The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-01


 believes that his team Is 25 per cent stronger this year than ever before. and glance over the lineup of the teams seems to verify their claims.
 Memphis would have a hard time strengthening the team she had last year by using other southern league timber, as has been done, but still Lew Whistler says he has done so, and one cannot help but acknowledge that if the men he has this year play as well as those of last year his team Is 25 per cent stronger.
 Individually 1t looked like New Orleans has stronger team last year than she will have this year, but this year she is not apt to have some of the bad luck that the Pelicans claimed last summer. The team gives promise of batting bet ter and having better team work.
 Newt Fisher figures these two to win, with Shreveport and Nashville running a race for second place. but then Newt fig ured Nashville in the first division last year. This old boy has said much and at the same time he mas worked hard and his team is an improvement. None can deny that.
 Gilks has signed a number of new men this year and thinks that these with the old men will make his team about the best there is. If the new ones live up to the dope he has on them his team will show more than the average advance this year. But he may not have Smith, Swann and Red Fisher, and on these he depends great deal for his increase in percentage
 For the Coal Barons, Colonel Sheppard, as he has been styled, thinks that the other teams arc going to strike a brick wall In the shape of his slabmen The moguls all admit that Birmingham seems to have the edge on them all in the box, and at the same time that the team will be better hitters.
 The moguls believe that Montgomery could not do my worse. therefore the Pretzels will h.ve to show Improvement. Tom OBrien Is still worried over Low neys decision not to play ball, and his pitching staff Is hardly up to the average, therefore Tommy will have to improve in other places a great ceal if he wants to increase one-fourth this year. Atlanta is an uncertain problem in sig ing up the teams. The new manager may or may not make good, and, if he doesn't. it's all up with the Bremen. They will have no chance, for Atlanta will never support a. losing team and when the ag- grcgation gets below 500 they will catch the worst bunch of roasting ever handed Q team. So that team will have to make good right away, and it's 20 per cent im- provement will depend almost entirely on the manager. The personnel of the team looks that much stronger
 Dale Gear has not loafed any in Little Rock and the reports from over there are to the effect that he has more than twenty men landed, dozen of whom look like an Improvement over last year 8 1 players. He has shown himself hustler in getting men and he will make it hot l for some team for third or fourth place l Harry Vaughan, George Rohe Ambrose Puttman and Ed Aschenbach left Gin einnati last night with their faces turned southward to take up this years burden of Sbuslng the umpire, trying to steal a base and chasing a delusive pennant
 Vaughan will back of the Pullman in Birmingham today. Ed Aschenback will run straight on through to the South At lantic league climes, where he will boss Charleston this year. Rohe will not stop until the Crescent City is reached, and Puttman will to to Montgomery to Join Clark Grifhths New York Americans in that berg
 Although every ball player and almost every spectator has some superstition all his own, and generally very dear to his heart do you know there is one universal superstition?" asked Pop" Anson in a talk with baseball man few days ago.
 Let me illustrate" Anson went on. Suppose at game in Cleveland Joss is pitching against Boston. and that up to the ninth inning Collins men have not made hit
 Now every ball player and almost every spectator knows, or feels, that this is the time for silence Let the player remark, Why, Boston hasn't made a hit yet and then and there some Boston player will poke out A safety.
 'Or, Suppose Bradley at third has &C., cepted fifteen chances without slip and some spectator-who isn't versed in this supersttion-remarks to his neighbor Gee, Brad Is playing a great game. Eff teen chances and no errors. and sure as you're alive, the next ball hit to third will be fumbled or thrown wild.
 Well I remember the first game Bad Bill' Eagan ever played at short for the Chicago team. It so happened that the l opposing team hit almost everything at Eagan that day and he was soon the most popular player on my team. Every chance was desperate one, but Bad Bill' made it look easy.
 "As the ninth inning began a spectator bent Cver the rail and said: Great man you've got there. Anse. He's accepted eleven chances without an error so far.
 That was enough. The next four balls hit to Eagan he threw ten miles over my head and we lost the game right then and there"
 "I believe that within three years there will be either two major baseball leagues