficulties under which the squad worked. nasket Ball Shoira I p Well. : Basket tall made a splendid record dur ing the year, although it lacked sufficient stndent support. The games were all closely contested, and although the quintet did not make a perfectly clean record it made a most enviable one. The showing made by the lads in the state liigh school tournament, held at Lincoln In Marclt, was a good one, the regular five playing into the semi-finals. Basket ball for this season has already started, and with about fifty lads competing for places on the regular five and the four class teams a showing even better than that of last aefeaon Is expected.' Joy Clark. Urmer-;ATnlvrBJt of (Chicago' star, is coaching the squad. Kdwln Carson, cen ter, was captain of 'the 1911 quintet, and Beryl Crocker,, right . guard, is leading this season's five. The girls are also playing the floor game under the direction of Miss Bess Dumont, the girls' physical training in structor at the school. ' ,' The high school has made lta strongest and most respected record in track work, winning the big Indoor moet. held in Omaha on April at the Auditorium, against many of the best college and high school athletes in the middle west. The school also won the Nebraska State High school meet in a walkaway and took sec ond place In the Missouri valley inter scholastic meet, held at Lincoln In May, At the middle west Invitation meet, held at Chicago under the auspices of Alonso A. Ktagg In June, Robert Wood, captain of the Omaha High school track team, won the 230-yard dash In 0:2, and Virgil Rector took fourth place in the pole vault. Robert Wood has lead the track team thla year and aucceeds himself for the 1913 squad, having been unanimously elected captain again. Lively Interest ia Teaats. Tennis has received considerable atten tion, both Nfromthe boys and girls, this being the one form, of athletics in which the gins have been especially active. Both boys and girls held two tournaments during the year, the boys holding a sin gles and a doubles tournament and the girls two singles tournament The year ends with Laura Zimmerman, '12, holding the uudUputed singles championship among the girls after winning the spring tournament and successfully defending her title this fall. Fievera Susmann, '12. holds the boys' singles honors, and James Gariner. '15, and Joseph Crecdon, '13, the doubles championship. Oolf sprung into prominence early In the spring, but interest In this sport gradually declined and no tournament was held In the fall. After considerable competition, Harold Johnston won the spring tournament and la now tne golf champion of the school. strenuous efforts have been made to awaken more Interest In cross-country running and a squad of some twelve lads has been practicing faithfully in thla branch of athletics fnce November. Many of the lads have also taken part in swimming, bate ball and hockey, but not as Hchoul organizations -or teams. Base ball waa discontinued at the school four years ago because of the luck cf financial support. Where Death Gathers i Toll in Sport Events The annual sport report for 1U shows that tnenty-nino persons met their death from base ball this year, againxt twenty two killed uf fuot ball. Automobile fa talitlea were twenty-nine. The report shows 106 sporting fatalities this year. 145 in 1910 and Hi In 1M. Following is the list: ISO. A 1H U o 1J iaia ki n io a 4 2 i 4 1 ' 144 1911. xt 9 n 1 Base ball Automobiles .... tout ba.l Boxing Horse racing.... C'jcl.ng resiling Golf H.lo Field games.. Bakket ball howling Marathona Other sports...., 3 Totals 1U Local Gridiron Top Row, Left to Right Oorham, Left to right Davis, left tackle; F. SMITHSON IS COMING BACK! Champion Hurdler Already Training -for the- Stockholm Events. YANKEES HAVE BEEN IN DOUBT Canadians Hare Flan to Form All British Team to Ilrpreaeat Far ont Country na Well aa - - i: Faaaeaalons. NEW YORK, Dec. 30. For somo time past b doubt existed In tho mtnrtg of the American Olympic committee whether the Yankee team at Stockholm would be as strong over the timbers as it waa in the 1908 festival at London, especially as It was the belief that none of the men who upheld the Stars and Strings then would be available aaln. Garrels and Rand have gone out of the game for good. Shaw has lost" form end Smlthson has not been seen carrying silk for nearly two years. There waa a hope that Bmlthson would come back, for In any kind of fair' fettle he would be a pillar of strength in the high stick evertt. For nearly a year nothing has been heard of the hurdler, and frequent Inquiries were mado about him, hnd only when he was quoted as throwing doubt on the 100 yard record of Dan Kelly was it known that he was in the land of the living at all. BmlthBon was located a short time ago, and still more satUfactory to the athletlo followers is the news that he has started to prepare himself for the trip to Sw'eden. He Is now In business at Los Angeles, Cel., and the method he has adopted for getting into trim Is to taky long walks every evening beforo going to bed. Jle is of the opinion that, thero Is no t.ore beneficial exercise than a good, long stroll