The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-22


 efforts, on account of some grudge or spite for Harry Vaughn, will they play for the man who succeeds the present manager?
 In case the man selected to succeed Vaughn as manager does not please De- montrevilie, will Demontreville give his
 best efforts to the club? If the man whom
 Downey thinks should be manager does
 not land the plum, will Downey show im-
 provement in his work? In other words, if the Barons are not doing their best 10
 win games under Manager Vaughn, will they give their best services to the man who will succeed? If d baseball player was not of a differ ent personality from every other human
 being, the answer would be easy, for or dinarily a rascal in one situation is
 rascal in all others.
 And it is very probable that the suc- cessor of Harry Vaughn will have the same trouble that is afflicting the present manager. If there is a sorehead in the present lot-and we believe there are
 several-that head will become sore as soon as Harry's successor withdraws the
 bottle and the nipple. There is evidently element of dis
 satisfaction among the Barons. There is evidently some spirit, stronger than the remainder, who is playing a smooth game. and making several of his | comrades his followers. | For it is the height of the ridiculous to
 believe that if every man tried the Bar l ons could not win d respectable propor- 1 tion of thetir games | There are no faster bunch about the l circuit.
 | No bunch is hitting the ball harder. The Barons are experienced ball play l CTS in the majority of cases and the l ,f- l takable talent.
 l And the combination does not win. l There is always the tumble in the crisis l which shoves off victory. l The fans at home, who have watched l every game, knowing that something is
 out of gear, have arrived at the con- l clusion that the Barons are not doing l their best
 They are discouraged, perhaps. But if
 there is not wilful Hay down the 1 local fans are mistaken.
 The local association has done it's part. Harry Vaughn has done his.
 Before the season opened the Barons l appeared strong Their showing against
 the visitors from the big leagues was
 not only creditabe, but as good as that l of any other member of the Southern cir
 cult
 Before the season opened the Baron l pitchers did better work than they are
 doing today Then Ginger Clark, who
 has won no game, was practically ''un-
 hittable" Robertaflle showed great form
 against Chicago. Against Southern
 league clubs he has been a flat failure. 1 Manager Vaughn, therefore, before the 1 season opened had every reason to be- 1 lieve his team as good any other in 1 Dixie.
 He confidentially expressed his belief to friends that the present team was the l best he had ever managed. | When the season opened and his hopes l failed to materalize he did not remain | asleep at the post. He yankeG Meek off l first, where he had performed misera bly, l and substituted Douglass. He signed 1 Holmes to aid Raub behind the bat. When l Reagan failed to show form he trad d l that player for Noah Henlne, one of | the fastest in the business. When Houtz l failed to make good Manager Vaughn's | disappointment did not cause him to throw l Up the sponge. He went out and acquired | Manning, another valuable player. Vaughn, beginning late last fall, after | the local association had kept him on
 the bench of uncertainty for several | weeks, has ever been on the hustle. i1e 1 performed his duties well, in spite of | the costly delay He deserved better success.
 1 The president of the local association. R. H. Baugh, has done his part. When some members oi the directorate | advised him to go slowly, because of the hard times brought on by innumerable reform measures, he took the opposite course.
 If the year is a hard one" he argued. 'it is very plain If we are to make any | money and have a successful season on the diamond that we will have to offer a better attraction than in good times" With that resolve he aided Harry Vaughn to collect a number of ball players.
 Raub and Downey were drafted from the Tri-State league a. $500 each. Ables was purchased from the Texas league for $500. IN Robertaille was purchased from the