The age-herald., 1901-01-20
PUTTING THE PARK
 IN TIP-7OP SHAPE Manager Mills Getting Ready for
 Baseball Season AZ TER TWO CRACK PITCHERS He Has His Team Practically Selected and Five Men Signed Up-Sched- uIe Committee to Meet in
 Memphis.
AZ TER TWO CRACK PITCHERS

The work of removing the board track at the baseball park at Seventh street was be- gun last week. and as soon as that is fin- ished the. fences will be repaired and the ground put in shape for ball playing. Sam Mills, the manager of the Birmingham team, has gone to work energetically to get everything in readiness for the opening of the season, which will be the latter part of April, probably about the 18th.
 Most of the men who will compose the local team have been signed, though only four or five of them have returned the con- tracts with their signatures. Those that have not signed contracts have agreed on terms with Manager Mills and will be on hand when required.
 Manager Mills states that he is after two pitchers who will easily be the best in the association ,and that if he lands them he will have no fear as to his standing when the season closes. He says he has practl- cally agreed on terms with them, and that within a short time he will have their sig natures to contracts for the season.
 Schedule Committee.
 The schedule committee, composed of
  and Reed of Shreveport will meet in Mem phis in February to agree upon schedule for the season. Each man will go to Mem phis with a schedule in his pocket, and af- ter comparisons they will agree upon the one to be adopted.
 At present 1t looks like the season will open with the eastern teams playing in the east and the western teams in the west. Birmingham and Nashville will probably open the season here, after which Chattanooga and Atlanta will come for series each After playing these nine games Birmingham will go to Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta, and then return home for twelve games with the western teams = New Orleans, Shreveport, Little Rock and Memphis After these twelve games Birmingham will make tour of the western division, playing twelve games while abroad Under this arrangement no team would play more than twelve con- secutive games at home. This would pre- vent the home patrons of the game growing tired of the sport and would give them just enough games to keep their interest alive.
 The Nashville Team.
 Newt Fisher who is to manage the Nash vile team the coming season, has gone to Nashville from his home in Augusta, Ga, where he spent the fall and early winter He has fourteen men signed for his team, and in addition to this has claims on a number of other good men. He says that with the fourteen men already signed he feels confident of landing the Nashville club one, two, three in the association.
 The men whose signatures have been att tached to Nashville contracts are Ed Ab- bitichie, second baseman, who played with Fisher on the Philadelphia and Minneapolis teams; Josh Riley, third baseman, who played in Nashville with Stallings in 1894; Thomas Mylett shortstop, who is from Cleveland, O., and was highly recommend ed by James McAleer, manager of the Cleveland team; Andy O'Connel recom- mended by Second Baseman Stewart of the Indianapolis team, and Howard Holland of the Virginia League; Dick Sullivan and James Ballantyne, one to play on the first base and one in the out field. Both are good catchers, and when needed will go behind the bat. Fisher will be the regular catcher.
 John A. Ward of Springfield, O., Tom Parrott of Cincinnati and Lewis Barbour of the Texas League will be the regular outfielders.
 George Reitz, brother of Second Baseman Heine Reitz of the old Baltimore team, will cover the territory in the vicinity of third base.
 Lou Dobbs of Chattanooga, Jerre Kane of Erie, Pa, pitchers, have been secured by Fisher and also William Goodenough, an outfelder.