The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-03

he used to pitch Now he has lost out and gone to umpiring.
 And what they call him down in New Orleans we hesitate to say.
 And he never wears that happy smile any more.-Atlanta Georgian.
 And many of the New Orleans fans never wore a smile after Racket rendered that famous fly out decision Of last Moh- day-New Orleans States.
 What is wrong with Sunny Jim? Nash vile has not seen him holding the indi- cator yet, but the fans here like him. Nashville Banner.
 Hackett has not been seen working in Little Rock, but in league headquarters the opinion prevails that he Is one of the best umpires on the staf.-Arkansas Ga zette.
 Sunny Jim" is not so bad. Why, he never makes a bum decision, but that he "evens up'' as soon thereafter as pos sible.
 Every year there Is great deal of dis cussion as to who is the fastest man get ting to first base in the American league. For number of years the honor has generally been conceded to Harry Bay of the Naps but it looks as If he will have a worthy rival this year in the per son of Harry Niles of the St. Louis Amer ican team. The fact that Bay has bad knee will prove handicap to his pase running.
 Niles. like Bay. is a left handed bats man, and of course this gives him the same advantage in getting a start over the fleet right handed hitters. Coming down to a straight matter of speed, there is little question but that Niles is the fastest man in either of the big leagues. A little incident that happened at St. Louis last summer Is pretty good proof.
 n., T 0i.fS a was an outfielder by the name of Mur- ray, secured by McCloskey late in the season. Murray graduated from Notre Dame university in June of last year, and was regarded as the fastest man In the college on the sprint events. During the time he played with the Cardinals he simply set the National league critics on fire with his fast work
 During the post season series between the Browns and the Cardinals In October the players of the rival teams clashen in a number of arguments over the rela- tive ability of the two right fielders. In order to settle all arguments. race was arranged between the two fielders Mur- ray would only agree to run fifty yards, while Niles preferred 100 Both players were heavily backed by their teammates.
 Niles got the start and simply made Murray look as if he was standing still, beatnig him about ten yards 'n the hfty. The fieetness of Niles can be gleaned from the fact that Murray Is credited with several performances in 10 seconds flat Cleveland Plain Dealer.
 It occurs to us that the Washington Post about sizes up the situation, not only in our town, but ir all the baseball league towns, when it says that local pa irons of the game are very easily satis- fled. If the team plays a good game and the score is close. there are no complaints, and this condition has had a detrimental effect on some of the players. who feel that their work has been well done when they have not been beaten more than a run or two. Victory i9 only hoped for. but the proper spirit to secure 1t is not all ways displayed. d."-Montgomery Journal.
 ''WiH Harry Vaughn be boss of the Barons much longer since he has signed Demont?'' asks the New Orleans States. "If we remember rightly, Abe Powell thought he was manager of the Atlanta club ir. 1904 but Demont showed him 1 that he was not running the Bremen. and this is likely to occur to Harry | Vaughn in just about two weeks" 1 Inc States maxwell. everybody knows what tc do when he says or acts. | Otis Stockdale of the Memphis team has a new sort of ball he is using with great success. It is called the slick fin ish. Stock discovered it while at work | in a laundry of which he is part owner. | It is a species of the spit, but instead | Of using that sort of moisture he uses starch. He carires a little of it in the hip pockets of his trousers. and, after wetting his fingers dips them in the ! powder. He says it puts a shine on the ball. but takes the shine off the batter. l Stockdale seems to be better this year
 than he was last, despite the fact that l the silver threads that grow on the theatch greatly outnumber the gold.-New | Orleans Pcayune.
 | Otis Stoekdale has something thai
 makes him as effective as any other | pitcher in the league.
 This prognostication may jar lot oi | Pelican fans not a little bit It's enough
 to jar the who.e Southern league wher