The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-19
BASEBALL SEASON N0W IN FULL SWAY Major League Teams Are Still
 Unknown Quantity SMALLPOX Is NOT A JOKE Hard Luck Is With the Highlanders, Who Have to Play With Sore Arms and With Hal Chase
 in the Hospital.
SMALLPOX IS NOT A JOKE
By MANHATTAN.

New York April Especially .)-They are off at last, and from now on until cold weather the baseball fan can root to his hearts content and be perfectly happy in helping his home team to vic- tory and the championship.
 It is, of course too early to get any leagues. They have not settled down to their gait and will not until the season has advanced a few weeks. The phe- noms are new in fast company and nat urally more or less rattled. They cannot be accurately placed until the newness and stage fright have worn off a bit. Then will be time enough to consider which of them are to be labeled "busted' and sent back to the woods for further seasoning. I don't mind venturing the prediction, however. that John McGraw has real find in the big Indian Myers. I have been very much impressed with his style at bat, and unless I am all wrong the Indian will prove to be a national batter In the same class with Cobb, Donlin, Wagner, Lajoie and the other big men with the stick As a catcher I am not so sure of him. He has lots to learn yet. and whether he will de- velop into a first-class backstop remains to be seen. His ability with the wagon tongue, however. makes it reasonably cer- tain that McGraw will find a place for him on the team somewhere, even If he cannot do the Bresnahan stunt up to the big league mark.
 Stallings starts the season with about as big a piece of hard luck as could well be imagined. Not only does the smallpox keep Hal Chase out of the game for nearly a month, and in all conscience this is hard enough luck for any team but just as the game begins the entire team has to be vaccinated, and let me tell you playing fast ball with vaccina- ton which "has took is not a joke by a jugfull.
 However, stallings may find consolation in the reflection that it is much better that all this should happen in April than in August, for championships are won in the latter months rather than the early half of the season.
 Stalings, by the way. has gotten the New York Americans in better shape than they have been for a long time. and smallpox to the contrary notwithstanding. 1t will be a curious thing If the Tanks do not finish in the first division this year.
 Hugh Jennings announces that he won't work Donovan or klllian until May 15. He will rely upon Willetts Summers, Mullin. Suggs and Winters for the early twirling, and if he breaks even up to May 15 says Donovan and Killian will be prepared to go in and win nearly every game they twirl Sounds good.
 Sherwood Magee. the hard hitting out fielder of the Phillies, is sure there with the swatting goods this season. He is srnitlng the old horsehide all over the lot in the inter-city series at Philly, and he Is making robbery stabs in every one of fhe games.
 Ames is apparently in good shape this season, and with the big redhead In trim there are few slab artists who have any thing on him. In fact the Giants will be exceptionally strong in the box this sea son with Mathewson Ames. Marquard Raymond and several others pitching ma jor league ball
 All the Pittsburg fans should be satis- fled with the n1eld Hebrew is on German at short and a Frenchnian at the difficult corner.
 No more of those ninth-nning gantes in the dark at Pttshurg. Barney DrgtfiIss will Install electric lights all ovet the ground and Secretary Locke will t4ru on