The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-22
SOME ANCIENT HISTORY DEAL
ING WITH CONDITIONS IN
1901 AND NEVERTHELESS
BARONS NEED BOXMEN NOW
BY HUGH w. ROBERTS

!
the limit
- The present furious cry for
pitchers, more pitchers. better pitch
ers, at any rate, some pitchers" re-
minds that some teams with excel
Lent sharpshooters are never able to
sauirm from the off the bottom hill.
For instance, recall the glorious
year, 1901.
At that time Birmingham's staff
contained three men who are not only
well known throughout the south, but
who have figured in the major show.
The first of these was Wilhelm. Then
came Billy Campbell. Then came
Frank Smith. Wilhelm. Campbell,
Smith-world- d-beaters, as far as minor
league baseball is concerned.
And yet. for some peculiar reason,
the Barons finished on the very bot
tom.
In 1901 we talked this matter over
with wilhelm, for we couldn't un-
aided reach a solutNn. For there
was Wilhelm, a master of the spit
ball who afterwards made good in
the majors, and in 1906 materially
aided in winning the pennant OF the
Southern league lie is still, incl
dentally, doing fine work. And there
was Campbell who after 1901 went
north, starred, returned south by the
way of Louisville. still starred, and
is now starring on the leading club
of the Southern association. And
Frank Smith, with the speed of a
bullet is still doing good work. He
was with Cincinnati and Chicago az
Ter his experience with Birmingham.
Then Why with these three great
pitchers did Birmingham finish on the
bottom? Wilhelm, when asked re-
piled:
1--WE had nothing but pitchers.
chatting with Wilhelm in 1907. Just
tie year previous, Birmingham had
won the pennant of the Southern
league. We won because we had four
real pitchers. They were Wilhelm,
"Ginger" Clark, Rip Ragan and Scat
ter Sallee. We had little else.
There was one hitter. Henry Meek.
He was so slow that it required three
triples to. score hin. from second. Lew
Walters, a fine fielder and mlser-
able hitter, was at second. Oyler,
sensational fielder. and a miserable
hitter, was at short. "Scotty' Alcocll
and Roy Montgomery took turns at
third. Neither was first rate per-
former. Lee Garvin and Harry
Matthews did the catching. Matthews
had pepper, a weak throwing arm,
and a marked inability to hit the ball.
Carvin was a grandstand performer
and that was all. In the outfield was
Carlos Smith, popular and lucky
player, but without brilliance; Moles-
worth, a first rate man in the clutches
of a bad" year-he hit but .26O that
season-and Dale Gear, smooth gem
eral and fine follow, but at playing,
not far removed from the ordinary
There was a lack of hitting strength,
fielding strength, and no speed on the
bases.
But we had four pitchers and won
the pernant.
And yet, in 1901, we had three pitch
ers who were stars, and finished on
the bottom
Why? The mystery of baseball No
one can explain. There is always
something" good or bad, exerting its
incluence. We cannot tell why the
Barons finished on the bottom in 1901.
But we know why they won the pen
nant in 1906. The main factor was the
squeeze" play. We worked it day
and night and never missed fire.
In 1912 when the Barons won their
second rag-that which at the pres
ent moment proudly floats from
mast over the classic field of Rick
wood-we had good pitchers in
Prough, Foxen, Boyd, Smith and
Hardgrove-and much more. We
had excellent hitters in McGilvray,
Johnston, Messenger, Mcbride and
Almeida. We had an excellent gen.
eral in Marcan. We had an air.
tight infield. We had the most spec
tacular man who has ever appeared
on the bases in the history of the
Southern league. We had steady.
hard working catcher in Yantz and
an excellent thrower to bases in
Dilger.
We had a first rate team, far
better man for man than won in
1906. This season we have been
crippled for various reasons, the
chief having been the lack of first
rate Fingers. Inasmuch as we fin
ished on the bottom one year when
we had three as fine cracksmen as
ever mounted a hill, we wonder il
something wouldn't have happened
had we been better fortified in
FINGERS.
You can't always Sometimes
tell"