The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-11
BOB ALLEN ID FIGHT FOR 154 GAMES AT COMING MEETING
Traveller Boss Says South ern League Should Adopt
 a Longer Schedule

Little Rock, December 1o-"The South ern league will never receive the recog- milton to which it is entitled by it's class until it has a 154-game schedule,' says President R. G. Allen, by which he inti- mates that the Southern is poor league if it remains with those which blow each year on Labor Day This is also taken as an indication that the Little Rock vote in the annual meeting soon to be held in Nashville will be for the long schedule,
 President Allen is likewise willing and anxious to increase player and salary lim- it's but 1t is hardly probable this will be done. It takes a three-fourths vote to boost the limit, and from the statements of President Shropshire at the, New Or leans meeting he is expected to cast his vote with Mobile and Chattanooga which would prevent a change.
 President Allen thinks mighty we'll of President Shropshire, saying he was one if the big baseball men of the New Or leans gathering. Nashville went through last season without loss of a player be- cause of injuries, but when President Shropshire runs into a series of sprained arms, backs and legs, like President AL len experienced last season, he will be leading the fight for an increase. But the Travellers are, or will be, strong enough to stand it. because they are going to win the 1917 pennant anyway.
 President Allen is holding down head . quarters alone, and right now he is wor- Irving more about the silence of Manager Star than he is over any threatened strike of the players. Two weeks ago Prexy Allen had a letter from Manager Starr, saying that he had just left the hospital, where he had been suffering with fever, which went as high as 10415 degrees. The communication leads Presi- dent Allen to fear that Charley has had a relapse. H has written, anyway, sug- gesting that he forsake Idaho and return to a state where health is the normal condition of the people.
 My, what fat picking some club in a class lower than the Southern is going to have when Manager Starr begins to shape the prune tree in the springi Presi- dent Allen has 2S, tried and untried, under contract now has strings out for two more pitchers, and two infielders. Here is enough to stock two or three teams and still crowd the Travellers to get within the limit.
 q am going to sign every big. husky pitcher can fnd,'' says President Allen "and if he cannot land with us. I will place him so he will have chance to
 
 all will get tryout on my team if he will only make himself known
 President Allen is still receiving flatter- ing reports on Knight, the sand lot twirl- CT from Mississippi. He was barnstorm- ing with a lot of Southern leaguers in the fall. and a number of them have touted him as the best prospect they have seen, and they talk from experience, for they failed to hit him in the games played against him.
 Here is President Aliens roster at the present time:
 Pitchers-Robinson, Hardgrove. Holm- uuist, Baumgartner. Ledbetter, Trout, Phillips, Brooks, Patterson, Knight, Pet erson, Halman and Moran.
 CGtchers-Chapman, Gibson, Gault, Ken Eedy and Gribbens.
 Infielders-Starr, Wares, Covington, Meyers, Manning and Raley.
 Outfielders-Walsh, Kirby, Walker.
 Of these players Moran and Gribbens are under suspension and are not expect ed to report, though contracts will be offered to them. Moran, after sulkine in the spring, pitched wonderful independ- ent ball about Chicago. and Gribbens is wanted in the Texas league.
 Of the pitchers who have not been tried before Trout and Phillips come