The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-24
BASEBALL SAP IS
 RISING RAPIDLY Small Boys Warm Up on the
 Back Lots BlRMlN6HAM'S BIG TEAM Billie Smith Is Said to Be Trying to Kick Out of Traces-Wants
 More Money-Base-
 bal: Gossip.
BIRMINGHAM'S BIG TEAM

enthusiasm has taken a great jump. Fans and rooters are talking base ball In the daytime, and are dreaming base ball at night. Baseball fever in Birming- ham is prevalent.
 Baseball dope books and score boards that have been laid on the shelf during the winter have been taken down and dusted off preparatory to the long seize In less than two weeks time Vaughn's Coal Barons will be here and the spring work will be taken up ir earnest If there is no rain, or sleet or snow Slag- town will be in a splendid condition for training. Heretofore the team has ex- rerienced considerable trouble on account of the bad weather in the early spring. The wise ones. however, say that the bad weather is now a dead issue.
 Everyone reports that the sap is rising swiftly On the commons back of the lots Johnny and Jimmy and the other kids are spending all of their afternoons warming up. They touched ma and pa for the price of a ball and mitt, upon promise to be good. and have gotten uoWH to WOrK Tn earnest.
 Within the next few weeks the organiz- alton of ameteur teams will be in order. Some of the younger magnates will cor rall bunch of youngsters to select their teams from. while others will probably have to play many game with but six or eight men. But anyhow the spirit will be kept up just the same.
 5rmngham's Big Team. If the number of men signed cut any ice in the winning of that coveted rag, commonly known the pennant the Birmingham Baseball association would be ready to award the contract for the erection of the flagstaff at Slagtown. While other managers report they have signed up ten. twelve and fifteen men so ! far, Uncle Harry Vaughan gives out the dope that he has the Spencerian stunt of over twenty athletes. which means that he shall house and feed them until he takes notion to weed out.
 The report comes from way up in Ohio | that Billy Smith has commenced to act | badly in the face of the opening of the campaign. Billes present salary is some | 'tNNN' said to want one-fourth of one hundred dollars more added per month this sea son, just to make things interesting. Bill | lie says that he won't come south unless l the raise Is given, and the local associa- tion does not think the aforementioned William is worth the increase. Therefore there may be something doing. Billie has been warned that 1t Is his privilege to refuse to come south. He also knows that if he does not play In Birmingham that it is back to the independent gang for him.
 The indications are now that Birming- ham will not get Carlos Smith for the
 outfed. The dope that he was coming
 to Birmingham Is said to have been 1 given out too soon and that Mike Finn
 has got his contract pigeon-holed ia
 his rol-top at Toledo.
 Minahan Asks a Favor. Edward Minahan, ex-college pitcher | Giant Coal Barons, etc, has asked the Cincinnati club, with whom he will play this season, for a favor, which was not granted. Eddie wanted to go to Jackson- vile, where the Reds will practice, di- rect from his home in Orange, N. J. l President Hermann of the Cincinnati as- sociation did not approve of the scheme 1 however and so he instructed the faxen- | haired youth to report in thc Queen City on March '. the time appointed for | all Redmen to gather.
 Judge Kavanaugh president of the Southern league, is still anxious for the National association board to act on the petition of this league asking that it be admitted to Class A. The judge will at | tend a meeting of the board in Chicago rext month and will present the claims of the league In an intelligent manner. Judge kavanaugh Returns. | A special from Memphis says: | President Kavanaugh of the Southern | league has returned from New York, | where as member of the national base | ball board he attended mee Ing whick | sent a representative to President John son of the American league to submit the | proposition of the National association for an amendment to the agreement be- tween the major and minor leagues President Kavanaugh Is of the opinion that tn, counter proposition, of President Johnson would have been a good thing | for the minor leagues, providing the | proposition submitted by them could not be secured
 "As result of the New York meeting the matter has reverted to the same plan," said Judge Kavanaugh "The re- | jection of our proposition by the Ameri- can league with the rejection of the coun- | ter proposition by MT. Griffith, who was acting with full power for the board, puts the case back to where we began, and 1t Is not probable that we will be able to secure an amendment now that will bet ter our conditions for this season The clubs and leagues will have to care for themselves under the old draft price l believe we should have accepted the counter proposition of Mir. Johnson, be- cause it would have bettsred our condi- tlon and would have done away with the covering up of players under the old purchase rules. because purchases and drafts are placed on the same plane by his proposition.
 q am heartily in favor of the amend ment we proposed and have maintained it is right and just. but as compromise to help us 1 believe the proposition of Mir. Johnson would have aided materially and would have hettered our condition. am not kicking on the action taken by Mir Griffith but I do believe if the proposition of MT. Johnson had been ac- cepted we would have been better off"
 
 Ercralds Were Not Struggled.
 Wa sbinyton February 23.-Collector of