Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-11-21
BALL FIELD STORIES
coO INCIDENT THAT ONCE WON a
GAME ~ CHICAGO.

Bucket OF Paint Helped the Orioles
90 Capture the National League
Fennant-The Importance OF ssCoI-
or scheme I'm batting.
One OF the oldest things that ever
happened on ball field took place on
the west side grounds. I'm Chicago, In a
game against New York. Anson's men
were playing the Giants. and the vic
tory hung In the balance until I'm the
ninth Inning. with the score even, Bill
LANCE faced Jouet Meekin and rampsed
a certain double 20 center. There were
two out. and the crowd rose with a ven
OF delight when LANCE smote the ball.
which rolled past Van Haltren.
That ball rolled on and finally disap-
peared. Van Haltren was on top of II
but Instead OF picking Il up he sudden
~ threw himself fat on the ground.
rammed his right arm into the earth
and commenced reaching. LANCE
meantime kept on. He turned second.
raced on to third. gave a look outward
and then Sprinted for home. scoring the
winning run.
The ball had rolled into hole I'm the
pulled that morning. and Van Haltren
had been able only to reach II with the
tips Of his fingers. The next day the
hole was filed I'm.
Upon what small things the results
OF baseball depend can be guessed
when II IL known that forty-hve cent
bucket OF paint won the National
league pennant for Baltimore two years
i'm succession. The men who composed
the three times champion Orioles all
admit the fact that the bucket OF paint
had more 10 do with their pennant win
Ming than anything else
The facts are these: The Orioles
were not hitting. They could not find
out why until one day Willie Keller
remarked that the ball when pitched
from the pitchers box was the same
color rs the center field fence and that
the ball was lost TO them against the
dark background. The players set
themselves down to figure II out. and
i'm the end they figured that the reason
they were not hitting was because
there was a lack OF relief i'm the color
scheme OF the grounds. The bat boy
was sent I'm 4 hurry for pot OF white
paint and a patch OF the fence In cen
ter field exactly on line with the
pitchers box. and the plate was daub-
ed white. The paint made difference
OF nearly forty points per man i'm their
batting averages that season. and they
won the pennant.
After that the space In center on
most OF the big league ball grounds
was kept clear or painted in some
color that would assist the team In its
hitting.
The color scheme In baseball Is more
important than the casual observer
would suppose. For Instance. the Polo
grounds are one OF the hardest grounds
I'm the world for an outfielder. Back OF
the grand stand rises huge bluff
"Coogan's blum" and the stand is
built partly on, the side OF the hill
Naturally the shadow Of the stand and
the blur lies heavy over the field as
far out as second base in the late after
noon. and the Outfielders have great
difficulty I'm seeing the hall until IL rises
out OF the shadow and above the sky
line. The players learn 10 Judge balls
by the way they sound against the
bat. but visiting players at the Polo
grounds have hard time Judging line
drives
For years the New York players have
had the advantage because OF the color
scheme OF their grounds. In center
field is Il panel OF color 10 relieve the
batter's eve and show the ball in re-
lief against it, while 20 mitigate the
effects OF the shadow sections OF the
front OF the stand and even the bowl
ders on the hillside havo been painted.
Those mechanical aids for batting are
great things. Almost every home team
has its grounds arranged for relief in
color, so that they can by looking at
certain spot he certain TO see the ball.
II is not necessary for the ball 20 rise
against the relief background, but IL IS
necessary for the players eye to be
filed with the color. SO that when he
looks at the ball II stands out in relief
against the color which still is imprint
ell on the retina OF his eye.
One of the best hitting pitchers that
ever lived. Walter Thornton. who was
driven out Of baseball because OF the
personal dislike OF an official Of the
National league 10 him. had a scheme
which worked we'll and which he claim
ed aided him in batting He simply
sat and held his fingers tight against
his eyes for several minutes before GO
ing TO bat. Shutting out all light. he
claimed. rested his eyes after pitching
hard inning. and he went In to bat
with eyes fresh and steady.
And how he did hit them. How he
did hit them,
Pietro Gladiator Browning tried ev-
cry treatment possible for his eyes to
keep them clear. Smoking cigarette
on the bench was one of his ideas. and
he carried an eve wash with him which
he poured into his eyes just before go
ing to bat.
Most Of the schemes Of players To
keep their eyes in" as they say, are
ridiculous. but there is no reason why
n lot Of players should not follow lit
orally the advice Of the bleacherites
and see an oculist." Any good ocu-
list can devise a color scheme that will
help the batter.-Hugh 5. Fullerton In
Washington Star.
Knew How.