The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-05
Barons Open Against Lookouts

be added to the present combina- ton, Boss Smith is in the east dickering for additional material. It is probable that he will return to Birmingham with a pitcher or so and perhaps an outfielder to aid Molesworth in his fight to regain first division honors.
 It is not to be denied that it is on the mound that the team is in greatest need of assistance. The team has not a pitcher who has done consistent work during the season and but one who has shown a flash of his form last year. Perryman has done good work, but has inclined to be an "in and outer" one day a world beater and the next batted all over the lot. Dick Robertson has failed to win a start, although he has played in hard enough luck to make a COW shed tears. Black, too. has not been effective. True. he has pitched some great games and then on the other hand he has been guilty of some awful abortions. Arthur John son, the Swede, was released and Emil Ponder retained. Grimes has not done good work and. frank ", the box work of the Barons mas been of bush league calibre.
 This being the case, it is up to
 
 busy with a hurler who is a hurl- CT. The team needs a pitcher who can step out and lead the opposi- tion a merry, merry dance every time he starts. A pitcher who can shoot 'em over in the pinches and keep 'em away from the willow. A pitcher with whom one base hit does not mean a flock. That's the kind of hurler we need to give the leaders a fight. And when we've got one let's go out and get an other one just like the first.
 The remaining part of the Bar on team has done nobly and now that Lindsay has been shifted to position which his age fits him to play better than the onerous one at SHOVI ilelu, MOlSy SSoIlS IO IldV6 worked out about as good a com- bination as is possible with the ma terial at hand. Lindsay picked up in his hitting as soon as he was relieved of the strain of work that was too much for him. Lindsay, if he can keep up his present hitting stride, will make a great gardener. Caton at short is doing better than he did in the gardens and it is possible, too, that his hitting will improve.
 Caton is a good ball player. He lacks but one thing, the ability to swat the ball and swat in the pinches. Molesworth says that this will come to him and we are will ing to take his word for it. The only thing we hope is that it comes fast.
 With the purchase of Jimmy Eschen from New Orleans we be- lieve that the outfie1d problem has been solved. Eschen is one of the classiest ball players in the South ern league and he would have been playing steadily long ere this had he not bumped into club that had Q superabundance of material in this regard. Against Sylvester, AL lison and Edmundson, of course the kid didn't have chance, but with Birmingham and under Molesworth he should and will develop into great player. Eschen is clean fielder, fast as lightning on the bases and dangerous hitter He is a good running mate for Meu- sel.
 
 proposition. Did it ever strike you that part of the i'll success of the pitchers who were the class of the league last year might be due to stupidity behind the bat? We do not make the assertion; but can. not deny that the idea has come to us rather frequently. Hauser's work has not been impressive and although he is a cracking good hitter he has not displayed any great amount of judgment in his handling of the hurlers William Smith, otherwise "Red." might be improved upon also and the addi- ton of a first class receiver, such as Molesworth has had in other years might change the complexion of the pitching staff considerably.
  are for the Barons. first. last and all the time, and for Boss Smith and Molesworth. They have real ized long since what is the matter with the team and have been working quietly to remedy the mat ter. It will be done and, as in other years, the bold and battle scared will be fighting around the top when August rolls around.
 A large part of the troubles the Barons are having is due to conscien- tious scruples regarding the salary limit. Before the beginning of the season when baseball players were as thick as flies, Smith and Molesworth had ample opportunity to grab lot of stars had they considered it the ethl- cal thing to do. They were not taken for obvious reasons.
 Molesworth says that in his years as a Baron manager, he has never once exceeded the salary limit. He declares that otherwise he is given a free hand. It looks a little hard when the other clubs are garnering stars not to cop a few ourselves, es- pecially when it is open to serious doubt whether the limit is being ob- served in at least four other towns of the league.
 Despite the fact that Nashville lost to New Orleans yesterday, the Vols still retain the lead in the Southern by virtue of two successive defeats of the Pels Friday and Saturday. Johnny Dobbs has been having few troubles of his own, and when the jinx hits him the flying Ellamites never slacked, but went over his prostrate form into first place.
 Two injuries to keystones of the Pel combination, Cotton Knaupp and Pete Allison, during the latter part of last week forced Dobbs to send Clar- .--a. cs.,a;Ah tn ,riuht 6ald ard r,,t na