The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-10
West Schedule Is Ready

west ScneuuiS iH HAcHuy
 Billy West, Baronial secretary, has been busy man the past week or so. First he went up to Pittsburg to see Uncle Barney Dreyfuss, of the Pirate club, and the two got their heads together and drafted a schedule. Billy re- turned home few adsy ago. and worked some more on the pro- gram, and then submitted it to the printer. Now, It has been mailed out to every league direc- tor for perusal and will be voted on, along with the tentative schedule drafted by Mike Finn, at the league meeting In Memphis, February il 5. Mike has been draft ing schedules for the Martin loop for the past several years.
 "I see they are raising a big hulabaloo up in Nashville, and are hollering their heads off just because I went to Pittsburg to get help on a proposed sched- ule," said Billy. "All that yelp- ing is entirely unnecessary, as the Birmingham club is trying to trick no one or trying to put nothing over. We merely thought that with MT. Dreyfuss help we could arrange better dates than had been submitted by Mike Finn. Whether we did or not will come out at the league meeting next week in Memphis. Our schedule and the tentative. schedule will be brought up for vote. If three fourths of the league direc- tors favor the one Mir. Dreyfuss was so kind as to help me on ours will go into effect. If they vote on the Finn program it will be adopted. It takes three -fourths of the directorate to put over schedule, and if three -fourths of a body of men are satisfied, can't see why Nashville is rais- ing such a yelp."
 
 Magnates Want Variety
 Mike Finn got to making schedules while he was a man ager in the Southern league. The habit became chronic with him and Dixie Moguls finally got to believe they couldn't have a schedule unless Mike had passed on IL. Last year. HOWGNtit Nic Irishman cooked up such a funny arrangement of dates that it was criticised all over the league. This year when Boss Martin an nounced that Finn as usual would be in charge of the 6ate juggling 1t put the magnates to thinking. Boss Smith was one of the in- surgents who believed we were q bit old-timey down here on schedule making, and therefore sent Billy West up to Pittsburg to take some lessons from an ex- pert.
 Then, too, Finn has been ar ranging his openings the same way from year to year. until the Moguls and fans grew weary of such humdrum stuff. For the past 15 years Birmingham has been opening with Nashville, or going to Sulphur Dell to open with the Vols. If the West sched- uie can be put over the Barons will open with the Bears in Mo bile the coming spring.
 Barney Has system of Own
 "Mr. Dreyfuss has a system all of his own" said Billy, when it comes to drafting a schedule. He goes at 1t in 8 more easy fashion than I ever dreamed it could be done, working out his dates with the precision of checker player, though in much swifter fashion. Why. he can take a f50-game program in a league he never heard of and jot down a tentative schedule in less time than 1t takes the ordinary person to write letter.
 Tt comes natural with the old war-horse, however, as he has been making the schedules for National and American leagues for the past 25 years. And, while the Southern league schedule is quite a tsngle for me. 1t is just like play for him, for the simple reason that he has two leagues to contend with when he sits down to map out the major league dates. In some of these towns they have continuous baseball, and he has to have his National League club in New York, Phila- delphia and St. Louis at time that it will not conflict with the American League clubs and vice versa. Therefore when I went to him with our troubles he readily consented.
 "The proposed schedule as work ed out by Mir. Dreyfuss and is better than the Finn schedule in my opinion of course, though the league magnates may not think so. It cuts out quite a bit of mileage for the clubs and has other features that should make it go over favorably..
 Now that TvS been taking iss- sons from an expert, I hope 70 aovaInx into q Aobedul e dra fter.