The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-17
BASEBALL STORIES.

''At last Spike Shannon has avenged himself on the town which set him adrift and sent bad stories behind him. says Bozeman Bulger, who is travelling with the Giants.
 ''It came about just when the knocking was loudest Tuesday, and hence much sweeter the said revenge. The few friends saved Spike on the opening day by pre- senting him with a solid gold fob in the face of animosity, but during the playing intervals between showers on the third day his foes cut loose and some of their remarks would have singed asbestos.
 "tOh, Spike, you yaller-haired quitter! Y You $10,000 lemonv
 Get out of there and make room for a manr
 This and few more of cockle-burr smoothness and the Mick in Spikes veins jumped up to blood heat. He lay back and rammed his bat into an outcurve for long single and later scored
 You fiat-wheel runner, you horse- faced deserterl'
 ''Thls was the second volley that came from the fans, and the Irish jumped an additional 10 degrees Fahrenheit through the veins of the big Giant.
 Spike swelled up like a toad. He swung one from his hips and bangi Mo Glynn's fast jump ball was caught on the piccolo and went whistling in right for two sacks And again Spike cantered home when another single was dropped in to help him on his way Not to be squelched. the leftfield bleachers let loose like a popgun when Shannon came up again, and Spike, poor Spike, had to face 1t.
 Get out of there, you bar hop" yelled one; you couldn't beat a carpet,'
 Have you paid your board bill yet?' oh, you pclSle-heed crabi
 This time they got Spikes goat for faf ic 1aotr cta If.,rr ties and you couldn't have blown his teeth apart with dynamite. Splitting on his hands he set himself to show his tan talizers, and he did Spike fell on the ball like a ton of brick, and when Me Glynn looked around his famous dropped curve had been fattened out into a string. The ball shot against the right field fence 7 like a pea on fire, and when it had been rounded up Spike was perched on third. That was about all for the rooters, who for two years had tried to run Shannon out of St. Louis, and utmost quietude pre- vailed fin these parts"
 Joe Hornung, "Old Hubbo' the fam ous left fielder of the champion Bostons and other clubs, yesterday celebrated the fftieth anniversary of his birth and was at American League park to witness one pf the few games that he is enabled to see now in his days of toll and hardship.
 Joe Hornung was one of the best out f1elders the game ever produced. At the present time 1t Is a somewhat rare oc- currence for an outfelder to throw q runner out at the plate, but when 'Old Hubbo was in his palmy days if he didn't head off one or more runners in any game he would ina zine he was going back or that hs wing was a has-been. Joe was a good sticker too, as well as fielder, and he could also scoot around the bases with sprintng speed.
 Joe was born in Carthage, N. Y, June 12, 1S57 He played his first game in Utica in 1871, playing with the Uticas against the Camdens, which the Utcas won by one of the old-time scores of B6 to 13. Joe has the ball now with which that game was played.
 From Utica Joe went to Ilion, then to the Tecumsehs of London. Ontario, where he played with Fred Goldsmith. Afterwards the famous pitcher of the Chi cagos when doubled up with Long Cor coran From London Hornung went to Buffalo. Then the Boston club secured his services and he remained with the Hub team for several years
 Those were Joe's best days in baseball and he made national reputation. From Boston he went to Baltimore, and from there he came to this city where he played with the New York Nationals, in 1S90 the Brotherhood year. Joe then drfted to the minors, and from them to umpiring
 In later years Joe has been employed near the Polo grounds and has been working hard for very little money. He Is nervy though, and takes his medicine like the game and plucky ball player he always was.