The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-28
.0LD TIME DOPE FOR
 THE THIRSTY FANS
Ancient History Told by John
 Mayberrv, an Old Timer
sTARlS BACK IN 1868
Where Al spading and "Pop" Ansen Commenced the Game and How They First Got Into Fast
 Company.

John Mayberry, who halls from the seaport of Rockford, H.. and is well known as mogul of the Nashville team back in 1ss6 and is at present living in Birmingham, became reminiscent last night He goes back to the days of old when baseball was just being invented and Father Chadwick had not sprung Into national fame.
 Up in my home town we had two teams, the old boys and the youngsters, said the narrator, "and such fellows as Al and Walter spalding who make sporting goods now, and Pop Anson originated in that berg and really com menced their base ball career there.
 T remember in 1868, think 1t was, or any way not but a year or so afterwards, that we had a world beating team. Al Spalding was the greatest pitcher of his day, and he was our pride and joy, and we had some others that were sluggers, only the name had never been invented then.
 Defeated Philadelphia.
 "The team was called the Forrest City club, and we licked the Athletics from Philadelphia that year, and then the At lantics from some where in the east came along, and we put the finishing touches to  Boston team, and that's where our down. fall commenced. They liked Al Spalding and bought him. l think that they paid him 5000 a year. the highest salary ever paid a baseball player in those times l am not sure where he got the salary It was from either Boston or Chicago after the latter team bought him.
 Anyway he was the greatest pitcher of his day We could not use anything but the stright underhand ball then, and a mans hand was not allowed above his hip. Speed was everything. for there was no curve at all, ana Al had the greatest speed of any of the old timers.
 '"rhe Bostons bought Barnes and George Addye at the same time, and that took our championship honors from us. Tt was after that time that Pop Anson came to the Forrest City club and received his first salary a ball player
 SpaIdings Started.
 "It was just after he was bought by Chicago and Al and Walter Spalding put up $7OOO and started their sporting goods house in Chicago. Look how they have grown Walter was the youngest of the boys and he and l were on the same team.
 T remmeber one year we defeated the old original Cincinnati Reds. so you can imagine what a crackerjack team we had. Our long suit was hitting We had one big double-jointed country boy who lived eight miles from town down the river who could just naturally slug a baseball
 I've used the old-time ball then. 1t was not sewed like the ball today, but the cover was made in eight sections just like a person peels an orange by cutting the peelng in eighths. It was clumsy compared with the ball of today.
 Anson Red Headed.
 About Pop Anson He came to us red headed, awkard boy. but he was natural player, and we paid him his first salary He afterwards quit us and went to the big teams.
 "Yes, it Is true that l managed Nash vile the first year there was Southern league. back in 1886. That was the firt year that White Sulphur Springs park was used. We made money at that. Henry Grady. that famous Georgian, was president of the league then.
 q secured the first protection for the Southern league from the big leagues. It was in 1886 I went to New York to the meeting of the big leagues, and on ac- count of knowing Al Spalding so well got promise of protection. He was president of the league at that time The first protection was in lSS7 the year after l managed Nashville.
 'It was more than thirty-hve years ago that 1 first started out loving baseball. and have never gotten over it yet. Bir- mingham had a good team last year, and that revived my interest in the game, which had grown dull little on account of the bad team of the previous year. l would like to see a good team here this year, and the one picked out looks pretty good to me.
 "Yes sir it was over thirty-five years ago that l first commenced"