The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-23
Crackers Slips Away
FRANCIS AND PASCHAL
 E CLOUT OUT HOME RUNS
Need Of Better Box Men Manifested By Recent
 Games-Future Of Team Is Depending

The Barons lot game The score was 15 to s. But these are insignifii- cant details of the occurrence. The mere fact that another club, be it Atlanta Chattanooga or New York, defeated the Barons is nothing new, nor even so the mere matter of doubling the score, almost. But these is one thing definite and certain, and any fan who sat through the miserable performance at Redwood Thursday can but agree, and that thing is if the Birmingham Base ball association intends to put out a club which will, do the city credit it $will have to buy a new pitching staff.
 Having given all allowances, and 1nore, that is necessary, it seems, for bad weather conditions, for spring < 5training, having taken in all other alibis und given them due consideration, at last has arrived the time when there Z is no more. The fans who daily sup port the team and pay salaries of presi- dent and bat boy alike have at last come to realize that there is something lack ing.
 With a team ranger but one in fielding than all other Southern league teams, in hitting better but one than all others, it seems readily apparent tbat pitchers are needed. But maybe there is reason why the BaPons are next to the bottom in Southern league fielding. Certainly they must have more opportunities to make errors than any other team with the pitching they have received.
 Fowlkes Deal Uncertain
 It would appear that fielding errors and poor fielding would be enough to handicap the team but with no pitching staff it hears theNunsurmoHntable The lone result of alleged jZefforts to get pitchers which has been noted in the past two or three weeks was the an- npuncement from Memphis that lily B'owlkes had been purchased from the Chicks. Fowlkes went to Shreveport, which is to the Texas league what Chat tanooga is to the Southern, and did not stick or stay. However, Thursday all knowledge of such deal was denied by some of the local charge de affairs and 50 maybe it was all mistake after all and there is still no hope. Eddie Wells, they say, will be out of college on June 16. Possibly he will come down and pitch the Barons to pennant. Maybe they'll pitch him everyday. Possibly he'd make good pitching staff.
 It would appear that someday a nefxe-frszfled group of fans who daily watch tut parade of pitchers at Rick wood field will finally give up hope and in dumb despair seek entertain mont at other haunts. Slight of hand. experts have apparently been able to make something out of nothing but it looks beyond reason that the Birming- ham Baseball association can gain sub- stance on their baseball club as she is.
 Today's Pitching Lineup
 Ali this is incident to the unbroken mnrch of fingers who again passed the stands in review. Arthur Olsen led the parade with Red Bates coming next and Elmer Gray bringing up the redr The lineup of pitchers for Fri days game will probably be Bates, Fly man, Good, Gray and Bennett.
 Fourteen hits appears to be enough sto win an ordinary game. To be sure, many have been won with this amount of hitting. But it would not suffice Thursday. Although the Crackers hit but once more safeSly than the Barons d pair of home runs, and two doubles and hitting when they counted scores made up the difference. In the first inning the Crackers scored two runs on two hits, in the second one run on one hit, in the fifth two runs on two hits, 10 the seventh seven runs on six hits, in the eighth, three runs on three hits.
 Indifferent play by infielders late in the game accounted for possibly two or three runs more but under the fusi- Jade of hits and runs showered down on them by the Crackers there seemed little need of expending effort
 Star Fielding Catches
 Through it all, however, the pitchers were sensationally supported by the