The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-09-14
POINTERS ID RANDOM
BY HUGH w. ROBERTS.

It is perhaps putting 1t too mildly to state that the dawnng of the final week of the Southern league baseball season is viewed with undeniable delight by all connected, in any capacity, with the game In Birmingham.
 Comparatively speaking Birmingham is not composed of a larger percentage of "quitters" than other cities In the south. It Is probable that the fans that have followed the deeds of the Barons this sea- son will remain in the slums with a loser as long as any other bunch of baseball people. There is sufficient amount of civic pride in Birmingham to cause the presentation of a bold front to outsiders, when 1t Is known or strongly suspicioned that we haven't the goods to back up our bluff.
 But with all that, 1t is not stretching point to make a statement to the effect that the final gasps of the season are hailed win delight in Birmingham. The season has been such a miserable failure that the fans are disgusted. They are tired out in body and soul They have hoped unto the ragged edge, and their hoping apparatus is now hopelessly out of gear. They are ready to admit defeat, lay down their weapons. and await the dawn ing of another year when. it is possible, Birmingham will be able to make bet ter showing in the Southern league.
 While the above paragraph expresses local views and opinions, in other south ern cities the baseball fever is raging at a great temperature.
 This is due to the fact that the race for supremacy is one of the most sensa- tional which ever held sway in Dixie. Here with the last week already begun, New Orleans Is leading Nashville by ! percentage points. and Memphis, in spite of its severe beating yesterday, Is still dangerously near the Volunteers.
 Mobile opens this afternoon in Nash vile, while the Pelicans begin series at the same time in Montgomery.
 If Nashville defeats Mobile in the series and Montgomery defeats New Orleans, when the Pelicans and the Volunteers meet Thursday afternoon the latter will be leading the race.
 At any rate it is an almost foregone | conclusion, unless all the dope is upset, that the final series between Nashville
 and New Orleans will decide the pennant.
 Because Nashville is a member of the eastern division, 1t is probable that the | majority of fans in Birmingham are hop
 ing that the Volunteers will win the rag.
 However, there are others who care very ] little. those who, pleased that the scrap | has been so sensational, are willing that 1 the team which wins the final games will l win the pennant.
 1 Inasmuch as the scrap has been so in ! teresting, it would be a magnificent cli- 1 max were the pennant to fly over that | camp which wins the last battle of the 1 season!
 | Since returning home, the Barons have ! been mud of which the Pelicans and the 1 Memphii made pies!
 Three successive victories by the Peli- | cans over the locals make up the reason | for New Orleans position at the top to- l day.
 The four victories scored by Memphis in Birmingham have kept the men of Charlie Babb on the skirts of the Volun- teers.
 For the sake of local fans who desire to see Birmingham win 1t Is regrettable that the Barons failed to make a better show ing against the two visiting aggregations. If is a matter of little moment, on the other hand, to the great bulk Of people, that the Baron defeats make 1t degree less probable that Nashville will cop the bunting.
 But in Nashville an altogether different view is taken. Grantland Rice, sport ing editor of the Nashville Tennessean, was so chagrined and so overcome with fear that he cut loose several scathins