The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-06
FUTURE OF BASEBALL
FANS ENTHUsIAsTIC AS THE SEA-
 SON APPROACHES.
Confidence In the New Organization and Optimistic Sizing Up of Players Engaged by Man.
 aEer O'BPien.

That baseball in Montgomery will be a success in every particular this sum control of the club, the officers and di- rectors not only giving prestige to the sport but imbuing spirit of thorough confidence among the baseball lovers.
 There Is not the least doubt that baseball will be run during the com ing season in a far different manner from what 1t has been heretofore. II will be strictly business, and whether the Pretzels finish first in the 1905 struggle or not the local fans are as- sured of seeing some first class base ball.
 Of course everybody would like to see their home club land the pennant In league race. but after all. If a club hangs during the season any where near the top of the heap and puts up fast game everyoody Will De satisfied. The bunch that o'Brien Is isfy the most disgruntied fan. and they will come pretty near making 1t decid- edly interesting for every team in
 with Hanann, Molesworth and Dele- hanty In the outfeld. Mullaney: Schwartz. Brouthers. Lowney and Busch in the infieid, Millerick and Manners catching and Lee. Hale. Brandt and Gardner the box staff. the team ought to be in the running at least.
 O'Brien Is after some fast pitchers and will probably either bring one or two down with him this month or have them report here before the season opens. Clark Griflth has a cluster of youngsters on his box stan. and 1t Is not at all improbable that O'Brien will get hold of some of them before the Yankees finish their spring work in Montgomery.
 Mullaney, the Pretzel first baseman. has broken into print and Is doing hn do n. nah papers. This recent effusion from him will be interesting to Montgomery fans who knew little Welch and were enthusiastic over his work:
 Evidently the hitting in the South Atlantic League will be better next season, as I do not think the pitchers will be as good. I have been in a number of new leagues, but l never saw as good bunch of pitchers as the South Atlantic had last season. Take tho Savannah club, for instance. We worked three regular pitchers, Welch, savidge and Thatcher, and they were all drafted. something remarkable, for all the pitchers to be taken the first season.
 "welch, believe, will certainly make good with Baltimore, and in Hugh brainiest men In the profession.
 ''Welch does not chew, smoke or drink, has no bad habits, always in good. condition, and certainly glut- 
 when the other fellow was being hit freely he would ask me to put him in. and he invariably made good. He Is one of the finest little fellows 1 ever played with and I know 1 can speak for the ball-loving people of Savan- nah in wishing him good luck. The Montgomery people were stuck on him. but President Boyer sold him to New Orleans and he was then drafted by Baltimore.
 "Jim Wiggs, who is now on the Brooklyn club, was considered the best pitcher in the Southern League, so when he pitched against Montgomery told O'Brien to put Welch against him. l knew Con was game In the South Atlantic. also knew he had herd about Wiggs as a pitcher. New Orleans had pennant winner. while we had a booby prize winner, yet Welch went against them and pitched Wiggs to a standstill. New Orleans only got two hits off Con, one of them a rank scratch. while we got four off Wiggs, but New Orleans beat us in the showed that he was game and was cheered to the echo by the New Or- leans rooters. That night Charley Frank, one of the shrewdest managers in the minor leagues, opened negotia- tions with Boyer for welch's release.
 ''Welch is a natural ball player, and. as Ned Hanlon, the manager of the Brooklyn Club, owns the Baltimore Club, it will only be a matter of 8 short time until he has one of the gamest little pitchers that ever broke Into any league, right where he be- longs, In the National League"