The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-26
BIRMINGHAM HAS STRONG
 CLUB AND PLENTY'OF PLUCK
It Seems to Be General Opinion That Little Rock Will Win Pennant, But
 the coal Barons Will Be Close Around.
BY BOHEMIAN c45ULcER.

south tomorrow ana lhfouBhuue the land of Dixie anxioOls eyes are scan ming the daily papers and the official records with the hope of picking the winners ere the flag falls for the start
 For a decade the prophecy that base ball in the south could not succeed went uncontradicted and when q group of enthusiasts from the new generation took charge of the game three years ago and proposed to launch league in the south they went at their work with many misgivings. The tpublic was skep- tical and great nerve was required or the managers who had begun the work of organizing teams at private expense dependent entirely on the fondness of the public for the sport. Within one month after the opening game 1t was seen that the undertaking had been a success beyond expectations and from that day to this mot a single hitch has occurred that endangered the success ot Americas greatest outdoor sport in the south. Iris true a city too small to sup port the game had to be dropped and this was done without loss to anyone and by the end ,of the season affairs had so adjusted themselves as 10 put the Southern league on a sound financial basis.
 All Dissent5on Has Vanished.
 No organization ever existed without more or less dissension and some trouble fell to the lot of the sportsmen in the south last season. When it looked as if a serious rupture could not be avoided inc true spirit of sport again prevailed and all differences were adjusted, not even A scar being Eeft where the wound had healed.
 This year baseballp starts out with the brightest prospects with every city in the circuit striving to send forth win ming club and every player, young or -5rd. anxious to give his best services to the club he represents on the field.
 Long before the signs of spring ap- peared the more energetic fans and newspaper writers had begun figuring on the relative strength of the teams for next year and these ardent enthusi- asts have theoretically won the pennant several months since. To attempt to select the winning teams this early in the season, however interesting, is idle
  impossible. Still it creates comment and that perpetuates interest in the sport.
 Were it not for the enthusiasts who play baseball on the street corners, in pool rooms, in cigar stands and ofttlmes in their dreams the life of the sport would be sapped away and baseball would develop into a business proposi- ton pure and simple without zest, con- cern or public interest.
 Owes Success to Uncertainty.
 Baseball owes it success to uncertainty and is the only game played on the American athletic field the result of which cannot be figured out to a certain extent in advance. In racing the horses run very close to form and men who make life study of records can come near picking the winners. The relative strength of football teams can be meas ured before a single scheduled game is played This is evidenced by the fact that one team is nearly always a favorite in the betting In field sports such as sprnting, jumping, weight throwing, vaulting etc, the same Is true, but in the baseball world all is uncertainty. The weakest team in the league ire quentIy gives the leader bad drubbing and no one can account for it except in that mysterious term luck"
 Several weeks ago a noted sporting writer touring the south with one of the National League baseball clubs had figured the future of his team out as ac- ,oI.r nd ta rO1lll it and he proved conclusively to crowd of enthusiasts that Cincinnati would certainly be a leader in the National league race He had even gone so far as to select the right men to put in" for the first series so as to make good showing at home. The opening of the season, however knocked his figures into a cooked hat as Pittsburg took the first five games straight Cincinnati in turn went to Chicago and defeated one of the best clubs in the country.
 While a person cannot figure on the single game it is within the bounds of possibility to select the strongest teams for the entire season.
 Relative Strength of Teams. Reports from all parts of the south Mdicate that Little Rock is regarded as tM strongest club in the Southern league and Shat with anything like good luck they should win the pennant Manager Finn has strengthened his team since last year and then it was one of the strongest on the circuit.
 At Nashville the fans are little du- bious about Newt Fishers club but judging from past experiences no one need shed any tears over the possibility of Fisher dropping into the rut which leads to the bottomless pit into which Birmingham disappeared last season. Nashville has a strong team and always will have so long as Fisher Is manager
 Two managers of national reputation have come into the south this year and until many games have been played it will be difficult to say what effect they will have on the success of Fisher and Finn. These two men are Thomas O Brien of Birmingham and Count Cam pau of New Orleans, remarkable