The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-15
Hickey Has Young Army
 Under Wing
Troop" Are Advancing On Giant Camp; Mess
 On Ground Is Dope
By wEsTsRook PEeLEa

SARASOTA, Fla, March 14-The en- tente forces which have been training at Bradentown, Fla, 12 miles north of Sarasota. will advance against the New York Giants Saturday, under command of Branch Hickey, who Is field marshal of the largest baseball army ever gath cred under one leader.
 In fact scouts reported at, dusk that they had observed the advance parties of Rickey's forces already on the march and foraging for oranges. bananas and cocoanuts as they proceeded. This sounded logical. inasmuch as visit from the Cardinals involves a major troop movement. and the head of the column would ordinarily cover the 12 miles before the rear guard got under way. The St. Louis Cardinals are the corps d'elite of the entente forces. The rest is made up of Colonial units from Fort Smith and Syracuse, which are principalities of the St. Louis club.
 Would Be Out In Front
 There are also some volunteers from the Houston club, which co-operates with tn Cardinals under a sort of big brother treaty. If numbers alone count ed in baseball, the National league pen nant would be voted to St. Louis now.
 However, from the intelligence re- ports available here. it appears that an oversize baseball army Is about as easy to manage as a race riot. Rickey's mil itary police force must patrol the roads leading out of the encampment to pre- vent the private soldiers from going A. W. O. L., and last week there was Colonials was convicted of telling d barber shop story in the third degree. The boys counsel pleaded that 1t really wasn't very good story anyway. and that nobody had been caught laugh ing. However, the culprit was given 1ieh To to ride home in an upper. They are very strict at Bradentown.
 Jawn McGraw Would Swoon
 There Is bound to be some embarrass- ment when the Cardinals begin to march into Sarasota. Customarily, the visiting team would be entertained by the hosts, but there is such a vast so- cial disparity between the highly cuI- tured Giants and all other ball teams that they will have to seek afar for common social ground. Some of the Cardinals wear caps with long trous- CTS, and, as every Giant knows, John McGraw would dust off a spot on the marble floor of the Miramar lobby and swoon like a queen if one of his young men were to be seen in such company
 It is to be hoped that the St. Louis team is bringing it's own lunch, as they could then hold mess on the picnic grounds and obviate the complications oA SSIHeCt'V' "hiSh "Oulu Oe sure to en- sue if they were to lunch with the Giants. all of whom know the correct usage of five different kinds of forks
 Doesn't Use Needle
 one Of the younger players faltering in his etiquette was compelled to ask waivers on the baked trout today be- cause he momentarily forgot how to choose between the fish fork and the one they used for salad. He retrieved this tragic failure, however, by. an in spired exhibition of grace and delicacy with plate of artichokes,
 Another of the recruits flunked the first question in the examination in ballroom etiquette. The question was:
 Are you going to the hop tonight?"
 His answer was: No. I'm not going to the hop tonight. Nor the needle either. I never use the stuff"
 Bill klem, the National league um-