The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-26
WITH THE SCRIBES.

The usual wild spring scramble for jobs around the Southern circuit has been cut out by Manager bernhard. The local mogul believes In getting only as few men as possible for the training era. The only battles of any consequence going on in the Volunteer camp will be for battery positions, where four backstoppers and nine slabmen are enrolled. Only two catchers and five slabmen will be held in the end. Wilson is the only extra outfielder and Crafts the only added starter in the infed. So far Big Bill hasn't decided just how he will allot his 15-men limit. There will be to certainty two catchers five pitchers; four infleld- CTS and three outfielders held, which leaves space for two more names-either an additional slabman and a utility actor or outfield and infield utility aides, with only five slabmen. Any one of the new pitchers who can play the outf1eld or wield the willow to any extent in addi- tion to his regular occupation will be certain to stick and take up Hunters 1908 role.-Nashville Tennessean. New Orleans fans are in a dilemma. and a dilemma of the worst kind They can't figure out just now how the Pel- can team will line up regularly for the season.
 Will Appendicitis" Dundon be well enough to get back in the game, and will he be as good as he was last yearp
 Will Gene Demont capture the regular job at second?
 Will Leo Huber or Ed Reagan play short, or will Demont beat them both out?
 Who will Frank keep as utility man?
 Will Steve Reagan beat out Jack Man ming for regular berth in the outfield?
 Will Breitenstein come back again and lead the Southern league?
 Will the three youngster pitchers Ce- falu, Nevenpara and Hitchcock, make good, and whom will they replace2
 Will the veteran pitchers Breitenstein. Bartley, Fritz, Pruitt and Hess all be kept?-New Orleans Times Democrat
 Left-handed catchers seem to have gone out of style completely About the only one who ever did amount to much as A backstop was Jack Clements, who did such great work for the Phillies a dozen years ago. He took on so much weight, however, that Philadelphia let him go to St. Louis and he finished his base ball career. ass did Jack Stivetts, as A member of the ill-fated Misfts in Cleve- land in 1899
 Fred Penney was considered wonder full catcher when at Brown university. He broke into the big league as a catcher
  ceivng end of the battery of Sexton and Penney He failed to distinguish him self as catcher, though and was called upon to play first base one day when the regular first sacker was hurt He made good at once, and has been play ing first ever since.
 "Jiggs" Donahue is another who fell down as catcher, but has acquired fame as wonderful fielding first baseman. Bill Armour had him catching for the Dayton team. Then McAleer gave him A. trial at St. Louis in 1902. He was a dis nal failure and was dropped to Milwau- kee Cantillon despaired of him showing anything behind the plate and stuck him on first base. At first he looked like a b1oomer, but he finally acquired conf1- dence and became a star in that position. Exchange
 Tom Bragg. physical director of the Alabama Polytechnic institute, was in the city yesterday, and while gre made ten tative arrangements with resident Rob- ert J. Chambers relative to exhibition games between the Climbers and the Auburn bunch in this city and at Au- burn. As planned, Montgomery is to go to Auburn on Thursday, April 8. for a game. the Auburnites coming here for a Saturday game april 1o.-Montgomery Journal.
 Files, the Philadelphian who pitched the first five innings against Montgomery yesterday, may be a climber acquisition before the end of the season. There has been some dickering after the collegian which is expected to land him in the course Of very few weeks should he show up not quite good enough for the Athletics and good enough for Gremin- gers bunch.-Montgomery Journal Those Turtles of ours are beginning to look mighty sweet to Boss Babb. ''Afn't they the candy?" queried the boss after yesterdays eight-inning struggle, In which Babb's regulars handed a 20 defeat to O'Leary's Yannigans
 Just 100 per cent stronger than the team we have started with any time since I've been in charge here. They'll have to hit mighty pace if they expect to throw dust in the Turtles eyes this year Memphis News-Scimitar.
 Tuck or, to be precise, Terrence Tur- ner, the fast little white-headed shortston of the Cleveland Maps, was indisposed yesterday. His absence from the field caused some sadness among the leaders of the squad, for 1t looks as though he will have to be sent home to thorough ly recuperate while his teammates are preparing for the coming American league season here. The Clevelanders were ouf in force, as usual, and a big crowd of fans watched the practice, Perrine and Goode being the infielders working in Tur ner's regular position.--New Orleans Pic ayune