The age-herald., 1901-06-10


 No game was played In the league yes terday, rain at Memphis preventing the Memphis and Nashville teams playing.
 Manager Mills has secured another pitcher for his team, and In so doing parts with one of the most popular play CTS on his pay roll Yesterday he con- cluded a trade with Manager Finn of the Little Rock team whereby he secures Pitcher Sparger in exchange for Al Mauch. the little third baseman, who has made himself SO popular with the fans This means that Joe Veitch will continue operations around third base, his old po- sition.
 sparger is left handler and is consid- cred one of the best pitchers In the South. He has been with the Little Rocks since the opening of the season and has won majority of his games. Manager Finn was carrying five pitchers, more than he could afford to do, and stay within the salary limit prescribed by the Southern Association. He was badly in need of a third baseman. that being considered his weakest spot and as Manager Mills had concluded to stay in the game himself, he accepted proposition from Manager Mills to exchange players. The trade was suggested to Mills several days ago by Finn, but fl was not finally consummated until yesterday shortly before the Little Rocks left for Selma It is believed by the local patrons of the game that both teams will be strengthened by the deal.
 Mauch Is young, ambitious and a hard worker and since coming to Birming- ham, has made friends of all of the pat rons of the game who will regret to hear of his going to another team. There was no place for him, however. with Manager Mills playing second himself, and for that reason he was exchanged for Sparger. The local team was sadly in need of another pitcher and this offered the op- portunity for securing a good one. Will helm, Brandt and Gillen are as good pitchers as there are in the league, but no team can play the season through with only three box artists. and good pitchers are hard to get hold of at this season of the year.
 Sparger is good pitcher. He is a southpaw with several years experience in ball playing, and therefore does not come as an experiment. He pitched for Little Rock In Saturdays game, and while the locals made thirteen hits off of him they only earned two of their nine runs With first class support, such as the locals will give him, and good bat ting behind him he will win a majority of his games. He has plenty of speed, good curves and good head, a combina- tion that always makes a good pitcher. Burnett, the new man secured by Man ager Mills. and who played right field in Saturdays game, is a college man, hav- ing come here from Spartanburg, S. C.. where he has been teaching in a college the past year or two. He made one er- TOT in the game Saturday but 1t was after a desperate run from near the right foul line to right center field near second base. He batted well. making two clean singles, one of which counted in the run getting. He Is an aggressive ball player and is in the game every minute from the time play is called until the last man Is re- tired in the last inning AS a sprnter he win rank with anything in the Southern Association and win materially add strength to the local team in base run ning where 1t has been rather weak heretofore His record shows him to have a batting average of considerably over 300 Last Saturday was the first time he had played ball this season and the showing he then made satisfied the en- thusiasts that he Is all right.
 ,rl.o 1.a4tsu- o.az. 4N.
 slightly changed today. Moss will lead off as usual and will be followed by Veitch. Leidy, Gettinger and then Bur nett. La Rocque will follow Burnett, then Mills, the catcher and the pitcher
 Gillen probably will go in the box for the locals today and if he Is in good con dition he will land victory. In the game he pitched against the Shreveports on the latter's grounds two weeks ago, he shut them out and allowed but three hits Going from Shreveport to New Orleans he contracted a cold In his shoulder which interfered with his pitching for several days. In the New Orleans game his arm was so sore he could hardly use it. and he had the same trouble in Little Rock. The warm weather of the past few days has served to bring the sore arm around Into condition and he, feels confident of throwing down the leaders this afternoon. Every local fan knows his ability to pitch winning ball when he is in shape and they look to him to defeat the visitors today.
 There was more baseball talk in Bir- mingham yesterday than had been heard here in a long time Three of the league teams were in the city, two of them stopping at the Florence Hotel Manager Finn did not leave with his Little Rock aggregation until 4:o5 o'clock in the after noon, going to Selma by way of the Louisville and Nashville, and Montgom- cry. Manager George Reed brought the shreveports here Saturday night to spend 'unday. ss g
 Memphis and Nashville were to have