The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-03

schedule or games. n D. Il. NllSS 10 ehS
teams manager and communications
should be addressed to him at the Ath-
letic club or by phones, 1870 Bell or Peo-
pies.
article called revenge yesterday He was
put out of the game Monday, SO yes
terday he secured u couple of nice hits.
When Dusty gets into the seasons swing
look out for him with the willow.
The grand total of 600 fans saw the
long tie game between Memphis and
Shreveport Monday That attendance is
poor showing for any city of the size
of Memphis, and one that has two flags
from former seasons floating over its
grand stand.
1t is the fault of the management o.
the team. A 'retrenchment' policy was
adopted when the season opened. and all
the newspaper passes were cut off. The
newspapers naturally became offended and
now devote a minimum amount of space
to the national game. AS a result. and
a direct result at that, the attendance in
Memphis is only about one-third or one
fourth of that in other cities.
Birmingham would be ashamed of an
attendance like that on rainy day. Dur
ing this season. at the six games played
at West End and the average attendance
has been we'll over 1000, and it will
grow larger and larger as the season
lengthens if the Barons continue to be one,
two, three.
| Rooter-The first pitcher gets credit
for winning the game If his side Is in
the lead when he goes out of the box.
sIf his side is behind when he goes out of
the box he is credited with losing the
game If 1t is lost. If the second pitcher
sent in pulls the team out of the hole
and the team wins, ne is credited with the
victory. If his team was in the lead when
he went in and then meets defeat, he
is credited with losing it.
Apropos to VI pire Bassett the Constl-
| tuition says
A roasting match was INDUCED in last
night after the game was over, the par
Elephants being the Atlanta and Birming-
ham baseball players and the victim one
Mr.. Bassett, technically known as an UNI
| pire
The Barons have no love left for Mr..
Bassett since he treated them rather
shabbily in Birmingham, and his work
yesterday afternoon pleased neither the
Atlanta players nor the Birmingham
| team.
| 1t Is not that Bassett is harder on one
side than on the other that the managers
of Atlanta and Birmingham object, but
| because of the fact that every wrong de-
cision given makes the game slower and
uninteresting; makes the players sore and
harder to handle, when they feel that
they are getting the worst of it on every
| decision and cannot afford to take a
chance; and hurts the game with the pub
| lie.
The players do not believe that Bassett
intends to do wrong, but are of the opin-
ion that he is incompetent, which is real
ly worse.
st. Louis telegraphic story says
st. Louis, Apr. 3O.-A solution has been
players of the Cleveland club are the
orginators of the scheme that practically
renders the "lyddte shell" of baseball
null and void.
According to several members of the
Cleveland team. licorice, just plain every
day stick blackjack, vigorously applied
to the side of the ball makes 1t so sticky
that the pitcher can not get it away from
him in the proper method.
For the last two years the Cleveland
players have been scheming to beat the
"spit ball"
1t was their ingenuity that first broke
up the toss for Chesbro. Last year when
Jack was working the improved drop to
perfection he encountered Cleveland. The
| Blues had secured a liberal supply Of oil
of mustard. and every time they tossed
a bal to the itcher it was soaked in
| the burning stuff.
Chesbro wet his fingers, applied them to
the ball and returned them to his mouth.
The burning stuff did its work. and Jack
made bee line for the water barrel All
that day CHESHIRE was unable to pitch
the spit" and without his pet curve he
received drubbing that is now baseball
history.
Today the Blues, knowing that the
greatest of spit" ball artists, Howell,
was to pitch. got together and evolved the
''licorice' scheme, Every time a player
of the Cleveland club secured the ball he
would apply the juice to the cover Of
the ball, rendering 1t so sticky that it
would not leave the pitchers hand at
the proper angle. Howell tried for his
spit ball time and again. but he could
not get 1t working, an in five innings
Cleveland sent Harry to the bench won
dering why his spit" ball refused to
work.