The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-12
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BIRMINGHAM HAS PRODUCED MANY
 PROFESSIONAL MEN
Fly REUBEN A. LEWIS

l Birmingham is getting to De great
 center for ball players At the present
 time there are well over 25 professional | ball players who either reside in Birming-
 ham or "winter" here. There are 12 ball
 tossers who are local products that have
 signed up with Bessemer. They are
 oscar Welsh, Manager Gordon Hickman. Lonnie Fancher, "Tots" Lamar, Shep- bard, Lefty Pruitt, Parsons, Tommy Per kins, Roberts, Robert Puckett, Earnest Propst and Roy Tomln. Besides these 12 ball tossers with Bessemer, two have signed up to play with Birmingham Charley Bell and Clarence Smith are Bir- mingham youths who were born and reared in this municipality. This makes a total of IA men who are on local ball teams in professional leagues.
 Dixie Walker, who lives at Wylam. which is in the limits of Greater Birming- i, ham, is a regular member of the Wasn- ington American pitching staff. Last year he pitched a number of games, whining eight and losing 13 However, he was sick part of the season and came to his home at Wylam. He batted .27S and fielded .9Ss. He has been playing with the Wash ington team for number of years.
 Derrill Pratt, who played with the Mont- gomery team in the Southern league last year and who Is now with St. Louis, winters in Birmingham. This winter ne remained in Birmingham the whole sea- son. However, he is not a local boy, as he was reared in Pell City. Pratt played star ball for the Montgomery team last year and will not doubt make good in the big leagues
 Hyder Barr also winters in Birmingham. Last winter he worked In this city, and stated that he will probably live here. Barr is now member of the Cleveland American team having been bought by that club from the New Orleans team. He formerly played with the Birmingham team and is well known in this city. He is a heavy hitter and splendid player. Gay Tutwiler, who played last year with the Hattiesburg team in the Cotton States league, is a Birmingham boy. re- siding at Wylam. He was drafted by the Detroit club at the end of last season and was later turned over to the Provi- dence club in the International league. He reported to Detroit at the end of last sea- son. In the Cotton Sttaes league he hit 3sO. He plays second base and is said to be fine player.
 D. Cruse, anQther local boy, is a mern- Der of the Chattanooga Lookouts. Last season he played with the Hattiesburg team in the Cotton States league and slugged the ball at a .279 clip. He was bought by the Detroit team and was later turned over to the Chattanooga team. He Is an outfielder.
 Larry Brown, the catcher who starred with the Anniston team in the South eastern league, Is a local boy and @ pro- duct of the home lots. He batted the ball at a terrific clip last season and was star player for that league. He will probably play again this season. | Red Lee, another Birmingham youth who was trained on the local lots, has l played professional ball for some time. Last year he played with the Jackson | vile team in the South Atlantic league. Lemp Stevens, a catcher, who was reared | in Birmingham, has engaged in profes-. sional ball with the Greenvile team in | the Carolina association, and Is said to be a good man.
 "Bin" Blanchfield, who played with the Fettiesburg team in the Cotton States league last season, is also a resident of Birmingham. "Bill' Is an outfielder and slugged the ball at merry clip last year with that team. Milford, another Birmingham boy, will work with the San Francisco team on the coast. He played l with the Gadsden team last year in the Southeastern league. Swan, who played with the Jackson team in the Cotton | States last year, and will probably catch,
  receiver.
 | Gordon Hickman, the manager of the | Bessemer team, is another P<eEingham l boy that has made good in the profess sional ball field. Mickey" O'Brien, a catcher who played with the Zanesville | team in the Central league, is a Birming- | ham product. He has caught on ball | teams for many years and might be con | sidefed a veteran in that profession. Other | Birmingham boys who play with profess l sional teams are Delaney, who has re- | ported to Meridian as a catcher; Slim Jones, who has signed with the Bessemer | club; Pat Murphy, who played last year | in the Arkansas State league; Dock Miller who was with the Hattiesburg team a few years ago, and Arthur Granville, who managed Augusta in the South Atlantic league a few years ago.
 Besides the professional baseball play CTS, are Scott Chestnut and Joe Burke, who are umpires. Scott will officiate in the Southeastern league this season.