The age-herald., 1902-05-12
COAL BARONS IN
 FAIR CONDITION Will Go Against Chattanooga in Much Better Shape NEW CATCHER JOINS TEAM Rertie Campbell Goes to Llthia Springs Today and Expects to be in Shape for Work With
 in Ten Days.
SOUTHERN LEAGUE STANDING.

Birmingham will open up this afternoon in Chattanooga for a series of three games. The team will have the added strength of Manager Haller and the new catcher. Blue. who reported Saturday in Nashville. Every effort will be made to capture at least two out of the three games. If the team Is able to make this number it will return from the trip with four out of nine games played.
 Frank Smith will probe bly be in the box for the first game. He rested up Saturday and yesterday. and will be in shape to pitch a good game. In case he is not able to hold out for the entire game, owing to soreness and over work he will be relieved by Lipp or Deaver. The second game will probably be pitch ed by Lipp. while Wilhelm will do the work in the last game If he returns in time to get on the rubber. Blue will be placed behind the bat for the first game If he is in condition he will probably do the work in other games.
 Team in Fair Condition. With the exception of the pitching staff, Birmingham is now in fair condi- ton. Manager Haller will play first base, while Sorber has recovered sufficiently to get in the game in the field. If he does not play the outfed will made up of Longley. Billie Smith and O'Hare. La l Rocque, Moss and Warren will do the second, short and third positions. This gives the team as much strength, if not more, than when 1t left Birmingham for the nine games.
 Billie Campbell will leave this morning for Lithia Springs where he will rest for ten days. It Is believed that with this rest he will be In shape to go back in the game and do such work as he did in the game he pitched against the Cleve- land Blue Birds. Down at the summer | resort he will have nothing to do. but drink lithia water and lounge about the hotels and under the shade trees. l From Chattanooga the team will return to Birmingham Thursday and open at home for a series of fifteen games. At lanta will be the first team with whom
 we will wrestle. Then New Orleans, the leaders, will come for three. Following the Pelicans will come all the other Western teams.
 Some Good Baseball Stories. | Daddy LaRocque's home run through a
 hole in the fence at Nashville was a starter for a stream of "reminiscences told by the old players around the ho- tes Saturday night. Sorber led off with | story of his experience in a game in North Carolina last season. He said the l olo nd x.yhiI ha in deep left field an opposing batter hit line drive with terrific force which struck in a hole which had been dug un- | der the fence. He reached after the ball and got it in his fingers but the hole was 1 too small to permit his fist and the ball coming through. While the runner was tearing around the bases "Sox' was dig l ging with all his might to pull his fist through the hole but he made an utter failure and the opposing team won the | game
 LaRocque Tells a Good One. | Daddy LaRocque, who was sitting near l pulling on a long stogie, went him one better and told the following story: We were playing In Lancaster about | ten years ago and one of the batters hit | long fly nearly to center field fence and the ball hit squarely In the end of an | old tomato can which had been thrown l from the club house several days ago The rough edges were driven in by the force l of the ball and the fielder after several efforts failed to pull 1t out. In desperation he threw tomato can and all into the in- l field and you would have died laughing to see the shortstop chasing after the runner trying to touch him with the old 1 tomato can"
 Umpire Ed Cline, who was an interested | listener, came across with this one:
 'I wont swear to this but Joe veitcf
 says 1t Is true and you can take it for its
 worth. Joe was playing out in Frisco
 and the score was tied. l and 1. He got g
 good straight one and lined it out witt
 terrific force. The ball was hit so hard
 1t split in two. one half going over the
 fence and the other dropping inside. The fielder picked up the half which fell inside and sailed 1t in home. The catcher caught
 Joe about three feet from the plate and
 touched him with the half ball. The um- | pire gave the game to Joes side by the score of 11z to 1, claiming that he vas en- titled to a half home run and was only | half out.
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