The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-12
BARONS WILL MEET |. & N TEAM TODAY Meridian Team Here Thursday
 Friday and Saturday HOW BARONS LOOK NOW Opening Game Is Just One Week From Today, When Tommy o'6rien's
 Team From Montgomery
 Opens Here.
HOW BAR0NS LOOK NOW

put up a good argument against the pro- fessionals.
 The game will be called at O clock, and the regular Baron team, with one ot the youngsters in the box, will prob ably line up for the first time this year in a game.
 For the following three days the Me- ridian team of the Cotton States league will play the Barons. These contests promise to be very interesting to the fans who like to study the work of the team. It will afford an excellent op- portunity to study the Barons as they will line up when the regular seasons opens.
 The games with Meridian will be the last of any consequence until the regu- lar season opens just one week from today. The three games will be of great aid to Manager Vaughan In gettihe fral ante-season line on his players and especially his pitchers
 Meridian Games.
 In the games Thursday, Friday ana Saturday the new pitchers who nave made good will be worked out, and the manager
 rrettv closely and see just what they can do against a team of some strength Ragan may be sent in for one or the pames so as to keep him in condition and if is probable that he will pitch the onening game against Montgomery
 The regular team will line up Ihurs- day for the first time against proles- sional team, and the fans are greatly irterested in the outcome. It now LOOKS as if Clarke will catch, Vaughan play fret Ward second, Moore short, Hafford ,h,rd Delehantv. Murdock and Miller the outfield.
 The team had a good practice yesVer- day afternoon Moore and Schiap were dividing honors at shortstop' and lien nessv was in right field as Miller was ,,o, In uniform The latter will, however, .,,a,, tbie afternoon and the rest Of the week.
 Matthews was out of the game on ac- count of his finger, which he split Mon ao, For that reason the Colts and Regulars did not line up against each other yesterday afternoon. There IS ohly one catcher and Manager Vaughan old not wish to work him overtime nor 10 take the risk of his getting injured In any way.
 The split finger of Matthews is not as had as he feared at first. The joint was badly split. but it will probably De all right by the end of this week. He hardly exnects to get into the game before the reg,,lar season opens, however, as he
 taIf chances,
 Team in Condition.
 With the exception of Matthews every member of the team seems to De as he as a fiddle Wilkie Clarke seems to be Tn m,,ch better condition than when he ar rived about two weeks ago. and he says ho never felt better in his life Father Vaughan has entirely recovered from his recent slight attack, and Plsgy Naro is as frisl<y around second as kitten mat buslSly hitter seems to be in much pet ter shape than he was last year. iael ,hot loads to the belief that he will play even faster and better ball for the Ba- rons
 Moore's finger is still little stiff, but not enough to worry him much. He Is stu taking good care that he does not get hit on 1t again, and by the end of this week there will be no traces or the recent soreness.
 schiap and Hafford are In excellent health in fact, the former has been well ever since he reached the city, and the latter had only two or three days when he did not feel like playing. The outheld- ers are all feeling fine Murdock's ankle seems to be in shape again, ana IS ne longer giving him trouble He stlll wears an anklet to protect 1t, but it Is more n case of precaution than anything else Miller is not overworlSing himself now, and Is gradually coming around into fine condition. Before the season opens he will be every bit as fast and safe as he was at any time last year. Delehanty has been in condition ever since he reached Birmingham, and Hennessy seems in the pink of condition.
 The Firing Line.
 On the firing line it does not look as if the Barons need fear any other team. Ragan can be depended on to win large majority of his games. and his arm has never suffered day since he ar rived Ginger Clark's speed, curves and control are apparently excellent and these two pitchers will stand the wear and tear of the season. Cowboy Clark's arm is coming around fast. and every day he is working. hard and earnestly. He is n willing worker and never loafs. and the indications are that he will pitch bette, ball than he did last year. In the Texas league he was considered equally as good A man as Ragan and this year everyone expects his record to be as good as that of Ragan in this league.
 All of the youngsters Pylant, Dessau Sallee Matthews, Wagner and Fitzpat- rick. have shown up well to date. Of these FitzpatriclS and Sallee have pitched some very fine ball. Dessau has been unfortun- ate in two games, but in the few innings a against Castle Heights he showed a great improvement in his weakest point. lack of control.
 If Dessau would gain control there would be no pitchers in the league who would be his superior In many ways. He has speed and fine curves, which break well. but he needs to gain control Towards this end he should bend all his energies.