The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-01
FEVER IS BURNING
IN VEINS OF FANS
Approach of Baseball Season
Causing Trouble
BUSINESS MEN WORRIED
Banker and Office Boy Have Areu-
nent About Morning Paper-Office
Forces Demoralized and
Relief Is Necessary.

The merry puff-puff of the choo-choo
cars is fast hurrying toward Birming-
ham a number of burly athletes whose one
ambition is to shine phosphorescent upon
the diamond and within the next forty
eight hours or so there will be re-
ception committee of fans gathered at the
Union passenger station to extend the
glad hand Of good fellowship to the ar
rivals, Just as the parting brick will be
thrown later in the season to the player
who falls to tap the ball or safely cage
1t when the occasion requires.
The spring poet is busy. Likewise the
baseball fan. Also the groundkeeper and
ditto the corner lot youngster who wants
job selling peanuts and score cards, not
to mention the comfortable seats that are
supposed to be used by the ultra -partieu-
lar fans. Because of this latter class now
the life of the manager Is made hard
and his ways unpleasant and subject to
much Interruption
Calls in person and over the telephone
for the 'spoteing' editor are becoming
so numerous as to be monotonous, and
peculiar to relate, they never occur save
ears trying to grind out lot of real
coed live dope for he omnivorous fans
Verify, the season approached when no.
body wants to be sporting editor a mo-
ment after he has been handed his sea-
son ticket by the mogul in chief COM
mand. Again verify, the life is most
strenuous, and once more verify, only the
able-bodied sporting editors survive a sea-
son. Hence me scarcity of the flock.
Oh of f,,, aI.an
is noticeable in all directions Yesterday
the Office boy for one of the big steel
companies was notified that he would be
summarily discharged the next time the
headbookkeeper caught him reading the
morning paper before the boss" had
found time to glance over the baseball
columns.
Probate Judge Sam Greene has been
inveigled into promising to let his clerks
off occasionally during the season to wit
ness the games, provided they keep right
up to the mark with their work
Il want you to send a copy of the pa
per every morning to my Office" tela-
phoned a well hnown banker yesterday.
Il get the paper out home and have been
bringing it down to the office with me-
but the madam wants to read the base
ball news herself, so l have to get another
paper downtown"
Orders have been issued to all street
car motormen and conductors not to dis
cuss baseball while on duty for fear some
of the passengers might be carried be-
yond their destinations.
number of railroad superintendent
whose headquarters ore in Birmingham
have informally discussed ways and means
of designating some hour during the day
when the clerks will be allowed to talk
baseball. 1t is INTENDED to put a stop to
such conversation at all other times dur
ing working hours.
All in all, the baseball fever is now
raging, to the demolition of all settled
rules of business and commercial life and
merchants in all classes of trade are fig
uring out plans to remedy the evil and
end the ravages of the disease.