The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-19

Jones. the master of ceremonies Man
| ager Wordsworth was also presented
with a gift of Joe and Lee Slaughter, a
silver headed walking cane that he
might use in his old days when he
is unable to play baseball
This ended the ceremonies. The band
which was on hand for the occasion
burst forth with "Dixie" and bedlam
broke loose. More than 10000 lusty
shouts were emitted from the threats
of the eager attendants and the game
was called.
When the players had taken their po
| sitions Rick Woodward made ms
first appearance on the field. With Da-
| lev of Montgomery at the bat and
"Rowdy" Elliott catching, Mr.. Wood
ward threw the first ball.
| And he got into trouble.
Pitcher Woodward was just about
to wind up for his delivery when he
discovered that he had forgotten some-
thing. Wherewith he called Elliott on
to one side and put bug in his ear.
Elliott made all sorts of apparently
uninterpretable motions, which the
pitcher evidently understood, however,
and with an air of satisfaction and
q wise countenance the wonderful
twirler and baseball mogul resumed his
position. in the box. The horsehide
sphere described some eight or ten
enigmatic figures before Mr.. Woodward
had finished winding UP, but finally
he cut loose and with a mighty heave
worthy only of some undiscovered won
der sent the ball singing toward the
plate.
1t fooled Umpire Rudderham.
Although Pitcher Woodward and
Catcher Elliott were both convinced
that the ball split the plate to a hairs
breadth. Umpire Rudderham couldn't
see 1t that way. He called 1t ball.
An argument ensued.
with angry countenances the battery
! approached the poor, misguided de-
| ceived umpire What was said could
not be heard from the press box and
the principals declined to discuss the
! ugly affair last night, but the remarks
must have been something awful. for
| Umpire Rudderham ordered the Nigh ty
pitcher off of the diamond and Coval-
eski. the Hurting Hun was sent into
the box by Manager Wordsworth to re-
place the mighty Rick" Woodward,
who promptly determined to forever -
tire as an active ball player, being will
ing to rest on the knowledge that he
had put one over that even the umpire
| could not solve.
| When Mr.. woodward had been es-
| corted back to his seat in front of the
grandstand the game began and the
| initial battle at Redwood Field was on.
| The crowd at Redwood field yesterday
afternoon was without a doubt the most
magnificent ever assembled in Birmng-
ham. There were 10000 paid admissions
and including the deadheads, the attend,
ance ran well on toward the II, 900 mark
| After o'clock yesterday afternoon Bir-
rnihgham was deserted city. The spirit
| of the approaching occasion had pene-
trated the remotest sections of the bust
ness district and practically every store
in town closed Its doors for the after
noon and everybody who had drop of
sporting blood in his veins and who could
go went to tho ball game. ~.
1t was Redwood day.. the biggest base
ball day in the history of Birmingham.
Those who remained in the city must
have been lonesome.
There were SO few people In the bust
ness section that one could feel it. A
visitor might have though the city, had
been abandoned for good or else that
| he had by mistake gotten off the train
at Montgomery. Nearly 11,000 persons had
abandoned the city for a few hours. Ev-
| erybody from capitalist down to the Of
fee boy turned out for the occasion.
The special baseball cars did not be-
i gin running until 1:30 o'clock, but long
| before that hour many fans were on their
way to Redwood field. When the first
special cars began running they left the
city with people literally hanging to them
1 by their teeth. The crowds which stood
on the various corners seemed never to
diminish, but rather to increase many
\ fold.
BY o'clock practically every seat in
the magnificent grandstand and the
1 bleachers on either side was taken
i Seats had been provided for 5000 people.
BY 3:15 o'clock there was not vacant
chair on the grounds and still the lines
before the two ticket offices were no
shorter. When the dedicatory exercises
began at $3.50 o'clock many spectators had
sought seats on the field and it is es-
timated that fully 1000 were outside the
park seeking entrance.
| And still cars loaded to the very guards
were arriving at intervals of only
few minutes.
| The ticket sellers managed, with a su-
preme effort, to get the immense throng
into the park before the game started.
BY this time there were fully 1000 people
on the field and they were obliged to
string themselves out in circle around
the lot Ground rules were necessarily
put In effect.
Promptly at o'clock the game was
1called. Those who were In a position to
secure a panoramic view of the crowd
were awed by its magnitude. The wealth
err was oppressively warm, but some mer-
ciful advertiser had distributed fans
among the attendants. Everybody had
| one and the sight of the thousands of
| little artificial breeze-makers moving back
and forth gave the suggestion of a chop
| py sea. 1t was an immense expanse Of
humanity. perpetually moving. The swell
| tering thousands on the field stuck to
| their positions with the sun full in their
faces. There were no cutters. No man
was willing to relent. The game was
about to begin.
And when play started the crowd ap-
peared to take 1t in a surprisingly calm
manner. But as the game frightened up
| the nerves of every spectator frightened
| along with 1t. The mad enthusiasm con-
| fined within a crowd Of thousands might
When Manager Wordsworth, after doub-
ling, was pushed across the plate with
| the initial run of the game there was
| a mighty demonstration.
| Ten thousand men and women rose to
their feet and everyone let out shout.
| The wild throng roared like an angry
| lion in its cage. Drums and bells added
| to the deafening noise. Never was there
such a demonstration in the history Of
| Birmingham. When play. was resumed
| and the excitement subsidized the crowd
came to a normal state, only to be reused
again and again when either some bril-
| liant or some dissatisfying play occurred
| Between innings the band played This
| was the occasion for demonstration
| each time. Everybody was wild with
| enthusiasm and this was the one occa-
sion of all occasions to give vent to their