The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-01
By BILL AK.

You may watch it from season to sea- son, and you will find that it is in the close games that the umpires suffer the bitterest criticism.
 Yesterdays game was close, hard fought, exciting.
 There is no wonder that the fans roast ed the umpires, and that the players oc- casionally complained.
 But it fell to the lot of exeitable Mique Finn to play the Irish comedian off the board.
 At the conclusion of yesterdays en- gagement, those near the park entrance when the Travellers were retiring were given bit of vaudeville for which they had not bargained, and for which they had paid nothing. It was the venerable Mique censuring the umpires!
 Thief! Thief" he shouted
 q presume Birmingham will keep you here for the balance of the season. he added after taking breath.
 Thief Thief" he again yelled at the top of his voice.
 If you hadn't stolen the game we would have made five more runs!'
 Some Questionable Decisions. The balance of the vituperative allitera- tion was lost in the boisterous laughter of the fans But Mique was hot, and it is barely possible that he continued his complaint even unto the reaching of his hostelry.
 At that the umpires did appear a trife of.
 Wheeler was criticised for decisions on balls. and strikes, and Fitzsimmon's work on the paths did not escape unchallenged. He called Smith safe at third in the seventh when from the Little Rock standpoint he looked out. Smith states that he lodged the ball. and has never been touched. Again, Downey was called safe at second on a forced play, when the Little Rock contingent thought him out. Again, Larsen was called out at first when the Barons and half the spec tators thought him safe. Again, Wells was called safe at first when the Barons thought him out a foot And thus it con- tinued from beginning to end-the end being as stated Finn's outburst just at the conclusion of hostilities. If Finn thought his contention correct he is not to be censured. On the other hand he is to be complimented in that he held his wrath in check until the conclusion of the game.
 The Barons Win.
 The Barons won after hard and nerve-racking struggle
 The final score 3 to 2.
 Bill Douglass, who formerly served under the leadership of Mique Finn, hit the ball in the eighth inning that gave Birmingham the deciding run
 In addition to pitching an excellent game, Robertaille's hitting, scoring two of the Barons' runs, was perhaps the most pleasing morsel to the palate of the fans.
 The three successive singles of Lew Walters and a enchanted stab of Smiths line hit by Speaker were perhaps the most startling individual performances.
 Veteran Bill Hart acquitted himself handsomely, and had Robertaille tot held the Travellers at his mercy through out eight long innings, would have won his game. But it Is true that Robertaille was in excellent form yesterday and es- caped untouched save in two rounds.
 Efforts of the "Finns.'
 The Barons scored first in the third. Lew Walters opened with a hit, was racrifced to second, and came home when Robertaille singled over short stop.
 The Travellers, profting from a costly error, a triple and single in the sixth scored two runs and ran ahead. Speaker opened with a smash to Dow ney, and the shortstop threw the ball to the smokers. From third Speaker walked home on Pages triple to deep center. Page scored a moment later when Becker cut one safely to cen- ter.
 But in the seventh the Barons evened up, and in the eighth won out. With one down, Smith was walked in the seventh. Walters followed with hit to center, and he and Smith immediate ly afterW ards pulled off the double steal Robertaille's second hit to cen ter scored Smith but Walters was thrown out at the plate.
 In the eighth, with one down, Dow ney was walked. Molesworth hit to Hart. who threw too late to catch Downey at second. Douglass then un- l,Isciails hin gle left nd