Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-10-21
BALL FIELD STORIES
ODD INCIDENT THAT ONCE WON A
GAME IN CHICAGO.

| tn Capture tho National League
Pcnnnnt-The Importance OF IA Sol
or scheme" In nattimE
One of the oldest things that ever
happened OH a ball field took plncc on
the west sldc grounds, In Chicago, In a
game against New York Anson's men
were playing the Giants. and the vic
tory hung u the balance until In tho
ninth inning, with the score even. Bill
1ange faced Jouet Aieckn and rampscli
Il certain double to center. There were
two out, and the crowd rose with n yell
Of delight when LANCE smote the ball,
which rolled past Van IIultrcn
| That ball rolled on and finally diScp-
pcarcd. Van IIaltrcn was on top Of II,
but instead of picking it up lie sudden.
~ threw himself fiat on the ground,
rammed his right arm into the earth
and commenced reaching LANCE
meantime kept OH. lie turned second,
raced OH To third, gave look outward
and then Sprintcd for home, scoring the
winning run.
The ball had rolled into n hole In the
ground from which post had been
pulled that morning. and Van IIaltrcn
hal been able only to reach 1t with the
tips of his fingers. The next day the
hole WAS filled In.
| Upon what small things the results
of baseball depend can be guessed
when it is known that a forty-five cent
! bucket Of paint won the National
league pennant for baltimore two years
in succession The men who composed
the three times champion Orioles all
admit the fact that the bucket of paint
had more TO do with their pcnnant win
ming than anything else.
| The facts are these: The Orioles
were not hitting. They could not find
out why until one day Willie Kcclcr
remarked that the ball when pitched
from the pitchers box was the same
color as the center field fence aud that
| the ball was lost to them against the
dark background. The players set
| themselves down to figure 1t out, and
i'll the end they figured that the reason
they were not hitting was because
! there was lack of relief i'll the color
| scEcnc of the grounds. The bat boy
was sent in hurry for II pot of white
paint and patch OF the fence in cen
! ter field exactly OH II line with the
| pitchers box, and the plate was daub-
| cd white. The paint made Il difference
of nearly forty points per man in their
| batting averages that season, and they
won the pcnnant.
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
In the world for an outfieltler. Back Of
the grand stand rises Il huge bluff
'.Coogans bluff" and the stand is
built partly on the side of the hill.
| Naturally the shadow OF the stand and
! far out as second base in the late after
noon. and the outfieltlcrs have great
| difficulty i'm seeing the ball until It rises
| ont of the shadow. ana above tile sky
| linc. The players learn To Judge balls
| liy the WHY they sound against the
bat, but visiting players ut the Polo
| grounds have Il 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 Panel of color to relieve tic
battcr's eye and show the ball in re-
lief against it. while to mitigate the
effects of the shadow sections of the
| front of The stand and even the bowl
dcrs on the hillside have 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 Mt n
| certain spot he certain to see the ball.
| 1t is not necessary for the ball to rise
| against the reiicf background but It is
necessary for the players eye to he
filled with the color, so that when lie
looks at the ball 1t stands ont in relief
against the color which still Is imprint
| cd on the retina Of his eye.
| One of the best hitting pitchers that
! ever lived. Walter Thornton, who was
driven ont of baseball because Of the
personal dislike Of an official OF the
| National league to him. had scheme
which worked well and which he claim
cd aided him i'll 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
q hard inning. and he went in to bat
with eyes fresh and steady.
And how he did hit them! How lie
| did hit them.
Pictro Gladiator Browning tried ev-
cry treatment possible for his eyes to
keep them clear. Smoking Il cigarette
Oh the bench was one Of his ideas, and