The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-09-06
POINTERS ID RANDOM
BY HUGH w. ROBERTS.

by the peerless Savidge, he made II possible for the Barons to go furthe than an even break on the present in vasion of the west, which is terminated this afternoon.
 The Barons have done marvelously well.
 They have won two series, lost one and so far, in the third have broken even. There is one more game to be played, and on this battle the greatest victory of the season awaits.
 Birmingham has good chance tc land the spells this afternoon.
 Robertaille will work for the Baronf and Robertaille has beaten Memphis this season with great regularity.
 Then, too, with the Memphis Sab bath hoodoo one must reckon. Th6 Memphii have won comparatively few games on Sunday this season, and Il their usual hard luck continues its reign, the Barons should win.
 Even in case the Barons lose today they have made a splendid record OH the present trip, given real fans cause for elation, and brought sleepleSs nights to those who pray for Baron de feats.
 They have divided IA games equally between victory and defeat and should they lose today, they will have come as near breaking even on the road as possible under the circumstances.
 In the beginning, the Barons trounced Mobile In three of four games. New Orleans trimmed til em to a merry tune, however. the locals dropping four of five games. In Little Rock Robertaille won the deciding con test of three games in 14 innings, and so far, an even break has occurred in Memphis.
 There Is one peculiarity concerning the present trip of the Barons. No rain has marred a single contest, every scheduled game having been played. The men under the banner of the vet eral Bill Douglass have played game every day on which a game was sch eduled, and have gone through more contests on the present trip than any other aggregation of the league.
 Nashville, for whom all the eastern fans are pulling in the Volunteers ef- forts to land the merry rag of bunt- ing, divided a doubleheader yesterda. in Mobile, and, as a consequence, are eight points below the Pelicans of New Orleans.
 New Orleans and Montgomery will lock horns this afternoon in a double header and in case the Pelicans vii both, they will come east with lead of about IS percentage points
 While the Pelicans are good on the road according to previous record this season, margin of IS points should be spanned by the Volunteers without strenuous effort.
 However the prediction is quite gen eral that that series between New Or leans and Nashville, which terminate; the season, will decide the winner of championship honors.
 The race in the Southern league has been a great one from many viewpoints and had Birmingh been able to hold its own. would have been one of the greatest in the history of organized baseball
 The two major leagues are giving the fans just cause for brainstorms.
 Today New York is leading in the Ma tional league by a margin of 15 points. Pittsburg follows, while the Chicago Cubs are five points to the rear of the
 Pirates.
 In the American league Detroit is des- peratelys clinging to a lead of four percent | age points, with the St. Louis Browns threatening, at every step, to top that l margin.
 Chicago follows St. Louis five points to the rear.
 The fans are on their tiptoes, and base ball has knocked the presidential cam paign into a cooked hat. The Browns again drubbed the Tigers yesterday in a splendid game, the details of which, including the official score, is given In another column. Chicago too, again downed Cleveland, and now the three leaders-Detroit, St. l Louis and the Sox-are chasing the pen l nant, neck -and-neck, and in full cry. 1 In the National league Pittsburg failed | to duplicate its victory over Chicago, and 1 New York soundly thrashed the Phillies l for the second time, hand running. As a | result, while Pittsburg and Chicago are | separated by one game, the Giants have established a lead over the Pirates of b l points.
 | In the National league, therefore, were 1 it not fact that month of play re- I mains, one might predict the Giants as l the winners of the pennant, and be ac-
 curate to certain degree. As it is. how ever, things remain shrouded in cloud of | mystery even unto this hour
 Today is a big day for St. Louis and | Chicago.
 l The Browns, after defeating the Tigers l in two straight contests, play this after
 noon a game which decides the tempo i rary leadership of the league. Interest is l at fever heat, naturally, and it is possible 1 that more than 3O,000 fans witness the
 struggle. And 1t is cinch that McAleer 1 will rush the mighty "Rube' Waddell to
 the platter, while Wild Bilr Donovan l will strive to pull the final engagement l into the column of the Tigers. 1 A record breaking attendance, too,
 should see the game in Chicago this aft | ernoon between the Cubs and the Pitts l burg pirates
 l The two aggregations are one game apart in the fight for the bunting, and | have just concluded a two-battle series l in which they broke even. l It takes no stretch of the imagination 1 to see IS. R. O." sign swayed this aft 1 ernoon by the chubby form of the chubby l Charlie Murphy
 It is the beginning of the end in the l Southern league.
 l When New Orleans and Montgomery | and Memphis and Birmingham have com- l pleted their respective engagements this 1 afternoon, the west will fall into the 1 long slumber that winter produces. l Mobile and Little Rock have seen their | last game until the dawning of another | rosy season.
 l Beginning tomorrow, hostlities will be | resumed in the east When each of the western aggregations l have visited each of the eastern cities,
 the old season, which has brought much l disappointment to local fans, will heavs
 a mighty sigh, and fall into the realm of | forgetfulness.
 The Barons will open Monday with New l nr1o ,Ua will ha ,,1a