The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-30

Birmingham baseball team of the South
ern league closed its tour of the Wesi
Indies with a double header on November
2l at Alamendares park. playing both the
Havana Reds and the "Alamendaries "
The Barons have the distinction of being
the only southern team that has even
won the majority of games with the
Cuban teams This is due not to any in
ferior playing by the "Sprigs but be-
cause of a superior article OF ball played
by the Americans.
Ellam's tossers played 26 games in
Cuba. They have wone IA, lost and tied
Q. Seventeen games were played in
Havana, six at Santiago de Cuba and
three at Manzanillo, In Oriente province,
in the eastern end of the island. They
have beaten the best ball teams In the
West Indies, on whose rosters are star
players of the major American leagues.
The Barons demonstrated to the Cubans
that ball players can be as gentlemanly
as diplomats, and raise less fuss and
disturbance than the Cuban Congress.
Off and upon the ball field they won
praise from everybody, and especially the
American colony.
They were not seen loafing about the
cafes and usual loafing places of the idle
population not man was arrested, ano
not single fight took place on or off the
diamond. In brief, the Barops acted in
the most gentlemany manner And the
way they have boosted Birmingham,
against all other cities in the world,
should secure them life memberships in
the Chamber of Commerce or any other
commercial organization that Birming-
! ham boasts of.
A New Name
The Barons will be known as Mango
Pickers' from this time on to the sport
loving cubans. And the change of name
came about on their trip to Santiago de
Cuba. Individual members of the team
lay the new christening to Manager Ell
lam. He in turn blames it upon the
manager of the Manzanillo team. There
was some misunderstanding about the
contract. in consequence of which the
Mango Pickers" were not given the last
meal at the hotel, which was breakfast.
They were loaded upon dinky Cuban
train that did not boast diner. The
schedule was slow and the players hun
cry. The road was through barren Sec
ritory. After they had suffered the pangs
of hunger for several hours the conductor
sympathized to the extent of stopping
the train and letting them pick mangoes
and green cocoanuts along the right of
way. 1t is related the way they skinned
up coeoanut trees would put thirsty pro-
hibitionist hunting blind tiger to shame.
This species of forage continued over
a stretch of some 500 miles, and Cuban
local train makes about 20 miles per hour.
Mcdonald refused to leave the train
because some one casually mentioned that
the swamps were full of snakes. Finally
hunger drove him out later when he
learned there wasn't poisonous reptile
at his team mates
Mayer in New Role
The Barons, or Mango Pickers" which,
ever they are, had the time of their lives.
SO to speak, on the east end trip Man
ager ELAN says in all his experience he
never saw such rotten umpiring. The
Cuban umpires We're the best PLAYERS
their teams had. At Santiago they We're
met at the station by a band. 1t con-
sisted of one rusty horn, piece of drum
and an accordion. 1t played "A Hot Time
in the Old Time Tonight" That being
the only tune it knew, Walter Mayer
attempted to make speech of welcome,
but the Cubans thought he was an import
ed umpire and drowned him out with
'Vivas!'
The mayor of Santiago de Cuba is
Senior Bacardi. He also owns the dis
tillery that makes the national drink of
cuba, rum bacardi." He offered a Jug
of rum to the first Baron" or picker"
hn I'M hav, t1,u
furthest from the home plate a Jug to
he who scored the first run. Baseball
tradition in ORIENT was simply out
slugged. If the Barons slam the ball
next season like they did during the first
game Birmingham can begin to look
around for a pennant pole. Manager Ell
lam won both jugs. He refused to open
either and claimed he was saving them
Tor friends in the states" In the third
game, while prancing around at short to
the hysterical delight of hundreds of mid
| night-eyed senoritas. he allowed fast
grounder to slip between his underpin-
ing. 1t caused Hogg of Mobile to sug-
gest him wearing blinds to prevent side
wise glances to the female part of the
| grandstand.
F0xen's Experience
"Bill Foxen had the most peculiar ex-
perience of his young life, while reco-
noitering Santiago by moonlight and
alone. Bill is an Elk with long pfongS,
and conspicuous by big pin in the lapel
of his coat Oriente province of which
Santiago is the capital is noted for its
devotees of voodooism. The voodooist are
called Nanegoes. and their sacred smybol
Is the goat or chivO.
+ When one of the chiefs saw the Elk
pin upon Bits manly breast he supposed
a great Americana chief had come to visit
their kingdom. He approached and gave
the nanego high sign of recognition Bin
stuck out his paw. made pass or two,
which made him sacred among the voo-
dooes. He was motioned to follow his
"brother." and did so. What happened
no one knows but Bill and the nanegoes.
Bill won't tell, and the nanegoes consd-
! cred the occurrence sacred. But any
way, If one wants to get "BilFs goat"
Just ask about his session with the Cuban
nanegoes.
When the team arrived at Manzanillo
It was late at night but crowd of fans,
armed with band and a bedam of noise,
were at the station. The Barons were
escorted in bull carts to the Hotel Grande
and given rooms on the second floor, open
Ing on the patio.
Marcan Gets Excited
Early next morning the fanatics" were
on hand before day break, something i'm
commonly strange for Cuban When the
noise started Marcan sprang from the bed.
made of boards and covered with a goat
hide, poked his heart out of the window
and screamed "Mobn' He grabbed the
6rSt thing within ranch which ha rp,ar, ed