The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-24
sIDELIGHTs ON BASEBALL.
Memphis Man Has Discovered Spit
 hall ArtiNt.
John D. King in Memphis Comr
 AnnaaI

John D. King in Memphis Commercial
 I have discovered a rip-snorting. do- fomilious, superbongical, non -pompeous twirler that, if given chance. will electrify the baseball world. His name is Lige Splitbaliski and, you bet Ge don't belle his name.
 Lige aint much for looks, but looks don't count much nowadays. He Is six feet two inches high. and weighs SIX. tv-one pounds, and, when walking lor's scissors. in a lazy 1ourneyman' hands. His one fault Is he's lazy. He used to hunt ducks for the market, af.d always shot, a rife. He was too lazy shoemaker punch it out With a peg Ging awl
 Hearing I was an old baseball crank. and thinking might be able 70 get him a place, Lige came to see mo.
 He was a fSnny-loking specimen of humanity. and his makeup was it. covers sewed up in the front and back; a pair of canvas bicycle shoes and fire hose to his knees for stockings. His jacket was cross between lady s vest, and his cap was punching bag cut in two in the middle.
 He was the bow-leggedest man In the left arm I ever saw. l learned on in- he broke his arm, and country doctor in setting it encased 1t in q green gourd handle. As the handle dried 1t got crooked. and so did Ligc'S arm. It was a great thing for Lig", as the shape of that left wing is responsible for the wonderful curves he can throw. He don't need catcher when he is in the box. Ie puts so much curve on 2 ball that if the batter misses 1t it curves around him and comes straight bac into Liges hands. The best bat ters in the big leagues would look like suckers with Lige in the box.
 He invited me to take whack aS one of his balls, Now batting IS where l shine. so taking a pruning knife and me out a 50-inch bat and stepped up to the plate q used hog. for the hom2
 'I.et her go.' said l. Lige doubled himself up in a bOwknot. described a semi-circle around his head with that tarrel-hop arm, and sent the ball on the nose. and 1t went sailing toward Trilby until it looked like d Speck on the horizon; but all of sudden it stop ped in mid-air. made a hissiuS noise like skyrocket and came sailing back to Lige like il had a string on il. He never moved out of his tracks, but took that ball in like preacher would d
 Marvellous" said l., That's nothing" so you would knock a grnunder. but it's afraid when the twist got started to work, and it got started back to me. I might not he able to get out of the way and get crippled"
 1 asked him to show me the split balls, and what he showed me nearly knocked me in a trance. iDad gum my hide never saw anything like it. He twisted the ball around in his hands a few times, C0iled himself up ike q rope and when he unwOund himself he re- minded me of an uncOnfined Waterbury watch spring. He's the only man l ever saw that could form a hollow souare with himself
 Up went that funny southpaw and the ball came at me, spittip sllke a cat, but, gee whiz! when within about two feet of me 1t stopped, stood stIli a minute and fell in front of me. Lige ed he had the cover in his hand. He had actually put so much twist on that ball he threw it out of the cover.
 Talk about grip. Lige could make knitting needles out of railroad iron. He didn't have another ball. and as he wanted to show me what split ball was l got him croquet ball. You may no tbelieve me, but Iige gripped that croquet ball so tightly when ne pitched it to me 1t came waobllng along and struck the bat somehow and dropped at my feet. It started back to Lige but jumped on 1t with both feet. It slid along with me for ten or hiteen feet. but finally stopped in front Of Lige. He had mashed that oall until it was. just the shape and length or a corncob.
 told him he would break my club in the league buying balls for him, but he explained that in warm weather tne