The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-01-24
The Famous Twirler Gives Up
the Secret.
HAS PUZZLED 50 MANY.
He Can Make Ball Drop Three
Inches OF a Foot.
In Last 80 Games of 1904 He
Used Hardly Any Other.

0+0 cLDO WV
New York the championship when one
of Chesbro's spit balls went wild and
allowed Criger to score with Boston's
winning run. Chesbro's explanation will
undoubtedly cause a big sensation in
the baseball world. It throws an an
tirely new light on the ball that prom
ises in a way to revolutionize the sport.
All last summer CHESHIRE persistently
refused to tell of the spit ball Manager
Clark Griffith did not know how Ches-
bro got his control, and scores of pitch
ers in the two big leagues vainly tried
to emulate CHESHIRE. Chesbro was the
king pin pitcher last season, and on his
own statement over 80 of h Al victories
he secured were made possible by the
spit ball. Many baseball pitchers will
be surprised when they read Cheshro's
explanation, and according to him fans
and experts who have thought they
really know something of the ball have
been cropping in the dark. Since the
spit ball was discovered it has been
supposed that the ball shot down on
reaching the batsmen because of the
saliva on it. Nothing is farther from
the truth, says Chesbro, and the pitcher
VINO won Al games, 80 of them by using
the bah, should know whereof he
speaks The wetting of the ball by
Chesbro IS done simply and solely in
order that the ball may slip off the in
dex and middle fingers first and from
the thumb last. In all pitching the ball
leaves the fingers last and the thumb
first From the fingers is secured the
power to make a ball curve.
BY Yettng the baI Chesbro has
been, enabled to make the a leave the
fingers first and thumb last, and from
the thumb, and thumb alone, was Ches-
bro able to get such success from his
use of the spit ball last season. 1t is
nor npPpSE1Ty RI xrpf fh0 hn11 +AAro,,~t. 81
~ as some pitchers have supposed. In
fact, Chesbro just moistened the ball
enough to remove the friction. Ches-
bros numb caused the downfall of the
heavy American league batsmen last
season and not the moisture on the
balls. 1t has also been supposed that
the spit ban must be pitched slow.
CHESHIRE, on the contrary, says the ball
speed, CHESHIRE frankly admits that
something should be done. to make
more barting, and feels that before an
-othe~ season has passed many of the
the mysterious spit ball to the great
detriment of the batslnen. It was only
after a long argument that Chesbro
consented to tell of the spit ball. and
even then he refused to tell how he was
able to make the ball drop three inches
or a foot.
The spit ball has come. to stay, and
is easily the most effective ball tha can
possibly be used.
1T is an easy bail to pitch once YOU
have acquired it's secrets.
Il have never yet read an explanation
of it that was anywhere near correct.
Il can make the ball drop two inches
or I can make it drop a. foot and q half
of last season that the New York catch
ers hurt their fingers when I used the
ball.
Toward the close of the season 7
Ciun01O1 1Trcf 6nuy Fon fhA hon 1911
drop, and whether it would drop
straight or to the outside.
The spit ball cannot be pitched so
tina it will drop toward a r~ight-handed
batSnan.
TT can only be made to drop straight
or to the outside. OF course. to a left
handed batsman it can be made to drop
in toward him.
THE thumb and thumb alone directs
the spit ball. The saliva on the BALL
does not make 1T drop. In fact, the
saliva does not affect the ball in any
way,
1.-THE ball must be moistened simply
for the purpose of making the ball
the fingers first and thumb last.
"All curves and all balls leave the
fingers last. BY moistening the ball the
fingers slip off first and the thumb last.
The thumb does the trick on the spit
ball and does it well.
Captain Arson couldn't hit the spit
ball In a years In fact, [
WOulQ De WILLING TO pet IudI AnSOu
couldn't even catch it.
The ball IS not hard on h arm. I
pitched "a games last season and my
arm never bothered me.
speed must be used to make the ball
effective, at least I always used speed,
but the exertion is no greater than that
of pitching fast straight ball.
It can make the ball drop 10 feet
from the plate, or two inches
You have cad many explanations of
the Jail. 61f V0l1 never read OF Gibson
or Dineen telling how to use it. Gfb
son had better control of the ball than
any pitcher saw use 1t last season
"Dineen used the spit ball in his last
game against US that gave Boston the
pennant-
In the last 30 games I pitched last
season 1 probably didn't 5 any bail
but the spit ball more than half a dozen
times.
Il used a spit ball when I made the
Wild pitch that gave Boston the pen
nant.
NO. the spit ball is not DANGEROUS. 1
simply put a little too much force into
that ball., the same as any pitcher does
when he makes a wild pitch. And, in
addition, Dineen had been Wettlng the
ball. so that it was rather
Won't the batsmen run up 70 meet
the baIl?' was asked. and Cheshro re-
Piled: Don't they run I'D now TO meet
a curve2 You have simply gol 20 try
and figure out when they are going TO
do the stepping up to meet Il, ana you
can make it drop accordingly OF
# the batsman knows wnen tae
ball win drop he viii be able 10 XII II
the same as he would II ne hAe" you
were to pitch an outcurve-
The spit ball has come TO stay
have RETAINED from telling now the
ball was pitched until now Inc use o.
it ave me a great advantage last sea
SON It is now IN to the other pitchers
to master it. Strick1ett was the hrst
pitcher I eveF saw. use it. Twas own
at New Orleans last spring saW
That is something Mr.. Chesbro, that
you must acquire. I watched StriSk-
lett closely and noticed how ne We -