The Washington herald., 1907-08-15
CAUGHT ON THE FLY.

Louisville Won nine straight and then
went down To Minneapolis.
Dubuque, Iowa, attained its seventy
fifth defeat last week. and that's Tom
Lotus home.
Atlanta players declare that in Catcher
Ed Sweeney, Cleveland has obtained a
better backstop than Mig Clarke.
The Chicago Cubs" have BANKED the
PmlIies six times. three times by scores
Of l TO 0. The Cubs" have administered
twenty-four shutouts this season.
The Cleveland people seem to be pleased
over the trade they made with Washing
ton Of Pete O'Brien for Nil. The latter
will be played at third until Bradley gets
back, which is expected this week
II the Cubs" land every game they
have vet TO play their total viii be l26
victories II they win 20 per cent Of their
games they viii not attain the total OF
last season.
In the fifteen-inning duel between ROch-
ester and Montreal at Rochester last
week, Clancy, Of Rochester. had thirty
three putouts without assist or error. Jim
Bannon and Malay, Of the Rochester out
feeders, did not have a putout
BY unanimous consent OF all clubs Of
the Eastern League, President =. T. Pow
ers has been granted leave of absence.
This is Mr. Powers first vacation since
his connection with baseball and he has
concluded 10 combine business with pleas
ure in "A European trip.
The story of the proposed Hilebrand-
Sheehan trade IN Mondays Herald Ger
tainly made the Pittsburg scribes set up
and take notice Some said mean things
about DTeyfuss and the Pirate manage
ment, while others just laughed, and said
there was nothing II IL Twas ever thus.
Pitcher Win Kellum. of the Indianap-
oils club. one Of the most feared pitchers
in the American Association, has gone 20
his home, near Cleveland. Ohio. for a
rest Of ten days. He has a lame arm as
the result of too much work and Mana
ger Carr is Of the opinion that a brief
vacation is what he needs.
Larry Lajoie has Just about as much
trouble now as he ever will Not only
has he to contend with cutters. cripples.
and chair-throwers, but the baseball
writer's of Cleveland as well They have
about decided that it is time for him TO
give up the management OF the Maps and
content himself playing second, with per-
haps the captaincy thrown II
Griffith outbid Hanlon and others and
viii land Joe Lake the Jersey City
pitcher. Lake is skillful manipulation OF
the spit ball" He was developed in the
now defunct. Hudson River League He
has won eleven out OF fifteen games for
Jersey City this season. and is batting
over 300. He is a right-hander, and in
addition 10 his pitching ability he is a
clever fielder
An expert points out the difference be
tween the spit ball and the old-fashioned
drop" telling how the fluid float is
thrown, as follows: The regular old
fashioned drop ball is an every
day curved ball, and thrown the same
way as an out or an in-curvs, with
the fingers on top instead Of on either
side Of the ball. The differepce is. that
it breaks down instead of in or cut The
spit ball is thrown 10 the plate. sort Of
pushed or handed up without any spin
to IT, The pitcher vets his fingers with
saliva so the ball viii slip easily out Of
the hand without any hold or friction
TO it. TO prevent it from spinning. That
makes the ball dead, and hard 10 hit out
any distance When a bah spins or re-
wolves it has life TO It, and when hit
then, it viii travel some-the more spin.
the more life. and the farther it goes
This dead ball, or spit ball. does not
necessarily drop straight down; it Will
shoot in or out, all depending upon
whether the pressure Of the fingers was
on top Of the ball or to either side when
It left the pitchers hand. It's momentum
having been spent, this dead ball viii
drop or shoot from its own weight. In
the opposite direction from the pressure
of the fingers as it comes up to the
plate"