The age-herald., 1901-04-07
THE BALL SEASON
 OPENS ON MAY z
With the Selma Aggregation as
 the Attraction
PLAYERS REPORT APRIL IA
Exhibition Games Arranged With How ard Colleee-Teams in Other Asso- ciation Cities Have Reported
 and Now Practicing.

The Birmingham baseball players will not report in this city tomorrow as Man ager Mills had intended them to do. but they will be here on the 14th or 18th of this month.
 Manager Mills stated to an Age-Herald reporter yesterday that he had notified the men not to come on the date they were first ordered to report, as 1t would be impossible for them to use the park for practice for few days yet. The con- tinued rains of the past few weeks have prevented any work being done on the grounds, and the manager did not think 1t advisable to have the men come to the city and remain idle several days.
 The fence and the grandstand and the bieachers have been put in good condition and work on the diamond will begin prob- ably tomorrow. The diamond will be grad ed and filled in so that when rain falls water will not stand for any length of time. When this is done the diamond can be used within a short time after @ hard rain, and unless 1t is raining at the time the game Is to be played postponements will not be necessary.
 Manager Mills states that he will build a plank walk from First avenue to the entrance to the park. This will avoid the necessity of wading through water. which usually stands in the low place just north of the park.
 Wednesdays will be ladies' days at the ball park, and on those days all ladies ac- companied by escorts will be admitted to the park free
 The ball teams have reported in all of the cities of the Southern Association ex- cept Birmingham and practice has begun. Some of the teams have played exhibi- tion games and showed up very well.
 George Reeds Shreveport team played several games with the Palestine. Tex. semi-professional team. winning most of them. Tn one of these games Reeds men were shut out by the score of 20 to 0.
 All but two of the Selma players nave reported to Manager Peter.
 Little Rock has secured Third Baseman Grosshart from the Eastern League
 Jim Leighton, Birmingham ball play CT who has distinguished himself on the local diamonds, has signed to play with Selma He is a rattlfng good ball player and is expected to make good' in the Central City. He will do part of the catching.
 The Shreveport Times claims that in O'Rourke, Keefe and Hulzeman Shreve- port has the heaviest bunch of hitters in the association.
 Pitcher McGill of the New Orleans team is an old time National Leaguer who has been playing with minor leagues in the North the last two or three seasons.
 Fred Franks of the Selma team played with the Toledos In the Western League last season and stood at the head of the batting averages at the end of the sea- son.
 The first championship game of the season will be played in this city on May g. The Selma team will oppose the Bir- mipghams in the first series.
 Manager Mills has arranged for three exhibition games to be played before the season opens. The first will be with the Birmingham Rolling Mill team on April 2O and the second with the Howard Col lege team on April 7. He will play How ard a return game at East Lake on April 29.
 The St. Louis Sporting News team will not come to Birmingham for a series of games. The manager of the St. Louis team demanded a greater guarantee than Mills was willing to give