The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-18
SPORTING NEWS.
ssSpit Ball'' Is Now the Base
ballist's Study.
Fred Clark Teaching Pirates
to Kill New Delivery.
SWINGER'S CHANCE
Slab Hitters VIII Have Hard
Time With Chesbro Style.
Other News of Interest in VAR
iOus Sporting Circles.

Fred Clarke, leader of the Pittsburg
National league team, after passing all
winter in the study of ways and means
of killing the spit ball. is now
teaching the play to his team on the
spring training trip. Baseball fans all
over the country are awaiting the re-
suit of this study and the campaign
Clarke promises against the catcher
killer
Clarke first began his work by a
thorough study OF the slow ball, which
is working havoc with the slab-hitters
and bringing the old-time free swing
ers to the front again. 1t is estimated
by some that every pitcher in the big
leagues will carry the spit ball' as
part of his assortment this summer and
it was a knowledge of this that drove
Fred Clarke and other managers to
study its solution. They say, too, it viii
mean a revolution in batting tactics.
Baseball men argue that the action
of the spit ball as pitched by such a
master as Chesbro is as follows: 1t
comes up shoulder high and a tribe fas-
ter than the recognized slow ball ana
yet not so fast as to twist it. In other
words, the seams are visible all the way
from the pitchers hands to the point
where it breaks. 1t is pitched with the
shoulder high up and about the length
Of the bat away from the pan 1t breaks
either OF three ways, generally uncon-
trolIed by the pitcher It's course AFTER
the quick break is either straight down
or a fadeaway to the right or left.
In the solution of this problem there
are open to the batter several ways OF
going after it. One is to crawl up on
it and get it before it breaks The
height of the ball spoils this somewhat.
Another plan is to lie back and slap 1t
with the short hold on the choked bat
planning to get the exhausted curve "A
ILL holt Tya
in by actual experience, is to stand nat
urally lengthen the batting surface by
gripping the bat closer to the handle s
end, as Arson and his type did, ana
Clarke has the choice of either of
these ways American league players
have come to think that the spit pan
means the doom of the choke-the-par
men, who take the short grip on the
stick and slap, like Willie Keeler. Win
the White Stockings it is known that II
worried such a clever artist as Jones'
who gave up in despair one New 1ork
series On the other hand, free SUCK
ers like Jimmy Canihan are successful
against it To them it is like going az
ter the old-fashioned- Ramsey straight
drop and the outdrop when II tnrsI De-
gan to show
batter will have to carry a knowledge
of both styles of batting to make g ool.
They will then have the interesting
they will be guessing where the pltcher
works nowingly-something ike
better and a booknaker-
Experts think that 1t is safe to say
that Clarke is trying out every position
in the batting box for the ball from the
crawl-up to the standing we'll back
toward the catcher position. 1t is sug-
eested that the style Jimmy Ryan
adopfed in the National league or rae
ing the pitcher sQuarely and stepping IN
with a full body swing toward the pan
might help The bat was swung not
slapped but the swing was easy ana
met the ball instead of trying to kill
it.
The closest students of the game pre-
dict a reign of spit BALI terror TINS
summer. despite the well-laid plans
The simple reason is that the batter Is
pecking away at a swiftly falling drop
hail. which may come in or goes out
bevond the dead center of the bat.
Regarding the question of whether a
man like Chesbro can control the break
ings of this ball, Catcher Mcclure says
he cannot. ChesbrO himself, who pltch-
cd to MCGUIRE says he cam
The chances are that inc<eased KNOW
edge of the ball will enable the pltchers
to start it waist high and in that case
the batters should. it is thought, naVs
q better chance at it. So long as it is
kent shoulder high it Will give the
crouchers some guessing to 90.