The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-31
PLUCN1 7: BIRMINGHAM
IS SHAPING UP FAST AGGRE. GATIoNy'
Tom o'Brien Working Hard to Get
 Together a Fast Team-Work on Grounds Will Begin This Week-Exhibitioh Games.

Birmingham. Jan. 30.-(Spccial. 1.-The Birmingham Baseball Association antici- pates the best season this year from financial and sporting standpoint ever en- joyed and the indications are that the teams in the Southern League are going to be more evenly matched than ever be- fore. Coffee l.. Jackson, Secretary of the Birmingham Association, Is enthusiastic over the prospects for the present season and he now states that the Birmingham Club will be up in the front ranks right from the start. While other teams throughout the Southern League have practically made up their rosters the Bir- mingham team is not quite finished. 1he staff of pitchers is yet uncertain but See rctsrv Jackson asserts that the start will find Birmingham with several youngsters and two or three old time twirlers. out of the lot three or four who will be able to handle the sphere all right, all right.
 Tom O'Brien who will manage the Bir- mingham team again is keeping in close communication with President BauGh and Secretary Jackson of tho Birmingham As- sociation. The manager is keeping his eyes open for good players in all positions and especially pitchers. The following will proba bly, be about the way tho Bir- mingham team will start off the season of 1S9i Tom OBrien. Manager: Pat Mill lerick catcher; Harry Vaughan, first base; Roy Mcdonnell or - Ward, sec ond base: Jimmie OBricn third base; Jimmie Tamsett, short stop: Fred Brown right field and catcher; Billie Smith, cen ter field; - Lynch, left field. Of this aggregation Vaughan Millerick, Brown Jimmie OBrien and Smith played on tho Birmingham team last season. Tamsett comes well recommended as q short stop. He played in the American Association last year. Lynch isa said to he a good player from the Western Leagues.
 Among the pitchers who will he given a trial arc 1T. b. Clarke and Robert C.. Triton. who were tried here last season; McCaughan, who was in the Hudson Riv- CT Valley League last year: Sis" II 1p- kins. who was with Montgom and New Orleans last season; Pete Dorn who Was with the Toledo team last year; Charles Blackburn of the South Texas League Burnham of the K. I. T. League. and others. Efforts were made to get Erwin Wilhelm, who pitched With Birmingham team two years ago and there is still hope of being successful in this direction. although Wilhelm has signed some sort of a contract with the Boston club. Last year he was with Plttsburg. The man agement of the Birmingham Club has, been corresponding right along with Will helm and there is yet hope. Other good pitchers arc being looked for and the of ficers of the Birmingham Association are confident that they will have a strong team to start with.
 Work will begin the coming week on the ball park so that by the middle of April when tho regular season opens m the grounds will bo in the best possibl {. shape. Tho New York club will do some practicinS in Birmingham and the en- thusiaStS in this city will have an oppor- tunity of Witnessing the local team warm ing up, as it were. for the coming season. The management of the local team do not look with favor on having too many of the National and American League teamo coming here and giving exhibition games. Of course. there are cranks who expect the. local team to make d big showing with these big lcagucrs, the difference in salary lists not being considered When the local team won no game out of a number nt practice games there were Knockers right away and tho games ot the regular season were injured more or less. However. there will he some prac- ttce games played before tho opening Q. the regular season here and it Is under stood that a number of amateur cra~k teams will be met. Tn that way it is cx- pected a good showing can be made which Will increase the enthusiasm and at the same time keep down the "knocking' which always results in harm.
 In Birmingham there is much interest already being awakened in baseball not withstanding the unlucky ending for the team last season, under the 300 mark There are many who are willing to for give and the indications are that the Bir- mlngham patronage this year will equal almost any of the cities in the Southern League.