after the sun goes down, when tho roads and streets are pnrt'ally clrar. of vehicles and pcdeHtrians and when a n'tui has freedom enough to swing along fat a nice gait. The practice beats every other known method for building tip a sub stratum of muscular energy, which is ab solutely necessary afterward in the exact ing spell of strict training. Once or twice a week Bmlthson takes a turn over the hurdles. Just to keep a proper mcan urement of his htrtdes, so that by spring time, when he begins work in real earn est, he will only have to race over the sticks dally. A tirrat Performance, Rmithfon won the high hurdles at Lon don In the world record tlnii of 0:15, and by the old world experts it was re garded as the grc-atePt performance of the whole Olympic games. The distance was 120.! yards, and to have covered this over the obstucles, 3 feet 8 inches high. In the time stated was a feat never be fore approached, nor is it likely to be unless fmlthson duplicates it himself. Four Americans figured In the final of the rare at London Garrels of Michigan, who had equalled the previous world's mark of 0:UVi: Hhaw of the Chicago Ath letic association, supposed to be a shade slower than the Wolverine; Rand of Har vard, abla to do a fraction worse than 0:15, and Fmlthson. They got away to a perfectly fair start, but fmlthston was leading at the f!rit flight and from tliencj onward he Improved hia position at every obstacle. He took the hurdles as Clean as a whlDtle and won by fully five yards from Garrels, with 8haw half a yard be hind. In third place. mtthrfon was then Z3 years of age, so that lie will not bo too old to duplicate the ftat nsxt year, A visitor front Canada during the liist Week told the story of how tho Canadians have planned an all-Brlllsii ttam, that U, If tha Englishmen at horns are willing. The propot&l la to be made by ths Can adians that Australia and Canada go in with England on the Olympic ' team, a proceeding which would U ixsrmlnslblc, o h y 1 J J ';V ,.-f. ) - V' Punch Heroes with Splendid Record rh ( iX Ci b.tr) i-v? right half. C Greene, center; Kkman, Oreene, quarterback, (capts tain; Creed on, left OMAHA ATHLKTICH. I- as both countries are dependencies of the British empire. How the project will be received by England ia not yet known, but if it agreea to the help of Canada and Australia to win at Stockholm it will be something entirely new In the history of athletics. A few years ago when the Olympic flxturo became. prominent there waa considerable conjecture aa to whether England would want to count In all tho colonies on the point score or whether it would go It alone. The Britons did go H on their own at Athens and at London, and It ia hardly possible that any help will be asked of . Australia or Canada at this stago. JOxcept in the . swimming events very little points will be tallied by the Australians, but there are a few track' anu Held men In Canada who wi.i be heard from at Stockholm. There Is hardly a man alive today who can touch Gouldlng at the walks, and If In proper form Talt Is a good men for the dis tance runs. The same might be raid of Lukeman, either as a sprinter, hurdler or broad Jumper. The annual meeting of the Canadian Amateur Athtetlc union waa held recently and It waa agreed to ask F.ngland about forming the all-British team. ' " ' Dynamite Wrecks Buildings as completely as coughs and colds wreck lungs. Cure them quick with Dr. King's New Dlpcovery. 60o ktld fl.CO. For nale by Beaton Drus? Co. Harry Munneke, one f the Omaha high eohool a prominent athletes, has u most versatile record and haa taken an active pari In alt branches of athletics at the school, except tennis and golf. He showed up strong at left half on the eleven this fall, playing In all except two games. Last year he played a hard und consistent game at fullback on the second team and washable to step Into a regular position on the first eleven this season. Munneke did not put up a brilliant style of play, but showed hia ability to play a hard and steady game at all flmen. Next to Virgil Rector, the star fullbuck. he waa a mainstay at the kicking dc. partment of the game and his right toe was always relied upon to place the hull between the goal ponts after u touch down bad been made. He showed up stronc, especially in the game a;slntit Beatrice High, en November 4. when, after Rector hid been Injured, he staved off an overwhelming defeat hv lil lnn bOoW. ! Munneke Is also a firm basket bill enthusiast and Is expected to hold down either a guaru' or a forward position on ' the regular school quintet this seaon. He played as substitute guard on the team last year. As a means of getting In trim for the opening of this season, Munneke has been playing as forward with tho Tiger Cubs quintet of the Young Men's Christian association for tho lust four weeka and now in exofillont playing condition to work out with the regular squad. In addition to his foot ball and basket ball record, Munneke Is also a track enthusiast, specialising In the ole vault. He will also try out In the high Jump thla spring. In the preliminary meets. Munneke entered the Omaha high school two years ago, coming from the 1'awnns City high school, where he made a star record, While there he lirld down second have fn the M'hool iiiui for two aiuiaoiia and n.U.i took en active Prt In ill.er branches of athletics n: that school. He Intends to gradual a from tha h'xii school next June, and after that will continue hia ludien, entering Nebrahka university next fall, where much Is ex- High School Lad an Athlete 0h right gunrd: Mneen, fullback; Hauler, left half; Thornton, right-end llaaen, light CAYALRYMEOO PLAY POLO Major General Wood Thinks Game Will Help Poise in Saddle. MANY TO ENTER TOURNAMENTS Other Connt'rle Have Arms-'Trains to Make ,Mea Iletter Horsemen ad InrU Mm 1'pHvni t, , i . Dxample. NEW YORK,; Deo. SO.