The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-02-27
HOOTERS INDULGE
 IN SOME FIGURES Important Conference Held on
 a Street Car DEBATE NAKED CYPL0NIC List of the Crack Players of the League In Their Respective Positions Is
 Made Up and Birmingham
 Is We'll Represented.
DEBATE NAKED CYPLO LONIC

An important conference of official rooters and leading baseball dope experts was held on a North Highlands car yes- terday afternoon and for something like ten minutes the debate waxed cyclonic Prominent in the caucus was a big fat man and little runt looking fellow who had his pockets lined with figures and past records.
 The fat man argued that the one thing necessary to the success of the Coal Bar ons was to have crack felders, star pitchers and good base runners whether they could hit the ball or not. "Of course he said. I've want few hits oc- casionally, but will take my chances on good pitching and fast fielding rather than sluggers."
 Now that's just where you've slipped your trolley" said the little fellow as he butted into the conversations T can show you" and he began to dig In his pockets for the dope. T can show you," he repeated, where 80 per cent of the pennants have been won by hitting and not fast fielding or pitching What we need are the boys that can smack the ball square on the piccolo and drive in the runs. IL makes no difference whether the other team can hit or not, just so we can outhit them"
 Were Looking at Records.
 That sounds pretty good" interrupted the fat man, but with fast fielding we could cut down lot of that hitting and then by fair stick work we could beat any of them out. Am I right?' he in- quired of the other conferees, but there was no answer All of them were busy looking over the little rooter's dope book.
 Wait till show you the figures" said the little fellow as he began turning the leaves of a well-worn and moth-eaten book. "On page IS you'll see where Mem phis put the works to the whole league with a lot of has beens by skipping the ball all over the lot In 1888 Boston did the same thing. In 1892 what did O'Shaunnessey's bunch do to Chicago? In '96 what did Cincy do with her bunch of hitters? What did Pittsburg do with her sluggers? What did Ned Hanlon do in 97 by putting on the boys what hit?' Turning rapidly through the leaves of the book the little fellow got worked up and his rapid fire of questions was too strong for the fat man, and he almost collapsed
 With an exutant look on his face the runt-like rooter sat back and opened up new argument on the relative strength of the players signed by Manager O Brien. This raised several passengers out of their seats. Some insisted that Sam Brown ought to have been retained and others asserted that he was dub. They then thrashed out the question as to which is the better fielder, Billy Smith or Duffy and it ended a draw It was the unanimous opiniOn that Harry Vaughan was the crack first baseman of the league though some argued that Weikart was the best man on ground balls.
 Players Discussed.
 The conference decided that Birming- ham had suffered a great loss in the drafting of Frank Smith and Billie Camp bell, but judgment was suspended on the new pitchers until Slagtown had as- sembled in battle formation.
 As well as could be gathered from the heated argument the crack players in the southern league were sized up as fol- lows, the first named being best
 Pitchers-Breitenstein, Wilson. Piatt
 Catchers-Clarke. MIllerick, Fisher.
 First Basemen-Vaughan, Welkart, Tur- ner.
 Second Basemen = Abbatichio Atz, Evans.
 Short stops-Tammsett. Mahling. Brid- well.
 Third Basemen-Krug, O'Brien. Cargo. Center Fielders-Duffy, Gilbert, Mont gomery.
 Left Ffelders-Rickert, Crozier, Lynch. Right Fielders-Smth. Knoll, Norcum. It will be observed that the names of new players appear while those who have been drafted by larger leagues are omit ted