Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-08-20
N OVELTIES
IN BASEBALL.
Ingenious Devices to Aid the
Ball Players Flexible Ball
the Latest Idea.

holps for baseball players that ingeni-
GUS minds have originated from time
to time. Probably the latest is a flex-
ible ball to be used by pitchers during
leisure moments. This bail is so con-
stucted as to yield to the pressure of
the twirler's fingers. AT tue moment
| the strain is rolaxed the ball springs
back to its original roundness. The
inventor claims that any pitcher
grasping the ball rs we would in
throwing a curve will develop in his
hand, wrist and forearm the particu-
lar muscles that come into play. dur
ing an actual game.
AS the grip OIL the ball varies for
Eeach curve, the flexible spheroid will
be- impressed or indented differently
| when one Curve is substituted for an
other. BY developing tho onrving
muscles in this manner the inventor
| states that pitchers can double their
effectiveness.
Another device originated for the
use of pitchers vas a ring that Billy
McGunnigle, a Brockton MASS. }
player, sought to have players adopt
not long ago. Like the flexible or
compressible ball, the ring $ object
was to render curves more effective.
Tho ring in question WAS so made
that when the pitcher slipped it Oh a
particular finger and grasped the ball
the metal band held the leather
sphere securely. The pitcher could
get an unusually strong purchase on
the ball. and several box men found
that with it q curve could be almost
doubled in sharpness. The ring also
proved to be II splendid means for
overcoming tho slipper mess of n wet
bail, and greater speed could be OBJ
tainod through it's use
However, McGunnigle's ring was
doomed to oblivion. 1t wns found
after two or three trinls that it cut
the cover of a ball.
The flexible ball idea had it's origin
probably in a novel sphere invented
by Pitcher Aydelott, a minor league
player mailing from Marion. Ind.
This ball was made of wood. 1t was
sawed in half, A powerful spiral
spping held two of the edges together.
The other two edges were an inch
apart aid connected by a piece of
leather.
By graspiug the ball it could be
made to close. OF course the removal
of pressure let the halves fly opon
again. Thus III going through the
movements necessary to produc &C q
curve the muscles employed were sub
jected to an unusual strain.
The inventor of tho wooden ball
had u good record, which he claimed
was entirely due to his device. He
used it every winter and OH tie ar
rival of spring found himself in trust
worthy shape for early games. In two
! seasons he lost but one game in which
he pitched and frequently scored shut.
outs against the leading teams of In
| diana.
A dozen different kinds of "froak"
bats have been put on the market
from time to time. One was q stick
9th one side planed fiat The idea
was that q bat surface on the bat
would lessen the number of foul balls
and at the same time enable n man to
butt with accuracy.
A peculiar member of the bnt fam
lily was patented in 1890. The stick
was curved, and its originator claimed
that q ball could be so stru ok with it
that folders would have great Difficult.
/ W i'll handling the hit. The curve in
the bat would give a hit ball q twist
that would make the course of both
gronnders and fly balls uncertain. Iu
addition, the ball would twist out of q
fielder's hands, he further argued.
The curves trick, however, never re-
ceived official sanction.