The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-27
POINTERS ID RANDOM
BY HUGH w. ROBERTS.

According to the custom of the South ern league, Gordon Hickman is charged
 with losing that game to Birmingham Tuesday afternoon.
 When Hickman entered the box Bir- mingham had three men on bases with only one down.
 Mobile was two runs to the good
 Meek drives the ball over the fence,
 hit good for four runs. But it is the grossest injustice that Hickman is
 charged with having lost the game
 Becker, in the eighth and ninth, was hammered in every conceivable direction. He was driven from the field before the conclusion of the ninth, and left Birming- ham in such a position that to win the game was exceedingly easy.
 He is called from danger and all blame
 falls on the shoulders of Gordon flick man.
 We have preached a periodical sermon for several seasons on this farcical meth cd of making up a pitchers record as employed in the Southern league.
 The official scorer is made the judge of hits, errors wild pitches, passed balls, and the like, and should be given the right of deciding which pitcher should be held responsible when two or more aid in losing a game.
 The scorer would be governed by all rules other than the purely technical and stereotyped.
 In the case of the Mobile game under discussion Becker would be charged with the defeat.
 As the Southern league Is accustomed to reckon such matters Becker played in great luck.
 This opens a way for the twirer with the yellow streak to escape when the harness begins to pinch.
 Take the case of Pitcher McNeal, for merly with Birmingham, for instance. On several occasions, with the score standing l and 1 he showed signs of weakening in the ninth
 Help Helpi" he would invariably yell
 My has gone cold. relieve me- would be his urgent cry.
 He was jerked to cover, and another pitcher substituted. Then came the biff that sent the Baron hope into a gaping eternity. McNeal left the box with the score standing 1 to l. The winning tally scored on Clark, or Robertaille or Fleharty as the case might have been, and the substitute twirler, though often sent in without the formality of warming up'' is demerited-
 Let's have a change in the way of figuring on the record of the pitchers. | hind the times The fans in Birmingham do not be- grude the game yesterday to the Sea Gulls
 Had the Barons made it four straights the fans would have forced Mobile out of the league, even as they threatened to withdraw from the state when state wide prohibition was inflicted on suffer ) ing humanity.
 But it Is barely possible that had Molesworth been along the Gulls would not have triumphed. ) Bauer dropped a fly that allowed Da- ley to score from first, and Mobile won by margin of one run. But Molesworth was not along and
 Bauer is doing exceedingly we'll con- . sidering, and as we stated in the be- ginning, no one begrudges the Gulls their victory.
 The lowly Barons, although deep in the ditch, have the distinction of being the most talked of aggregation on the war path.
 ,, land and Dixie stands chilled and awed. J They have met and defeated team after , team reputed to be stronger than they. They have turned this commendable trick without any perceptible effort They struck Nashville a blow that might
 cost the Volunteers the rag By winning three of the four games in Mobile they consigned Tom Fishers ag- gregation to permanent second division
 berth. 1i+ 5 Let everyone hope that they will shat , ter the proud Pelicans in the series which , begins today.
 If they do we should meet them with
 brass band when they return to finish
 the season.
 Thn Ace iata .ta faC hot double-header will be played this after n noon between the Barons and the Peli- ,, cans.
 | | Thanks to an oversight on the part of Charlie Fran) his two left-handers. o were worked yesterday, the former pitch l, ing five and the latter six innings. In consideration, therefore, of the fact i, that the Barons will face two right-hand- z CTS this afternoon, in view of their pres
 ent ferocious tactics, and on account of !. their determination to aid Nashville by all ; fair means in the Volunteers efforts to , land the rag, it is probable that they 7 will manage to break off one of the two 9 games scheduled for this afternoon. F1eharty and Bauer will pitch for Bir- ? mingham, while Clark and Bartley will ? probably be the offering of "Dutch' Charlie.
 ' wonderful game was played yesterday
 between the Sleepers and the Mehphi l Shields and Lively went 15 innings and
 the latter won by single score margin.
 Montgomery took three of the four 3 games and the games were played in ? Memphis. i I That boy Lively must be all to the mus . tard. Since graduating from the Cotton , States he has won his every game, and t to win game in the Southern league 3 is not the simplest matter In the world, , as in Birmingham are aware.
 And Nashville walked into Little Rock
 for a pair. while New Orleans was
 trouncing Atlanta
 As a result, the Volunteers and the Pel-
 jeans tied for first place, and the :: Barons have an opportunity of doing the : former a service even as they only re- 7 gently struck the Nashville aggregation a ( deadly blow.
 z With Nashville and New Orleans tied U for first place the race presents even more D sensational aspects. Although the road, the Volunteers
 are grimly swinging to the coveted lead-
 ing position, and if they continue their d present pace they will fly the bunting. - If the Barons can only sting the Peli l-.-l..