The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-27
ALWAYS LOOKS FOR
 SOME HARD LUCK IN COURSE OF SEASON
MOleswOrth Only Asks That Jinx Does Not Get Him
 All at Once
FEARFUL SESSION
 OF 1911 RECALLED
Ellam, Phelan, Wagner, Elliott, Mow- rey and MoleswOrth All Injured at the Same Time-Has Insurance
 in Good Utility Player

in Good Utility Player
 The conditions under which C. Moles- worth, Baron boss, faces the season of 1918 are more favorable than ever be- fore, it Is true. but the bulky ex-gar- smile on his face.
 His countenance Is beginning to wear a haunted expression and along about the first of May he will begin to look fearfully over his left shoulder and mutter lamentations to himself.
 It will not mean that Moley Is be- coming suddenly demented. No. He will be looking for the jinx to fall on him. And if any previous season is a judge it will fall and fall hard.
 Despite the fact that Moley has not finished lower than third in the last five years he is undoubtedly the un- luckiest manager in the league In mid season the Barons, without a hospital list as long. as your arm are surprised at their own astonishment. 1t has come to be accepted and Molesworth prepares as best he can to fill the gaps that inevitably arise.
 SOME BAD LUCK EXPECTED
 "A manager must always expect a certain amount of hard luck" said Molesworth in answer to the writers petition. Tn the course of season it is bound to come All that I pray is that it doesn't come all at once. W ic ager can prepare for accidents and sickness among his players except by the possession of a cracking good util- ity man. In this I have always been fortunate and even if it has seemed to me that I always got more than my share of the hard luck 1t has been made up to me in utility players
 "In my time I have had two jewels Charlie Carroll and George Yantz. Carroll we have now and the fans will remember dumpy George with great af- lection for his services in situation which we got into in 1911. do not greatly fear a jinx if I have a good utility man and with Carroll writing that he is in top condition and ready for a big season I am willing to take what fate hands out without mur- mur.'
 MoIesworth was asked to recall some
  luck and he didn't hesitate in replying that 1911 was his prize jinx year.
 'Along about May, just before the time for getting under the limit came around, we had streak or the tougn- est luck you ever saw. I am not much of a man to talk about if but l al- ways will believe that if 1t hadn't been for that string of injuries We would have finished first. As it was we were mi hif stride until too late in the season to come un- der the flag a winner.
 THE LINK STARTS
 'eWell, to get down to the real sure enough hard luck story it all began in the last game of a series Just De- fore we left home for a short road trip Within a week half of the team was on the hospital list and we looked like survivors of an European battlefield
 "A batter do not recall who at pres ent. stung a nasty one at Artle Pnelan who was playing third for us then. ane the ball took nasty bound just pe1orf 1t reached him. The sphere slammed into his nose and broke it, and he was forced to retire from the game. leaving Yantz to take his place and Rowdy Elliott te go behind the bat.
 ''Phelan was suffering pretty badly anc he was put in Dr. Dedman's car and the doctor had just cranked up, preparatory to carving Phelan to hospital, wher there was a shout from the crowd and more work for him.
 IVER GETS HIS
 'Ivor Wagner was pitching that day Wagner's peculiar name attracted con siderable attention and there was mucf mild speculation among the fans as tt it's cause until one day Hugh Roberts cornered him and made him tell how he came to be named as he was. Wag ner explained that when he was borr Ivory soap was Just coming into fame and his mother was exceedingly enthu siastic over it. She wanted to name hin Ivory, but his father protested so vigor ously that she at last compromised ant cut off the "
 s'Well, to get back to my story. Wag ner came up about the seventh inning and hit a screaming double to right field He rounded second and, turning to lool back. ripped over the bag and fell. H, wrenched his shoulder so badly that i was impossible for him to continue tn, game. I thought it was coming il punches, but we finished the game, whici was the last of the series, and left fol Mobile.
 ..The very first game in Mobile Ellan broke his collar bone sliding Tha necessitated another shift. Yantz tool Ellam place, while Elliott did all tn, catching. Phelan, in the meanwhile, hat rejoined the team and was playing witt his nose in plaster
 ELLIOTT IS SPIKED
 ''We went to New Orleans and the yer. first day Elliott was spiked by a Pelican sliding feet first into the plate. He ha a long gash cut in his knee and coult hardly hobble around. That left us pret ty flat. Fortunately, it was before WI had to get into the player limit and had Pratt, a recruit backstop. who ha, to do all the catching until some of m, invalids got we'll.
 q thought I had about reached tn limit, but there was more to come. Tn first game we got home Joe Mowrey, fast little right fielder. slid into secon, base and broke his les. He was ou for the season and never was any goos any more. On top of all that, I tore ; ligament in my back, going after lin drive, and had to retire. That was m, last year as playing manager.
 Well sir, the sight of that team wa caution. We had a couple of pitcher in the outfield. A catcher at short an. man with a broken nose playing third while the backstopping was done by third-rate catcher.
 That youngster was sure glad whel he was turned loose. I think he wa really glad to be sold. because he didn' shed any tears when he got his ticket
 Tt took us a considerable time t, get back in shape and plug up the hole md hxr ftx<,n txol ~1