The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-03
WITH THE SCRIBES.

Babb is one of the few managers in the country to bench himself for poor work. The erstwhile peppery mogul has appar< ently lost his nerve ompletey.-Nashville American.
 Rudderham says that if all managers gave him no more trouble than Bern hard and Babb umpiring would be a great and everlasting joy. Either rarely offers a criticism of any kind and when any objection is registered 1t is consequently listened to.-Nashville Banner.
 Viebahn worked like a Trojan and showed that he is not a quitter. He's not faded flower Give him a kind word, Bugs. and it's a cinch that he will return the favor.-Nashville Amer iean.
 Benson made his usual error in both games, one g tumble of an easy grounder bunted down the third base line Ben son overruns these bunts about as ofter as he picks one up. In the opinion of , many he is not playing the game he should. Neither is his batting setting the world on fire. Seven times up and no hit and at a time when the others were slamming 1t all over the lot.-Mobile l Register
 Bill Raftis, the alleged heavy hitter of the Birmingham team, went through the entire series without getting a safe one l off the Little Rock pitchers.-Arkansas 1 Gazette.
 For another thing, there ought to be i some way of making a man like Bittrolff hurry bit
 1 We don't wish anybody any hard lucS i but we would never heave a sigh (of anything but relieD if Bittrolf and his whole procrastinating clan were canned for good and all.
 Folks go to baseball games to see play | going on-not to see a great, big, slow chunk of inaction stand up, hold the ball and meditate.-Atlanta Georgian.
 Folbre is not in condition and reports are being circulated that he is not talk ing the best of care of himself. For one who made such brilliant start, his last three or four games showed marked re- versal of form. Folbre has more to lose by neglecting to keep in training than has the team, for should he not regain his former effectiveness, he will soon pass out of memory, while if he gets to go- ing good again, he will be all the top liner.-Arkansas Gazette.
 Pitcher Eddie Summers of the Tigers | stood in front of a travelling bag in | which the balls used at Bennett Park are kept. His hand reached down to the bag and then withdrew. Summers l leaned over to George Speer 1 Pick me out that brand new ball there. will you, and hand it to me-" Speer smiled, picked out a new ball. handed it to Summers, and asked: l Why"
 q never like to pick ball myself"
 And again came the question: Why"
 Well, I will tell you why. When I lift ball out of the bag it feels as 1 heavy as lead to me, but when it is handed to me by someone else 1t feels as light as a feather. If I pick it out myself and start warming up, why, I feel as though I am throwing an iron ball and 1 can't pitch When someone hands the ball to me I feel as tn tough had all kinds of speed."-St. Louis Times.
 Wouldn't expect man who was afraid to leave his hotel in New York for fear of getting lost to issue chal- lenge to Little lawn McGraw, would you?
 That's what happened in New York during the Reds recent soJourn there, with "Reb" Oakes, he of the Louisiana ancestry, as the challenging party
 It seems that when Oakes came to bat for the first time in that game which the Reds gathered in largely through the kindness of Admiral Schlei, McGraw from the bench called out Pitcher Ames so that Oakes couldn't miss it: Get this tow headed busher. He's a cinch" Oakes smiled and dumped down a bunt.
 The next time Rebel came to bat Me Graw was there with more persiflage, not quite so gentle as his original sal ly. This time Oakes cracked the ball for a single.
 When Oakes came back to the bench after the next round he encountered McGraw on the first base line. Think you're the goods don't you?" sneered the Giant leader in that pleasant way he has of handing out vitriol to oppos- ing athletes.
 "Oh, pretty fair" responded Rebel, land let me tell you something, now that we know each others names; I'm wise to a lot of unpleasant things about you and If you make any more cracks at me I'll open up good and loud and give the crowd a real live line on you"
 That set McGraw thinking, for he realized that the Rebel might be an in- l ventive gentleman who took prizes in composition when he went to school. And thereafter, during the series with | the New Yorks, there was no communf-