The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-18

Since one halcyon day of last week.
when | went TO my first baseball game
of the season of 1910, I have fully appre-
ciated the feeling of the man whose small
boy insisted upon asking him fool ques-
lions" at night when that august person
was busily engaged in reading the base
ball news of the day. Being told by his
teacher to find out who the first President
of the United States was, the youngster
naturally appealed to his pater familias.
Unfortunately, it was at that psychology
cal moment when the baseball fiend was
trying to figure out how Doc Wiseman
sent one of Manuers offerings to the CEN
ter field and why Mr.. Bauer issued lot
of free tickets. dshing them out to Seigle
Vinson and Lynch, while Bronkie was
pufhed around the ring.
Say, pa teacher said to ask you VINO
was the first President"
Looking up over his glasses, his finger
still on the baseball news, the fond par
ent replied
"Tell her don't know and don't give 6
hangr'
Which wasn't very polite. but very
much to the point, 'baseball-y" speaking
Now. be il known to all people that this
same game of ball was the first that my
friend Peggy had ever witnessed, but be-
hold her now. a transformed full Pledged
fan-"an electric fam If you please,
thoroughly and perfectly acquainted with
Al the fundamental principles of the ma
tional game
Peggy now calls all the players by name
-"Moxie" Manuel. Lou" Bauer,
'Moley," Messenger Boy and Big
Fleharty," as well as all the others who
steal bases and catch fouls and pitch
spit balls" and she discusses them as
familiarly as though they were her next
door neighbors.
You remember that last week had some
"cool days" and the wednesday after
noon when the Barons player the Vols
the air was q hit nifty
The grandstand showed a good crowd,
however, when we arrived, while the
"bleachers'' were there in droves.
Just back of u.s. high up in the grand
stand, was queer looking little old man
all huddled up in heap, looking like he
didn't care whether school kept or not
He wore with a gray suit a red necktie
and a derby, which was pulled well down
over his eyes. and all you could see was a
stogie sticking out from between his
teeth while thin vapor of blue smoke
circled up and around the man who was
with him, who was as high and scarce
as the smoke was little and scrubby."
He was the last person on earth you
would dub as red hot fam"
He looked bored with creation and had
only gone to the ball game because 1t
was a nice place to take a nap.
And while the crowd gathered he
smoked on systematically like nice lit
tie ladylike miniature Mt. Pelee.
Finally the gong sounded and His
Jumps" Eason announced the battery 6 r
the afternoon. l wasn't sent to report
the game officially. We have the best
sporting editor in the south to do that.
so when I don't follow in the parlance
of "The Diamond" please to overlook it
and remember that this is from a wom-
ans viewpoint.
1t was at this moment that the little
man in the derby and the red necktie,
who had temporarily retired into his per-
fectly good collar. showed unmistakable
signs of being alive.
The game was on
The Tired Person got busy!
He spluttered and spattered, and
rroaned and yawned, and grew Chanti-
cler-like, thinking the ball game couldn't
begin until he had performed this par
ticular function, and then in varying keys
that sounded like tune on a concertina,
ne shouted
play b-a-l-l-!'
How on earth can anybody play ball
unless a pitcher throws one occasionally
that a fellow can get to with his bat?''
asked Peggy. innocently. (Remember, this
was her first game).
But 1t was funny even to the initiated
to see the way Manuel's spheroids struck
the bat and "skidded" straight up and
backwards, finally landing outside of the
park over the grandstand-no telling
wherel
And every time ball would get lost
strayed or stolen, the man in the blue
suit with the ACCORDION plaits on his
"chist' would rummage around in his
rockets and get another perfectly clean
ball and then take out his little whisk
broom and do light housekeeping
Suddenly man at the bat actually hit
ball and The Tired Person jumped up
ana shouted to the "Barons' through his
hands COT which he had made mega