**

The Senators were as red-hot this week as they were ice-cold last week, compiling a weekly best of 490.0 points.  If not for a couple of needless over-management moves, my promotion of Chris Young and demotion of Ron Belliard, the Senators would have sailed through the 500-point high water mark for the week. 

**

The Wahoos recovered from their horrific All-Star week by notching 453.5 points during Week 16, second best in the league, just ahead of the Skipjacks with 450 points, to maintain the overall lead of 5965.5.  The Blues’ 408.0 week allowed them to lead the pack and race into 7th place, just a whisker or two behind the Reds. 

**

The Redbirds’ total of 391.0 points during an off week allowed Tirebiter to stay close to Itchie, just 80 points off the lead.  The Reds notched 366.0 points for the week, allowing them to stay in the Upper Division, while the Chiefs’ total of 354.5 points was just enough to allow them to remain in 4th place, just ahead of the 5th place Senators. 

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The Irates’ 342.0 Week 16 allowed them to stay in 8th place, just as the Tigers' 9th best 341.0 point totals equates to a 9th place overall and 5243.0 points. 

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With the 339.0 point-week and the Cubs*’ 324.5 point week, the Tribe inched closer to the 11th place Cubs*, which still maintains almost a 150-point cellar cushion.  The Bronx Bombers, with 317 points being the lowest for the week, still managed to remain in 3rd place in the overall standings, with 5512 points. 

**

Although the Skipjacks and the Redbirds remain a notch or two above the rest of the pack, they are both due for a sub-300-point week, and the standings could get tight in a hurry if either one of them should have a couple bad weeks in a row.  With ten weeks left to go in the season, anything could happen.  Stay tuned. 

**

Rosenblatt Stadium opened up for business in 1949 as Municipal Stadium, the new home of the Omaha Cardinals of the Western League, a Class A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.  However, the first game played at the new ballpark at 13th and Deere Streets in South Omaha was an exhibition game on October 17, 1948, between a team composed of professional players and a local semi-pro team, the Johnny Monahan Storz’ team.  The professional team included Nebraska natives Richie Ashburn of Tilden (Phillies, outfield); Mel “Chief” Harder of Beemer, Nebraska (Indians, pitcher); Johnny Hopp of Hastings, Nebraska (Pirates, first base); and Omaha’s own Rex Barney (Brooklyn Dodgers, pitcher).  Mayor Glenn Cunningham tossed the ceremonial first pitch for the game which was ultimately won by the professional players, 11-3. 

**

When our law firm took a trip to Baltimore in 1996 or 1997 or so, we took in an Orioles game at Camden Yard.  The visiting dignitaries from Omaha got a chance during batting practice to meet the Orioles’ long-time and legendary announcer, Rex Barney.  I will never forget what a gentleman Mr. Barney was to all of us, holding court and telling us baseball stories right up until the very second he had to go on the air for some pregame announcements.  In his humble, matter-of-fact style, Mr. Barney informed us that he pitched the first-ever game at now-Rosenblatt Stadium, and though he didn’t mention it at the time, I now know that it was as the starting pitcher for the team of professionals in the aforementioned exhibition game. 

**

Please allow me a brief digression to mention a couple of other things about the late Mr. Barney.  He had a relatively short major league career, but experienced the thrill of throwing a no-hitter over the over the New York Giants in 1948.  His inability to throw strikes consistently did him in, however, and his career totals of 410 walks and 336 career strikeouts probably were the reason that one baseball pundit observed at the time that, “Rex Barney would be an all-star if home plate was high and outside.” 

**

Prior to the construction of Municipal Park (later, Rosenblatt Stadium), the Omaha Cardinals were playing their games in Council Bluffs.  Omaha since has been host to a professional baseball team since 1936. 

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Professional baseball was played in Omaha in the 1900s, but the teams and the leagues they played in were generally financially unstable and subject to change on almost an annual basis.  It wasn’t until the turn of the century that Omaha consistently put a professional baseball team out on the field for its fans to cheer.  In the early 1900s, Omaha’s minor league teams played mostly at Nonpareil Park, later named League Park, located at 13th and Vinton.  This early Omaha baseball edifice seated 3600 fans, more than enough to host today’s Omaha Royals games, which is a sad commentary. 

**

In 1904, playing in the Western League, the Omaha Rourkes (named after team owner William “Papa” Rourke) won its first league pennant, overtaking Denver by winning 17 of the last 18 games.  The Rourkes were paced by pitcher Mordecai “Three-Fingers” Brown, later to become famous with the Chicago Cubs, and eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

**

In 1911 the ballpark (then known as the Vinton Street Park) was renovated.  That year, Ty Cobb’s Tigers came to town for an exhibition game, but did not play owing to inclement weather. 

**

In 1921, the team was sold to Barney Finch Burch, and a team known as the Omaha Buffaloes, later the Prophets.  The team changed hands again in 1934 when Burch was in bankruptcy, first to a Branconier of St. Louis, and then again in 1936 to Larry Harlan, a Lincoln insurance man.  On August 13 of that season, after Satchell Paige’s All-Stars played the famous House of David team, League Park caught fire and burned to the ground.  The team was moved to Council Bluffs for the rest of the season, and Omaha did not see professional baseball within its city limits again until 1949. 

**

In 1955 the St. Louis Cardinals’ AAA affiliate moved from Columbus, Ohio, to Omaha, becoming the new tenants of Rosenblatt Stadium.  It was a relatively short marriage, lasting only until 1959.  Some of the major league Cardinal players of note who played in Omaha during this 1955-59 era were Bob Gibson, Curt Flood, Gib Frey, Nick Schofield, and Don Blasingame.  Gibby pitched parts of three seasons with Omaha, 1957, 1958 and 1959, before making his major league debut with the parent club in 1959.

**

After the Omaha Cardinals left for Rochester following the 1959 season, Omaha suffered the 1960 season without professional baseball.  In 1961 and 1962, Omaha was home to the Dodgers’ AAA farm club.  Manager Danny “The Wizard of Oze” Ozarks managed the Omaha Dodgers to a last-place finish in the American Association in 1961.  Joe Altobelli played first base for the club in 1962. 

After the artful Dodgers flew the coop following the 1962 season, Omaha had no team to call its own from 1963-68.  It was not until the Kansas City Royals team came in 1969 that Omaha again had minor league baseball.  That season, a cigar-chomping maverick known as “Trader Jack” McKeon came to Omaha and managed the team for the Omaha Royals. 

That’s it for this week. 

                                                          Skipper