The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-13
THIRTEEN DAYS AND
THEN TUG OF WAR
First Visitors at West End Park
viii be Chattanooga
TEAM ROUNDING TO FORM
In Class With New Orleans, Nashville
and Memphis-AnnIston Drops
the Last Game-cleveIand
Comes Tomorrow.
BY HOMER GEORGE.

BY HOMER GEORGE.
Just thirteen days. Then the baseball
season of 1902 will open and the team.
which 1t is hoped will land the pennant
at West End, will play its first game.
Thirteen ! Wonder If 1t is lucky or I'M
lucky? Halter Gays it is neither; others
say II is either, according to their point
of view. No matter who is right, the fans
of the Birmingham district are hoping
Halter will have no reason to consider it
unlucky to say the least.
Those who assert that thirteen Is
hoodoo to anybody or anything are busy
placing bets on the outcome of the game.
OF course, these bets are against the
home team-all purely on account of the
hoodooish qualities the number of days
from now until the opening is supposed
to have. Tomorrow they will change
their bets or quit betting at all. All these
fellows are finding as many takers as
they want in the persons of those who
believe thirteen Is a luck charm. They
will meet any offer OF a bet made to-
day, and so 1t goes.
Chattanooga Comes First.
The first visitors will be Chattanooga.
That team has been in the west practic-
ing for some weeks. and La said to be in
excellent shape. All the best players Of
last years aggregation and many new
ones are signed by Manager Kreig. He
is making the assertion that nobody will
be able to head him off when he gets a
start after that pennant. But that is a
question. Anyway Haller is going to
keep him from getting a start after the
flag until he leaves Birmingham.
All the other teams in the league have
been practicing faithfully during the past
week and are in good shape. Nearly all
of them have played games with college
mines as well as professionals. They
have, to a team, made good showings,
and every baseball writer in the South
asserts the league will play faster ball
this year than at any time in the past ten
years.
Rivalry Will Be Fierce.
The rivalry for the pennant will be
fierce. New Orleans now looks the near
est winner, when Birmingham Is exclud-
ed. with Nashville or Atlanta near Abner
Powells team and Little Rock in close
pursuit. Chattanooga and Shreveport are
claiming better teams than last season,
while Memphis Is putting up a pole for
the flag. 1t Is safe to say that the Biz
mingham, New Orleans. Atlanta and
Nashville teams will put up the best
showing at the opening, at least.
The best chance to get line on the
Birmingham team will come tomorrow
and Tuesday, when the Coal Barons will
play Clevelands American League nine,
which, under Armours management, Is
now practicing at New Orleans. This
/
City and will get in the game tomorrow
afternoon with spirit. Oscar Street will
probably pitch one of the games. He Is
with the team and is playing fast ball
Same Old Story.
The same old story. Admission failed
to respond to the encouraging yells of
Stewart and Steele and lost. They
scored one time. Good boys. That was
better than the day before. But 1t
didn't help much When the last man
was put out the score stood % to l. The
amateurs simply could not persuade
themselves they were in the class of the
Coal Barons, to say nothing OF demon
strating such statement.
When the game opened Campbell was
in the box He struck out In five In
nings five players and allowed three
hits Lipp then went In. He allowed
only four hits and did not half-uy. He
also struck out four men. which was
not bad, considering the fact that the
game was won beyond any and all
chances of IF" when he went on the
slab O'Hair was hit on the hand and
went out of the game, Brown going be-
hind the bat and Halter to the right
corner of the lot
Stewart was the first man at the bat.
He struck out Steele was hit by
pitched ball. Ward hit ny to Camp
bell and Jones struck out. Taylor struck
out for Birmingham. Sorber hit safe.
OHair was hit by a pitched ball and
Sorber scored on two passed balls. La
ROGUE hit, safe and O'7air walked
across the plate Moss got first on Jones
error. He went to third while the pitch
err was throwing the ball to the second
baseman at first. Moss then scored. and
afterwards Warren went out on fly
to Stewart at second.
Only Score In Sixth.
Three men were up for Admission In
the second. One struc-- out. Seven of
Birminghams players went to bat In this
inning and four runs were netted on
base hits by wilhelm, Campbell and
sorber's three Dagger. added to free
pass to first of Taylor. Four men went
up for Admission in the third Birming-
ham made three runs. After that 1t was
all off for the visitors. With the locals
every inning was a repetition OF the nrst
three until the seventh, when they fall
ed to score In the sixth Steele hit safe
for Admission. He stole second Waro
went out to Brown on foul ny. Jones
diu the same thing. Sorrell hit SAFE ana
Steele scored, but Carter went out on
fly to the pitcher.
The score:
I2t,-x,t ,r11a am a X