-lTncie Bam'a coy airy officers are going to play polo so that "their poise In the saddle" will bo on an equality with John Bull's mounted men. The notice of this change of affairs comes from Major , General Leonard Wood, chief of staff of the United States army. General Wood, In a letter o Major Ross of the Coronado. Beach club, 'Cali fornia, says that he has ordered four polo teams from the same number of forts to report at San Diego and enter the tournaments to begin there the mid dle of Januarys From San Diego the teams Will enter the events at Riverside, l'asadena and Burllngame. Outside of the International matches there Is nothing' that will give polo a greater Impetus In this country than the fact that at lust the army Is taking up he game seriously, and that It haa the pected of him by his lot I MuncU and aJralrtie, V 4..-: - , f A r I By Back of Them r J s ... ... j guard; Iwaarson, left end. Bottom Row, tackle, quarterback, - ' ' approval of the government. The advan tage that will be derlvod to the aervloe is inestimable and the officials at Wash- Ington ut this late day are recognising thla fact. It Is acknowledged on all aides that our officers ore not finished horsemen. This haa been recognised for-years, but ha been more forcibly brought to light by lust year's International matchea at Meadow Brook, in which Kngland sent over a team of soldiers. The way these men rode waa a revelation. . Then, again, the National Horse show, in which) a nua ter of American officers competed V'lth thOHo of other foreign nations, " Here attain we were outclassed, both by rldors und their mounts. v Now It romalim for the government, to go a step further and see that the teams that' enter the California tournaments are properly mounted. In competing against civilians at these dirforent tournaments they aro meeting some of the best play ers in the west, who' are mounted on ponies that have been bred for polo, some of thorn having taken part In the Inter national matches last year. Therefore it behoovea Vncle Sam, If he wants his officers to make a respectable allowing, to have them properly mounted. The fact that Governor General Forbes of the Philippines will be out there play ing is another move In the right direc tion. Cameron Forbes Is , an enthusiastic player and knows the game thoroughly,, and has placed polo on a sound, fouling' in tho Islands. , . . ' . ' Let us hope now It will not. be ,matiy years before we have our military teams playing with those Of other countries and meeting with the success to which thoy ure entitled. . . . : .. e, ., ... . , England undoubtedly has placed Its offl.' cers In the prominent position which they occupy as horsemen by fostering polo and encouraging It to be played wherever posi sible. or course they have' had many advantages which our men Win never be able to have. In that the sport Is al popular In India and the other colonics, i However, In spite of being frowned uuoni and official Indifference ha game ia vary popular among the younger officer lit tho uniiy. Much of this has been duota the untiring effort of Lieutenant Coioiie C. G. Treat of tho Fourth field artillery,' who haa worked. unceasingly In the inter- ests cf the game. Captain C. o Thomas. Jr., has been another who haa helped to build up the sport whorever he bus been rtationed. . .. , . The inott important tiling atid'the one which Hhould Influence the government lnj tha advancement of polo, is that it will encourage the breeders of cavalry mounts. Every one win knowa anything about h'jrce.s knows that our troopers are wretchedly mounted when compared with the mounted men of other countries and that little or nothing haa been done to encourage the breeding of horses for tile army. A more liberal policy in the purchase of polo ponies would go a long way toward remedying this trouble If the gov. eminent could only be made to see it. The Mea that polo for the army la only u ricli man's game is all poppycock. Any-, thing Unit will make the aervloe more efficient should be fosiered, not hindered. vt.' Muslnaa of aa Old aoort. When you warm up to tha Job your heat ex nautili It. The difference between obesity and a had conscience Is that tha former can be walked off. A lot of those half-hearted, maybe-KWearers-off who are watlng for New Vfars to inli will have fiill-Meroocu .Ivers by then. No reg'lar feller In deterred from doing a pralxeworthy thing by fear of getting the lauKh. Talking about starting over, we seem