The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-18
BASEBALL SEASON
NOW APPROACHING
Fans Are Beginning TO Get Real
News of Players
TEAMS ARE REPORTING
Niles Is Hitting the Ball Good and
Hard In the Games Played BY
the Browns In Texas
Cities.
BY ARTHUR F. eADMER.

the several clubs in the various and sun
dry leagues.
The players are reporting for duty with
all the clubs, and throughout the south,
the southeast, southwest and west the
balls and the bats and the mitts and
the chest-proteetors are being brought
into active play once more and the hoarse
cry of the umpire resounds on the air.
Essentially a summer game, baseball
IL peculiarly suitable as a southern sport.
1t can be played earlier here in the spring
and later in the fall, than anywhere else
in the country, and in all probability
that one fact explains why the game
is so popular in this section of the Uni
ted States.
That the south is really the home of
the great national game is recognized by
all players of the game and by the
owners and managers of the greatest
clubs in existence, when they come to
this section for their training work. Right
at this time there are fifteen baseball
clubs of the two big organizations hard
at work getting into condition in several
different cities and towns in the south.
Only one club out of the sixteen in the
National and American leagues is train
ing in the north, that club being the
Chicago Nationals.
These periods of training in the south
cost more money, so far as appears at
first glance, than does the ordinary train
ing on the home grounds But the extra
expense of railroad fare and hotel charges
is easily made in the majority or In
stances by the money taken in at the
gate when the exhibition games are play
ed This is true of the larger cities, such
as New Orleans, Birmingham, Memphis
and Atlanta more than of the smaller
towns, owing to the difference in popula-
ton, but these receipts even in the small
towns are a saving to the big clubs and
are not to be overlooked in figuring the
seasons profits and losses.
There remains little time yet before the
regular league season of baseball Will
open in the south, and already the fans
are getting a line as to the strength OF
the several clubs. Notwithstanding the
sknockers" and the pessimsts the Coal
Barons appear stronger than any otner
club in the league, not even excepting
last years pennant winners, the Pencans
Frank will not have all the men he had
last season by several, and 1t is safe
proposition there will not be any run
away race this year. at least, not with
the Crescent City bunch doing the run
ming act.
The Little Rock club is the unknown
quantity at this stage of the game, and
nobody knows just how to size up the
aggregation selected by Chief" thinner
to represent the home of the leagues
executive in the race for the trophy. Zim-
mer is admittedly a good man, as
manager and as a catcher. He knows the
game from A to lizard, knows ball
player when he sees one, and he appears
to have selected a bunch of tried and true
veterans upon whom he can rely in any
emergency. 1t remains to be seen whether
these old fellows can withstand the fast
pace that will undoubtedly be set by the
youngsters, who are all ambitious and
who are going to get out after everything
that will be in sight.
Charley Comiskey and his bunch of
White Sox have foated or drifted south
by easy stages. and on the road the
Chicago mogul has snapped up bar
gain or two in the way of promising
young players who seem to have been
overlooked by the intermediary leaguers.
Among these was Welday, who pitched
for Greenville in the Cotton States league
last season and who was bought for $500
by Comiskey from the Little Rock club.
Comiskey believes Welday is better
man than the Little Rock management
thought him to be.
This is going to be the best season
baseball has ever experienced, in my
opinion" said Comiskey few days ago,
while stopping over while at Vicksburg.
Everything looks fine, and the prospects
are most encouraging in every respect.
The game is going to be somewhat faster,
the public is showing greater interest
than ever before, the rules are more
generally understood, and all in all 1t
xa
ing than ever in the past"
The White Sox will remain at New Or
leans for spring practice, and in all prob
ability the Pelicans will pick up a man
or two from that bunch just as they
picked up a player from Connie Mack s
tribe. Mack. incidentally, has reunited his
divided bunch, and the entire aggrega-
ton is again at Montgomery. being en-
tertained at the expense of Ike Durrett
and his lot of insists.
While In Vicksburg with his party,
Comskey was asked what he thought the
White Sox would have done against the
New York Nationals, had the Chicago
bunch beaten out the Philadelphia Ath-
ietics last season.
THE public at least the American
league public seems to think that we
would have made a better showing than
Connie Mack's team" replied Mr. Comis-
"
last SERIES" he continued, I'VE would
have won the pennant, and as 1t was
we were beaten by very narrow mar
gin. / don't blame everything on luck
but certainly that had something to do
with us losing in Philadelphia on the last
go-round. The immense crowds interior
ed with our felders and cost us at least
one Of the games"
The personnel of the party is: Jones,
manager and outfelder; Andres, infieder;
Vinson, outielder; Tip" O'Neil, out
fielder; Hemphill, outfelder; "Aab'' Hart
catcher; VIM. Sullivan, catcher and Mrs.
Donohue, first base; George Davis
shortstope; Robe, second base Harry
Clark third base: Ed Walsh, pitcher
Nick Altrock. pitcher; Gus Dundon. sec
ond base; Frank Owen, pitcher; Rugar
pitcher; Tom Dougherty, pitcher; Louis
Comiskey, son of c. A. Comiskey; c. T.
Comiskey, owner: Charles Fredericks
secretary; j. +. Mateson. Chicago Ameri-
can representative, and Mrs. Mateson
New York fan picks the winners In
the big leagues, as follows:
American League-Cleyeland first De-
troit second and New York third
National League-New York first, Chi
cago second and Cincinnati third
Shreveport has been awarded Outfielder
King, who had been claimed by Mont
gomery. Secretary Farrell of the nation
al commission discovered that Bobby