The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-08-03
WHY THE SPIT BALL
Is BEING GIVEN UP
Howell Says Few Pitchers Can Use IL
Effectively

at is only because not everybody canI
pitcn a spit ball that this mode OF
delivery is dropping out about as fas.
as It came in" said Pitcher Harry
Howell of the St Louis Americans
when he was here in the last series.
Howell is prominently the spit ball
pitcher Of the day.
A story on the spit bail in a New
York paper the other day stated even
those who were now successful In the
use of this kind Of delivery would soon
be compelled to drop it."
News TO me-" said Howell. THE
chap that wrote that1l have TO guess
again. He didn't know what he was
writing about. | could just put him
wise TO a few things, but | will just
say that the reason why | will rot
drop the spit ball is hat | would De
foolish TO do SO because it does not
injure my arm in the least TO deliver
this kind of a ball, and so long as
this IS true | will stick to ii.
The writer erred in thinking that
because the spit ball hurts some pitch
ers it will hurt all. This is not o
1t is true hat very few can use the
delivery is Albert Orth of the New
use It effectively:
4 nave not the least fear that fuJur3
use of this kind Of a ball will be pro-
~vocative of any harm. If l did 7
would be foolish indeed to keep on US
ing it. Another pitcher who has he
same kind Of makeup for this kind Of
delivery is Alebert Ortiz of the New
York Americans, who is pitching moro
/ effectively owing to it's aid than he
has for years. 1t is a great ball if a
man can use it, for there is no such
thing as hitting it effectively.
81 Think continued Howell, that
we are not seeing as good ball as 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 Jennings-men OF the
break-neck style, after everything, get
ting everything, no such base runners,
no such catchers, no such batsmen.
s. * x
"The umpires deaden the game a
whole lot. They take a lot Of life out
of the game. 1t spoils the game with
a whole lot for me. This o allowing
men TO take an inch for fear they will
take a yard is all nonsense. Discipline
is all right, but it would be better to
give the men a little more leeway than
less. If the umpires were all right there
would be little trouble, but take UNI
pires who are not as efficient as they
migat be and let them try to throttle
the players and constant friction is
sure to arise.
people like lively ball, plenty Of
coaching and plenty of hustling, not =
quiet, Sunday school game, and it is
possible t o have lively ball without
owdyism or anything Objectionable
There is no reason why players should
resort to improper language or stoop TO
acts that are uncalled for, and if they
do they ought to be punished accord
ingly.
Take an umpire who knows his bus
mess and he has very little trouble.
game goes very smoothly and enjoya-|
bly,, but it is the chap who knows he is.
bad who makes all the trouble for him.
self and for the players. We have UNI,
pires who ought to be 'dOing something
else than what they are 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 a farce.
Two bad umpires are a great deal,
worse than one, and a good and a poor
one spoil both. You will find that a
first class umpire will prefer to UNI
pires by himself rather than be yoked
up with anybody else. They know the
other chap is liable to get them IN a
fix all the time."-BOsto1 Dispatch.