The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-09-07

Fleet of foot and strong of stick the slagtown standard bearers snatched yes- terdays game from it's moorings right at the start and ,an away with the scalp while the erstwhile Strikers were stum- bling around the green like an old Char ley horse with his foot sunk deep in the mire. It was really a shame to take the money.
 Birmingham s; Montgomery 1.
 But for series of early blunders the Strikers would never have showed run ner around as far as third and the escape from shut out was the result of Tom o'Brien carrying horse shoe around in lis right hip pocket.
 Oscar Streit whittled the Strikers down to three safe htlets all of which smack ed of punk and but for his generosity the scorer could have made 1t just one. The only clean bingle was an abbreviated Texas leaguer which Baker, he of long legs and short range arm. bunted over Yaughan's head in the second inning.
 Barons Had the Hot Foot.
 The Barons got an attack of the hot foot before the first gun had ceased fir ing and they kept the paths steaming from then until the finish. They corralled grand total of Il stolen bases and 1t was a bad day for running at that. Had anybody preferred charges they could have all been sent up for stealing from a cripple. They made bum out of poor young Baker and soon had Gardner won dering from whence he came. Young Ba- ker worked hard and faithful but just as he would whack the ball towards one base another Baron would bob up on the next corner and soon the bewildered youth was all in. He stuck to his job like a major, however, and nobody can call him a qutter. During the thief jubilee Billy Smith skipped from second to third while Gardner was trying to get his signs from the catcher. The bewilder- ed and disgusted pitcher made no att tempt to throw to third but slammed the ball over the plate and Matty slapped it on a clean line drive to left just to let Billy walk in and save his breath for the next performance.
 Along towards the last the crowd grew impatient and beseeched the Barons to get out. For one time they had enough of hitting and running. It looked like a pity to play on Montgomery like a flute, but Slagtown needs the figures and all is fair in love, war and baseball.
 Here's How !. Happened.
 In the first inning Duffy led off with a smash to left and was forced out on Lynchs bunt to the pitcher. Vaughan ripped a neat one over second and Lynch went to third Smith lifted a high one to center and Lynch scored. Duffy kept runs came in the same way A Baron would reach first, would then steal sec ond. If he was then tired the next bat ter would send him forward on bunt and the next man would score him. This sort of business kept up until all the figure '1s" ran out and then they let up. Just as a grand finale Duffy, Lynch Smith, Matty and Hennessey damned the ball safe in rapid succession and while the Strikers were chasing the ball three men crossed the plate and then the Barons quit. Everybody had enough.
 Montgomery put Hughey O'Brien of Pratt City to play second base and the boy from these diggings played the bag right up to the notch. His hitting was not up to the mark, but he did just as we'll as the rest, and he will make O'Brien good man.
 Durham will pitch for Birmingham to- day and Wilson for Montgomery.