The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-09

With the changing of the gong the con- test was on, and cheer after cheer went up for the Rangers. The rooters for the Functions were so few and far between that the noise was completely drowned.
 It was a pitchers battle from the start, and Simeon Shotgood of the Rangers ap- peared to have everything. Nobody could hit him safely.
 On the other hand, Sammy Swift of the Functions was working like a beaver. Even when a liner was hit it was buried in Zuneburg's fy-paper lined glove, and the batter was as dead as a mackerel. The battle waged fiercely for seven in- nings, and then the functions scored a run. The Rangers came right back and tiled it. In the first half of the ninth an- other tally was added to the Rangers score, giving them a lead of one run.
 As the functions took the bat for the last inning, roar came from the grand stand With three weak batters up it looked as If the Rangers had a cinch At this moment there was great activity on the Junction bench. It was necessary that desperate methods be adopted The pitcher volunteered to be the goat, and while at bat he jumped in the way of fierce inshoot. and went lmping to first base. The next man struck out but the crowd suddenly became silent and Sim con Shotgood went up in the air The next man walked. With two on bases and one out a chill swept over the ex- cited fans as Steve OHara. the great batter and base runner, was coming to the bat It was rapidly growing dark and he had decided to drop the ball in the dust in front of the plate where neither pitcher nor catcher could see 1t, and then run for a record before they could find 1t.
 Zeke Zuneburg was sitting on the bench holding great bat across his knees On Ia 1oft tIa Ax fx1o which by this time had grown so hot that 1t was beginning to melt The bat was home-run affair owned by O'ETara, and zuneburg was thoughtlessly holding 1t with the fly paper glove.
 With the idea of deceiving the Ranger felders OHara yelled to Zuneburg to pitch him the hoIne-rrn bat After gen. tly stroking it with his fly paper glove, Zuneburg tossed it to the plate
 Squaring himself for the strategic ef- fort, O'Hara saw an out-curve coming and instead of swinging with all his might, he pitched the big bat at the ball, to the utter amazement of the opposing infielders, and started on wild dash for first The bat was about to fall in the pitchers box and Shotgood caught 1t in his outstretched hand, and with an air of disgust hurled it toward OHara. who was then turning first base. The first baseman also caught the bat and stood on the bag with 1t while O'Hara sped on to second. Tn another second the two run ners had crossed the plate. O'Hara was right on top of them and was preparing right on top of them and preparing hand of the umpire suddenly arrested his progress.
 whats the trouble?" he yeleL as he dashed toward the official We only needed two runs and they are fcross the plate"
 The crowd in the meantime fad started to leave the park. and many had already paid their bets. There was wild com motion the rooters in the first row saw the umpire lift his hand and everybody scurried back to his seat
 Are you crazy?' they heard OHara yell. Haven't we won the gamer"
 well not so you could notice it, re- piled the umpire. "Do you see that bat?"
 O'Hara looked at the bat and almost tainted. The fly paper preparation from