Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-05
By Umpire Billy Evans.

Spit ball pitchers are on the decline.
Three years ago Jack Chesbro so mas
tered the splitter that he was p-acti-
cally unhittable. His saliva ball had
every kind of a possible break on it
and for him the hard hitters of the
American League were easy picking.
His marvellous work in the box for
New York made Grifith's team a near
pennant winner. In the final gme of
the 1905 season. on the result of which
hinged the American League pennant. 1t
was the irony of fate that Chesb-o was
to lose the game. because he lost con-
troll of one of his spitters. The ball hit
the grand stand and allowed Boston TO
score the run that clinched the posses
sion of the flag.
Chesbro's wonderful work caused all
the other pitchers in both big leagues
and the minors to sit up and take no.
tice- Immediately every pitcher began
TO dabble with the spit ball. Such vet
Grams as Cy Young, Bill Dineen, AL
Orth and number of others began to
experiment with 1t. Some of them be-
came quite proficient in its delivery
while others passed it up as a bad job
A number of twirlers never tried to
master the splitter. but In order to de-
ceive the batsman they went through
the preliminary maneuvers. The discoy-
cry was great boon to many a
pitcher, but 1t worked a great ham
10 Lhe batting department of the game
Nothing has done more to lessen >hit-
ing than the introduction of the spit
nail- 1t Is the bugaboo of every bats
man. and the greatest hitters in the pro-
iesslon contend that IT is mere luck TO
nit the splitter. provided IL breaks nron
he
break 1t comes up to the plate as big
as a balloon. VIC
Injuries the Arm.
That the use of the spit hall iniures
the arm Of the pitcher there is no cues
ION Chesoro the pitching marvel of
1919. was practically useless during the
season OF 1905. He seldom worked, his
arm always giving him trouble. and
"her ne did essay to pitch, the der
TICK was generally used on him about
the fourth or fifth inning. His failure
to show form in 1906 caused Chesbro
TO announce his retirement. and last
season was well on its way before Man
ager Griffith induced him to again don a
Gotham uniform. CHESHIRE was fairly
successful last season, but showed only
flashes of his 1905 form
BIZ Dlneen Is one of the great pitch
his sorrow. Big Bill got the habit in
1905. and used the splitter to quite an
extent At the time he suffered no in
convenience, but in 1906 he slumped bad
~, Until the splitter made its debut
pineen always depended on his curve
ball to bring him victory, and batters
who have faced the big pitcher will tell
you it's thing of beauty. While using
the splitter Dineen passed up his curve
ball and when he tried to go back to his
old assortment he discovered he had
lost much of his cunning and also much
or his cannon-ball speed. He placed all
the blame on the splitter and passed it
up. AT the close of last season Dineen
appeared to be working in old-time form,
and insisted that he had finally recov-
cred from the injuries the spit ball had
worked on his arm.
Cy Young. the grand old fellow of
them all. has an excellent splitter in his
repertoire. When asked one day why
he didn't use 1t more Cyrus replied:
I've managed to get along these many
old curves and speed When I have to
depend on the spit ball to win. I'll begin
to think about retiring. Only on rare
occasions do ever fall back on it,
When Cy Uses the Splitter.
In Cys last statement there is food
for a little story. Nothing gives him
the great hitters like Lajoie. Stone, Cobb
or Crawford \ back to the bench on
strikes. It's on such men that he will use
the splitter with two strikes on them. 1
recall one game on the Cleveland grounds
in 1906, when Young caused Larry to fan
with couple Of men on bases The
spdile that Lit up the veterans counte-
-Eence as he walked to the bench showed
hXwas satisfied with life. He had COM