Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-23
WHY THE SPIT BALL
IS BEING GIVEN UP
Howell Says Few Pitchers Can
Use 1t EffectiveIy-McAIeer
on Team Building.
BY ]. c. MORSE.

BOSTON. July 20.-"It is only because
not everybody can pitch a spit ball that this
mode of delivery is dropping out about as
fast as 1t came in,'' said Pitcher Harry
Howell Of the st. Louis Americans when he
was here in the last series. Howell Is pre-
eminently the spit ball pitcher Of the day.
A story on the spit ball in a New York
paper the other day stated that even those
who were now successful In the use of this
kind of delivery would soon be compelled to
drop 1t.
News to me- said Howell 1.-The chap
that wrote that'H have to guess again. He
didn't know what he writing about l
could just put him wise to a few things.
but / will just say that the reason why I
will not drop the spit ball is that / would
be foolish to do so because 1t does not I'M
Jure my arm In the least to deliver this
kind of ball. and SO long as this is true 1
will stick to 1t.
1.-The writer erred in thinking that be-
cause the spit ball hurts some pitchers 1t
will hurt all. This Is not so. It Is true
that very few can use the delivery, and
again that very few can use 1t effectively.
ST have not the least fear that future use
of this kind of ball will be provocative of
any harm. II did I would be foolish In
deed to keep on using it. Another pitcher
who has the same kind of makeup for this
! kind of a delivery is Albert Orth of the
New York Americans. who is pitching more
effectively owing to its aid than he has for
| years. 1t is a great ball IL man can use
| it. for there is no such thing as hitting it
effectively.
Il think continued Howell that we
are not seeing as good ball we used to
| in days gone by. do not see teams of the
| Boston and Baltimore style Not such
| players as Herman Long and Hugh Jen-
| nings-men of the break-neck style. after
everything. getting everything. no such
base runners, no such catchers. no such
| batsmen.
THE umpires deaden the game a whole
| lot. They take a lot of life out of the game.
| 1t spells the game whole lot for me- This
! not allowing men to take an inch for fear
! they will take yard is all nonsense. Dis
cipline is all right, but 1t would be better
| to give the men little more leeway than
| less. Ii the umpires were all right there
would be little trouble, but take umpires
who are not as efficient as they might be
| and let them try to throttle the players and
| constant friction is sure to arise.
| People Hike lively ball, plenty of coach
| ing and plenty of husting. not a quiet,
Sunday school game, and 1t Is possible to
| thing Objectionable. There Is no reason
why players should resort to improper Ian
| gu&ge or stoop to acts that are uncalled
1 for and IL they do they ought to be pun
fshed accordingly.
Take umpire who knows his business
| and he has very little trouble. The game
goes very smoothly and enJoyably. but 1t
| is the chap who knows he is In bad who
makes all the trouble for himself and for
| the players We have umplres who ought
to be doing something else than what they
ara doing, and they go and yoke some of
these chaps up with a good umpire and
| then both will be bad and the game will be
farce. Two bad umpfrss are great deal
worse than one, and good and a poor one
| spoil both. You will And that first-class
eth go.
rather than be yoked up with anybody
else. They know the other chap is liable to
get them In fix all the time"
Howell has done lot to help the st.
Louis Americans attain the position they
have in the race this season It proved to
| be great thing for his club when they
secured him. and curiousIy enough McAleer
also now has the man for whom Howell
that McAieer Is the greatest manager In
the country today and IL more than pleased
with his surroundings
-
Talking of McAleer. when he walked on
| the field here In the first series with uni
| form on many wanted to know who was
the player and were astonished to find out
It was the manager OF the club. Almost
everybody thought he was new card who
had been secured. he looked so youthful.
This despite all he has been through, and
ne has been through whole lot. Mac can
anord to laugh now. however. He has a
| splendid ball club, one that is well up In the
race and that Is by no means out Of the
battle for frst position. His team Is one
that Il coming all the time. and by the adj
vent OF another season win be about as
strong club as there is in the American
League
Il was once In the same fix as Jimmy
Collins, said he the other day while chat
ting at the Copiey Square. the headquarters
OF the visiting team IT had to build up
from one man. No small job, that Ell?
Collins is not In as deep as was, but he
will have to build. That is the only way
you can get a ball club nowadays. It takes
lot of work. lot OF hustilns, no end of
patience and perseverance,, for players are
not an easy commodity to secure You
have TO keep chasing after them. never
letting UP until you secure what You ara
after. was made to realize that youth
viii have It's fling and that young blood
was the real thing after ALL It took me q
| long. long time to get where am today
II will take Jimmy Collins long time.
What went through was almost enough
to make man daTy. do not envy any
body who has to go through It. It win
take several years for Collins to get a
team that will be pennant factor. He
will have to make his team all oyer again.