Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-25
Briton's Views of Base Ball
in America.
HAS MANY PECULIAR IDEAS
Hermann Glad He Turned Down
New York Deal.
YALE's STRONG MEN COMPARED
4. Thrilling Hurdle Race at New Or
{ leans-Columbia Chess Champion.
Boxing Notes.

Boxing NOTES.
= Charles Burgess Fry. one of the great
est sporting authorities in England. pub
Usher OF a weekly sporting paper and
contributor to several other publications
recently wrote an editorial on Base Bal
in America"
So many new things are learned about
the great national game in this country
from Mr.. Fry that the editorial is repro
duced almost verbatim here. 1t will be
seen that base ball pitchers have little
on the bowler in a cricket game. and also
that some of the curves and the spit ball
are almost absolutely new. That the sim
gle user of the spit ball has absolute con-
troll of the sphere and never misses In
shooting 1t across the plate is also stated
In the article is the information that
fans are ''retainers'' of the various teams
and that Their business Is to throw bottles
or any other old thing that. comes handy
at their opponents. Flashing the rays o.
the sun into the opposing players eyes
when at bat is also feature of the game.
Mr.. Fry is one of the greatest athletes
England has ever had. Without training
he can clear a bar at ) feet inches; was
at one time the holder of the worlds rec
best cricketers the tight little isle ever
knew; could hold his own at the hundred
yards. and at socker and Rugby was a
marvel.
The editorial follows:
Capt. E. G. Wynyard told me some in
teresting things the other day about the
base ball players he saw in the United
States.
II appears, for instance. that the base
ball pitcher-or. as we should say. bowler
is even more valuable than an inside
forward in association foot ball. The
price of George Wilson. late of Everton,
what Reub Wardell (meaning RUDE Wad-
delD. or whatever his exact name is,
changes teams for-E3, 900 C15.OOO odd.
Buy and Sell Players.
:. In American base ball combinations are
not called clubs. but syndicates-which is
lat least frank. And these syndicates buy
and sell their players even more freely
than our own foot ball clubs do. A first
rate pitcher Is above price.
All decent pitchers can make the ball
scu-l in the air most notable; there is the
in-curve. which we should call in cricket
the swerve from the off; the out-curve, or
swerve from the leg. and down-curve, or
duck"
The base ball pitcher can compass much
more exaggerated curves than our bowl
e ers because they do not bowl, but throw
The most remarkable point about
vthe pitchers is that they combine their
swerve with extreme accuracy, for they
send every ball dead over plate about a
. .oot wide. At our bowling they are no
good. Some of them tried to howl to the
English cricketers, and made no show at
all =
A. II is rather interesting to know that.
whereas in our cricket the problem Is to
q bring the batstnan down to the level Of
the bowler. in base ball 1t Is exactly OPP
he It'll a. ~ IL, ,z-t.
runs. the pitcher is signally on top.
Base ball PLAYERS during the season
Spractice three hours day with. as the
French books say assiduity. They practice
heldng with special care and trouble.
Zee hands Of the hatcher Cor wicket keep
erN1rs encased in species Of inverted
bo3\ng glove, but seldom remain a season
in Shape that Is recognizable as hand.
Who Told Him Thisp
For throwing practice they have an
-fhseniohs cohtrivance. A string is
estfetched across a gymnasium about the
height of an average ear. On this runs
a spool with q hole in it. The player
! takes the/spool in his hand a foot or so
in front of his ear, draws it back to op-
posite his ear. and then fires it along the
string. The point is to get out Of the
hapit of taking the hand far behind the
head IN throwing, which loses time An
other point is to learn to flick the hand
straight down the line of aim. for If the
hand plays crooked the spool snatches at
sthe string and refuses to fly along It, This
loea may be of some value to would be
JessoDs / should think the Gloucester
shire caotain throws very like base
bafler l would like to see the baseballer
who1ap throw quicker or straighter He
would fetch a price.
The English batsmen made no show at
striking pitchers base ball delivery.
Only ~ y. Goidie OF Sussex, a young SOL
der with confidence only equaled by his
accuracy Of eye. could hit the various
curves at all.
| must tell you about one particular
pitcher who rejoices in the name of the
SpitbalH pitcher. probably meaning
Happy Jack ChesbroD He whacks in ter
rible curves dead over the plate, but he
has a notion of his own. His theory is
that II he himself does not know what
curl he Is putting on the ball, the striker
cannot possibly do So His method is
thoroughly TO salivate the ball. He holds
II IN two hands in front of his mouth
You near sort of Maxim-gun of spits;
then he hurls the ball at you. thoroughly
glossy OF surface. His success is quite
abnormal. He Is considered an original
of the first rank His swerve is not only
unknown; but most pronounced.
THE Baseness of Base Ball"
,! Base ball is amusing. 1t draws huge
crowds in America and excites unbounded
enthusiasm. Feeling runs high.
Each side has coach who stands meg
saphone at mouth. just outside the playins
area His duty is TO coach the batting
slde about running. But he has a task .
i.r the moment his advice is required gen,
iiemen retained by the other side mako a
am intended to drown his words These
-retainers are called the fans" They
barrack their opponents and throw hot,
ties at them, and even throw flashes into
Nheir eyes with pieces of looking glass.
SS'