The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-10
RUMORS OF BASEBALL
MONTGOMERY FRANCHISE WILL
 NOT BE WITHDRAWN.
Court Case Over Parks Will Be Argued Wednesday -, Heine Busch Outlets Gossip by
 His Arrival.

The numerous baseball rumors that have been flying like this disagreeable wind around Montgomery for the past few days are astounding in their audaci- ty Just who starts these reposts Is an enigma. Started they are, however, and 1t requires the nerest, gentlest push to send them bounding along the line, grow ing in substance at each bound just as stone rolling down hill gains momentum at every turn.
 For the past two days certain people in Montgomery have been firmly con vinced that Mobile would get the base ball franchise from this city.
 ''Oh, I know what am talking about" said one of these wise ones; ''the Mobile people have not only put in another bid for the franchise. but they have increased that bid to such a high figure that the Southern League will unquestionably transfer the Montgomery franchise"
 Now. there is no more chance of Mont gomery losing the franchise than there would be for the sun to suddenly drop down on the Court Square pavement. At the meeting of the Southern League in Memphis a few weeks ago letter was read in which a certain Mobile man made proposition for the Montgomery fran chise. The idea was so absurd that It was simply turned down without dis cussion. Since then 1t has been forgot ten except when a rumor was revived on the filing of injunction proceedings in court the other day relative to where the game shall be played.
 The case will be heard Wednesday morning in the Chancery Court. but no matter how 1t results the status, of base ball-the game itself-will not be affected In other words baseball will be played in Montgomery whether the Traction Company takes 1t back to Athletic Park or whether w. H. Ragland wins the case and keeps it at Oak Park.
 As to the merits or demerits of the case they will be thoroughly aired in court Wednesday. The lawyers decline however, baseball in Montgomery this season is certainty and the indications are that the season will be fraught with more success than ever before known in Montgomery.
 1t is a case of "the wish being father to the thought for local fans to put out all manner of claims and boosts as to having the ''only" aggregation of ball tossers in the league. but 1t is natural for the fans to do this.
 Such baseball authorities as Tim Munane of The Boston Globe, Jack Tan ner of The Chicago Tribune. John Mc- Graw, manager of the New York Nation al League team and several others have stated in Montgomery and other places that the Pretzels are undoubtedly one of the fastest minor league teams that they ever saw. The record that they have made in the game with the big leaguers would seem to more than substantiate these claims. Those records speak more eloquently than volumes of words could do.
 Manager Stickney the man who has made Ed Geers's claims to the title Of s'The Silent Man resemble a Trapped piece of weinerwurst. is entitled to great credit for what he has accomplished. As soon as it was definitely decided that Lew Whistler was going to Memphis last fal it was with surprising unanimity decided that Bill Stickdey was the logical mar