to remcmluT that Napoleon, no less, did that pretty vucceeaf ally Uutiit wice N'jw Vui'k World. "Bud" Fisher BASKET BALL AT CREIGHTON University Athletes Enter Upon a New Line of Active Sporti. MATERIAL FOR TEAM SELECTED Sfl.aad of Comers Haa Been Plcke ' and the Scbednle for the Uamea Thla Reason la Being; Arranged. With the return of the players to , school after the Christmas vacation basket ball will be taken up aa the major . sport at Crelghtort University and atrena-" ous practice begun. ' Thla Is Creighton'a first year In basket ' boll, but from present Indications the '1 team to represent the college wilt be a ' ' fort one. While the squad la not a large.' one, each man on it haa had experience in the game, and It will bo rather a matter of choosing tho beat men for tAe" five than of developing playera. - I In two practice games played before the holidays the squad showed up well1'. In Individual play, though a lack of team-. , work waa evident. Thla defect will be" remedied aa soon aa regular work beglnsr On the roster of candidates Hoffman , and Trucha loom out as tha stars of the quad, and thee two players will prob-" ably constitute the mainstay of the tennoT; Hoffman has hnd conalderahle export I ence in the gnfno on' college and . high ' school teams. At Drake he starred tw( years aa center, which position he wfif'" also fill for Crelghton. and he has yet to find a man whom he could not out Jump. ''' 'f ' ' ' ' ' : ' , As to the Men. Prucha Is a born athlete and will have,, no idlfflculty in making forward. He filayed four years of, foot ball and basket ball at Wllber High school and during last Reason waa tha alellar halfback on the Crelghton varsity. Balderson la the other forward. He anj rrurha were runnlngmatea at Wllber.,.. taking part In all ' forma of athletlosn "Baldy'a" main asset la hi fine goal throwing. iShlmerda, also or Wllber High, Is li1 fast little Player, who la strong at guanf." ' He covers the field well and Is speedy ttl '' sending the ball back to his forwards.. "Red" Madden, right end on the foot1' ball team, is another husky lad out for' guard. "Bhorty" McGrane, another foot ball ' man, Is showing up well at center and guard. . ' - i 'Torrey and Festner from the arts do partment give promise of developing Into1' peedy players. - , Claus. Delfa of the Crelghton Medical' ' college la coaching the squad and haa , planned a stiff course of work for his '' men.' Beginning this week, three- after-' -l noons will be spent at the Young Men's Christian association In practice, while ' twice the squad will work on Omaha unl- j erslty'a floor. . . . Delfa Is proving popular with tho play- era and haa secured their good will at the start, which will aid him materially In developing a team. He gained his knowledge of basket ball at Tllford co'.- lege of Iowa and at Drake, where he played forward. '' ' The schedule has not yet been completed, ; but ao far Jueludes some hard games. Bellevue-and Omaha university will be . met several times under the schedule; of : the Greater Omaha Basket Ball league,-- Pana college of Blair haa written for a t game and will be played early In January. Peru NorVal will be encountered Feb- ; ruary at Peru and February 19 here. Denver ualverslty asked for a game here .; on soma date In March, and If a return , game la asaured the proposition will . probably be accepted. The Kansas Agglaa , have also agreed to a game,, but no date , has yet been fixed. Coach Delfa was re- . ccntly In Des Moines arranging for games , with Highland Park and Dea Molnea col leges. A trip la being planned which will embrace these schools and also Morning- . side, Drake, Hlmpson and GrlnnelU .... A captain and manager will be elected.., thla week. Old Yale Men Are Offered Coach'Jobs:? NEW HAVEN. Conn.. Dec. SO. Captain- r Jesse Bpaldlng of the Yale 1913 eleven has:-, offered coachahlps to several of the players of last season's team and ha.i)w given them a couple of weeks to make up- their minds. It is taken for granted that Captain Howe will be head coach, and It - Is expected that Jim Scully will be coach of the tackles and Francis coach of tha guards. Home winter work is to be ordered by Captain Bpaldlng. The quarterbacks will'' be called out in the gymnasium soon after college reopens, about January 15. for" aome technical detailed Instruction. A4'0 all the quarterbacks of the eleven, tho last season Captain Howe, Meirltt and ' Htrout will be graduated In June It aimed to develop at least two strong-""' novices. Castles and Loftua from the present freshman clasa are the most promising. Kenneth McCllntock, the freh'- man quarter of last season, probably wllr 1 bo a candidate next fall. ' "' Bpaldlng la the first western captain- the Yale eleven has had since the regime of Tom Bhevlln. Captain Bpaldlng, naked whether he favored playing a western i. eleven next fall, said: . "I roe no chance for a game. Our. schedule Is now heavy, and while there - may be a couple of changes it ia cafe tori predict that no western game will attempted. The Jump would be a long one for a Yale team to take and th faculty la unwilling to allow many cubs (root radUUona le aihUUoa," -I 1 I