The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-23
M0ley Sends Bob LoDeless 10 Macon With Optional Terms
Young Recruit Is Sent toSay League by Baron of Barons Getting Serious-Series Started With the
 Crackers Today-Ponder to Pitch
By FRED BODEKER

Manager Carlton Molesworth of the Barons wired to The Age-Herald last night that Pitcher Bob Loveless had been sold to the Macon club in the South At lantc league on an optional agreement. The sale of Loveless takes effect im- mediately and he will report to Macon today.
 Loveless is a local product and was signed by Molev for a try-out this spring. Loveless earned wide reputation last year for his good work in amateur circles. He made a favorable impression on Moley, due to his good work in an exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians. His performance against the Gulls Friday, however, evidently con vinced Moley that he wasn't ripe for fast company.
 Smoky Bob, as he is known, should pitch good ball in the Sally He has an abundance of stuff and is hard and willing worker Moley expressed the be- lief several weeks ago that Bob would develop into great pitcher some day, provided, of course, he continues to inn prove as rapidly as he has In rne past few years.
 Moley will have Bob back here for a trial next spring, in all probability. The South Atlantic season is already under way and Bob will probably get into ac ton immediately.
 The sale of Loveless cuts the Baron roster down to + men, one less than al lowed by the league. Moley will probably continue to weed his surplus stock until he gets to the limit of 15 men by May 12 A ,1;+a Ro11 ha leased before that time Moley has over three weeks, however. to decide who to attach the can to. The remaining two releases will not probably be announced until the required time.
 The Barons play ill Atlanta today, leav-
 ing Mobile last night after the most dis astrous series of the season to the Ba- ons. The Gulls won three of the four games played.
 Consequently, this morning the Bar ons are below the .500 mark. The three consecutive defeats brought the team from second place to fifth in one week s time. Seven games were played by Moleys men during the week and five of these were lost, three to Mobile and two to Chattanooga.
 The question of whats the matter with the Barons?' is heard in every cor ner. Fans who witnessed Moley's aggre- gation in action at Redwood last week pronounced them to be a fine crowd of ball tossers and now that they have suf- fered a severe slump, the fans are severe ly puzzled.
 Two things are responsible for the slump. The first and most important one | is the pitchers are not doing their part. | Moley called on five of his pitchers in | the series at Mobile and not a single one 1 dad r,if ha6 the first game and won, but it was not due to his hurling. The Gulls fielded poor l ly and the lone Baron win is thusly ac- counted for.
 Preacher Perryman, Carmen Hill, Bob Loveless, Howard Douglas, Arthur John- son and Karl Black were rushed to the mound in futile effort to stem the tide of defeat, but all failed to accomplish the desired purpose. The pitching must improve before the Barons can win an other ball game. that's a cinch. | The second factor In the slump is the | failure of the team to hit Yesterday
 the Barons secured only two scratch hits | on Saturday they are credited with four | hits. and on Friday Joe Wiley held them
 to five safe wallops. On Thursday, the | day the Barons won, six hits were made 1 No team can win with hitting of this na- ture.
 The players probably get dissatisfied because of pitchers failing to hold the l opposition, and the pitchers probably get the indifferent habit because the play. | CTS fail to get them lead This must be remedied, and the Barons must start their upward climb again.
 | Moley Is competent leader, and al though it has been the custom of the Barons in past years to get bad start
 fans seem depressed this season more than ever, probably because the Barons
 have been rated by critics all over the south as one of the best teams in the
 league. Moley and his gang must live up to the reputation they have estab lished or else Birmingham will own 1 dissatisfied bunch of rabid fans.
 II Moley will pro pably send Elmer Ponder against the Crackers today. Provided Fl
 mer is right, the Barons should register
 a win. He hasAt pitched a real gooe