The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-07
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

but somehow got out of the habit of going when Redwood was opened. | Now, Redwood is a better park in every way; in fact it leads them all in the south but somehow it was too big; and then the old gang, instead of punching themselves in one corner. as formerly, got to punching them over the grandstand and somehow I just fell out.
 But this year I've got the habit again and have been to more games than in all the years since the change was made; and the team is playing snappy ball. I've always been a lover of baseball, and I think it's a good index of the character of our people, for it is the national game in the same way that cricket is of England. i The two games show better than any l thing else the difference in the tenn perament of Uncle Sam and John Bull 1 But this is not to be a study of character, but a comment on the lingo winch has grown up around baseball have written some articles animal Ferting upon the supercilious way in which the English treat our written l ana spoken language, as if the kim 1 ship between it and the Kings Eng hsh was as remote as is near beer 1 to Budweiser and, while l have rather resented the patronizing attitude and | put in disclaimer against the in- ldictment of our Americanisms, I reck- on l ought to except the sport writers
 
 l l sometimes read of Journalism" ltnereby meaning the kind of English used by the average reporter. but it IS a tame affair in the matter of the | corruption of pure and undefiled 1 speech, when put alongside of the athletic stunts and contortions used 1 by the baseball specialists in describ- l ing the play and the players in the columns which they conduct for those suffering from 'fanitis."
 
 Far be it from me to throw stones at them, for I am but a rank amateur when 1t comes to putting on the curves which they so easily and gracefully toss out to the reading pub | lie in giving an account of contest between two teams and, therefore, have no desire to have to keep my bat ting eye skinned in lodging their in and out curves; and this is to warn them that if they start anything with me I'll just fade away" This may be showing a yellow streak" but 1 am a safety first" player
 MT. Bartlett, who some years back 1 compiled a dictionary of American isms, was a brave man and if he or any one taking up his work should attempt to keep it strictly up to date l by the inclusion of new and strange words emanating in the fertile imagi- 1 nation of baseball writers or those suffering from brain storms provoked lby too close following of the sport it would soon outrival some of the I more ambitious dictionaries, for new terms are born every time the game is played.
 I have no notion of trying to ex- haust the subject, and I am sure haven't the desire or the patience to go back through the files of even a few of the papers to embellsh this story with the weird and uncouth phrases which stud their sporting pages, for it would prove a herculean 4 task and one which I'm by temper ament and disposition gunfitted to per- form. It would mean Teal labor and this is the month of August, a season < which forbids exertion
 I'll just confine myself to some things which I overheard spectator get off at recent game between Bir- mingham and Little Rock. I hap pened to sit just in front of four typi- cal American baseball enthusiasts, who knew every fine point in the game, had the personal history of every man who went to bat, could have written the memoirs of the um- pires and the managers themselves would have been astonished to learn that their faults were catalogued to a nicety.
 The game, itself was a thriller, but at times I found that I was more in- terested iR their comments upon ii the diamond, If you saw the Thurs day afternoon performance, you will l credit the statement that it was a truly great contest and going our way. It was d breezy quartet. and nothing occurring on the field on the bleach- CTS or in the grandstand escaped their notice. And what they saw they paid their respects to.
 I can give-but garb1ed and select account of their conversation, for it was running one from the time the men went the field to practically until the last man went to bat The practice afforded them infinite. mer. . riment. It was a tonic to be in the neighborhood of four fellows who were having such hearty and ,natur. al good time and didn't care who knew it, and what's more were not afraid to voice their sentiments in the ears oi all mankind.
 I'm not knocking the park band, but merely reporting what one said about it. It had just played, according to ! one The Dago Dead March," when turning to his companions, he said: Fellows, if I was head of the detec- } tive department of the city and , couldn't make a fellow come clean , with the usual third degree stunts, I'd send for this band and let him hear would have them repeat it, for be- i lieve any human would tell all he knew if they would consent to let up.''
 
 l Then Manager Molesworth came up , for discussion. Ellis had just "bunted'' when nobody was out and he was first man up and thrown out at first. Gan you beat it?' remarked one of the gang. ''Moley is just crazy on this 'buni stuff. If he was in he'll and the devil was to hand him bat and tell him , he would let him out if he knocked one over the fence Moley would an swer; T gotta play the game; give a z fellow chance, leave the door slight t ly ajar, and I'll bunt and make 3 swift run to get out.'