Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-14
INSIDE FACTS OF BASE BALL
Ever Hear. for Instance Of a Base
Ball Doctorl
HANK HEAvEs IDEAS APPLIED
He Makes the Bali Turn PINK and
Purple and Pea Green SO that
the Bat-man strikes
Out.

1k11An 10y ~ 1919
assembled cranks. 1T has an inwardness
that the public in general knows nothing
about.
Enthusiastic fans go to ball games all
their lives without knowing that the com
batants are always playing an inside gEme.
Perhaps there are vague notions of team
work floating around, but few have a close
knowledge Of the intricate and exacting
system that governs the actions Of the
players.
1.-THE fans enjoy themselves just as much
without that knowledge, and perhaps more,
for It keeps ones faculties jumping some
to be in front and behind the scenes at the
same time. Besides, there are so many
things to know about base ball that nobody
has enough concentrated think to be ia
miliar with all Of the games phases. Per-
haps meme of you. for instance, ever heard
of a base ball doctor.
mot acquainted, ehr I've met him more
than once His business is to mak phony
base balls. For a consideration he will
doctor up a sphere for almost any purpose
you want it.
"Out west there used to be an expert
base ball doctor named Hank Heave. He
was loaded to the muzzle with ingenuity
and several times 1 bumped against his
products.
"one day by slagtown Beauts we're play
ing a team that didn't have much ability,
but as batters my men were making a side
show of themselves. The Beauts struck out
until 1 had acute melancholia. The oppos.
ing pitcher didn't have much, and when my
stellar sticker registered three misses l
called him down.
" You give me a PAIN 1 told him. IT
you want to wig wag with your bat it's a
mighty poor time to AXE when somebody's
bowling strikes across the plate
~ thought 1 was going to swlpe II.
Cap he replied, but the ball looked pink
and aueered my eye
Looked pink, you muttP 1 yelled. You
may look for another Job If you're going
to see many pink base balls
by the time / had finished with him
another man had struck out and was sneak
ing to the bench.
say / said, as he came In. as a not
hitter you ought to LAY a cosey corner in
the Hall Of Fame
~ can't help It, he replied. The ball
turned purple and 1t had my retina stand
ing on its head
IT hit him with a word cluster that dazed
him. I talked loud so the man at the plate
1CdAA htaAg 1aN nv wv oA8RRC NV eAA
three times.
IT suppose the ball turned skyblue,
didn't it?' ] yelled to him.
"No, 1t was pea green he replied.
What's the matter with it. anyway
II was ~devfling mad and 1 turned loose
a verbal volley that had the Beauts winc-
ing, but they kept on striking out. -Four Of
our players got bases on balls and all the
other famed. Our at bat total was %.
AFTER the game the other manage came
over and passed me a laugh. Hank Heave
had fixed some balls for him with prepared
covers. The pitcher had chemicals in his
glove, and when he rubbed them on the
ball 1t changed color. The catcher had an
other kin OF dope that wiped the pigment
off. 1 admitted we were fairly stung.
Another time we went into a game when
the opposition sprang a new unknown as
slab actor. That chap started right off
to throw down the most astounding bunch
Of kinks that ever bored the air.
when ne let go the ball is zlgzagged
and wabbled like a chauffeur with a bun,
Our batters were so confused they didn't
even swing their clubs as the sphere wrig-
gled over the plate.
my brain commenced to turn cart wheels
when our own pitcher started handing Out
the same brand of throws. He was dizzy
with surprise, but he stuck to his job and
struck out three men.
When the inning wal over the other side
tried to grab the ball. but I got there first
1 ripped It open and found / had one Of
Hank Heave's outputs.
"You know the spit ball principle? How
the moistened spot catches its toes in thu
air and defects the ball? Hank had doc
tored that ball so that when you squeezed
1t minute projections sprouted all over It.
'"They weren't big enough TO be yer!
noticeable. but when they hit the air the!
had the ball ricochetting through the at
mosphere like a bumblebee. A push buttoI
concealed in the stitching made the humps
? disappear, but somebody got absent minde'
and II was all off.
: zone of the most skilfully doped ball
Hank ever got up was one he fixed for
team called the Blinktown Differs. TIL,
Differs were easy marks. but as soon a
: the game started our batting department
0 got ball shy. When the sphere hurtled owe
Y the rubber my sluggers ducked ava!
|. from II.
when the catcher let one get past hin
0 1 made for the ball and grabbed it. i
= wasn't any bigger than a golf pellet. ]
, must have shot across the plate like
bullet, and I didn't much blame the Beaut
s for sidestepping.
"As ] wa handling the ball l touched
spring and 1t suddenly expanded to regula
ton size. Hank Heave had made a tele
scoping ball. The pitcher made It shrive
= and the catcher as soon as he got it mad
, II look natural.
81 was once guilty Of using one of Hank
productions. We had a game schedule
with the Piunktown Pets and we wer
tipped off that they were going to sprinI
one OF HeAve's weird pills.
. 81 sent a rush order to Hank, and h
fixed one for US. He didn't send any di
rections. He said the ball would worI
automatically.
! The game started and we saw RICH
! away that the Pets had a rubber cored al
fair. and they took care that It was in pla
only when they were batting, That bal
was one Of Hanks masterpieces. A bun
sent 1t to the center field fence.
"when we went 10 bat we got our bal
in the game and wondered how 1t was go
ing to work. Then we saw that the Pets
pitcher couldn't control II. He said hi
> hands perspired and used up a laundryfu
Of towels.