davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
FAMOUS SPIT BALL
IS HARD TO HIT
Harry Howell Tells What the
"SaIiva Pill" is-Something
Very Much Like the Old
"Raise" Ball.

Although the "spit BALI has had a
vogue, now some three years old, among
base ball players no thoroughly illumi-
mating description Of this almost unhit-
able device of the pitchers has been given
the reading public which takes an in
terest in base ball. At least have never
read anything that at all approached a
lucid explanation or description of the
ball. and l read great deal of base ball
news, says Harry Howell of the Browns.
l shall endeavor to describe as far as
lies in my power. and as far as the carry
ing virtues of ink and paper will allow,
what the spit ball really is.
Elmer Stricklett. Californian later
with Brooklyn, accidentally discovered
the virtues of the ball. He noticed, as
had most pitchers, that on days when
the grass was wet the ball took curious
shoots. Many pitchers and players had
noticed the same thing, but Strlcklett was
the first man to dream of putting these
puzzling accidental shots, deemed detr-
mental. into a valuable portion OF the
pitchers repertoire.
He tried wetting the ball with water,
then mostening his fingers with saliva.
He found saliva superior TO mere water.
owing to the amount of oil 1t contained
The great virtue of the spitbaIl is that
curve ball and that throwing it does not
weary and stiffen the arm which throw
ing the curve does. Another great merit
the splitter possesses is that it comes to
the batsman without revolving and with
a peculiar dead heaViness, which makes
it hard to drive even should he catch 1t
fairly with the bat.
Being hit with a splitter is ten times
worse than being hit with any other sort
of ball. no matter how fast 1t may be
The splitter comes with the dull. dead
penetrating heaVineSS of lead. while the
curve balls, having rotation or ''enGlish,'
upon them, take bite off the object they
strike and bound away. Not so the spit
ter. 1t has no "engliSll'' on it and sinks
dead IN.
One day last fall threw spit ball to
a batter. Spencer caught it. \ runner
was stealing second. Ed threw to stop
him. He got his fingers upon the exact
spot / had inine--Cn The moistened por-
tion-and losing control. hit me IN the
back as | stopped to let him throw over
nv head. That ball almost went through
me- l could feel it for two months. A
dry ball would not have done more than
make a superficial bruiSe.
To pitch a perfect 'spitbalr' you must
have ball with perfect cover. y new
one is best for its purpose. While you
can throw the "spitterS' with all sorts
of balls, q ''winSy" or rough surface of
cover makes it uncertain. You see. you
must have a perfectly smooth surface.
to slip the first two fingers over. The
least bit of roughness is liable to spoil
the break and bang! your ball goes 10
the fence.
Must Not Grip Seams.
You must not touch the seams when
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
WHAT'S KEENE GOING TO DO
Rumors Have It That He Is to Sell
His Older Horses and Use
Youngsters Abroad

NEW YORK. September 19.-All kinds
of rumors are floating around the race
tracks One of them deals with the future
plans of James r Keeue, vice president
of the Jockey Club. The rumor, in sub
stance. says that Mr.. Keene is to race in
England next season. and that within
few weeks he will sell his entire stable,
excepting his two-year-olds and yearlings
The young horses, so the story goes on to
say, are to form the foundation of pow
erful stable abroad. There would be moth
ing startling even in an official announce
ment OF the latter part of this rumor.
but the sale of the older horses of the
keene stable would be nothing short of
sensational Ballot, Colin, Celt and other
stars of this recordbreaking string of
stakes winners under the hammer would
cert ainly afford strange spectacle. What
prices would they bring and who, in view
of the present condition of racing, would
pay prices measuring UP to Mr.. keeneS
idea of their value? Mr.. Rowe, trainer
of the Leene horses here, refuses TO talk
on the subject.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20

eral were to take ball players into their
scheme TO rig up a phony finish for the
teams the craCkists would feel like goin e
off and burlapping their heads, if they
had any heads to bag which they haven't
Nothing Doing.
Can you see the owner of ball club
going to the pitcher. say, and saying to
him, See here, Jim, In plugging for
the Oskaloosa club to take a little lead
on the situation today. and so you needn't
tease that arm of yours any too hard to-
day-give the game to 'em"-can you see
or hear a base ball club owner easing
that kind of a talk into the ear of ball
player? If the owner did. he'd be in a
fine situation with himself for the re-
mainder of his natural life, with that
pitcher crawling the earth and having it
in his giZzard every minute of the time
what had come off between him and the
club owner-now wouldn't he?
But here 1 am falling into the tempta-
ton to do some of that replying to the
crackists' stuff myself. As matter of
fact, of course no sure-enough base ball
fan ever takes the least bit of stock in
this junk about ''hippodromed" games,
for base ball fans fully understand how
utterly impossible such a frame-up would
be, even If there were the remOteSt de-
sire on the part of anybody connected
with the game TO figure in any such kind
of a framc-up.
When men begin to rob their own
trunks and elderly members of the church
begin to cheat themselves at the game or
solitaire, then, perhaps, therell be some
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
cells" Some Yarns Of Present Day Interest

available for him by the time he takes
il into hts head that its up 10 him 10 90
to work. and then he'll have To be drill
ing along looking for something TO do.
and still fail To make it stick as a per
petual limeiighter in 50 mercurial coun-
try as the United States.
Post Mortems.
Yes. and they're getting pretty tired
over here of these ''eyewitnesses OF the
Olympic games who are dropping off the
steamers every little while now on their
return from their European wanderings
and calling up the newspapers TO tell EN-
all over again just how our men got the
worst Of it during the games at the hands
OF the English officials.
This junk is getting some stale. We all
know. everybody knows. that the Ameri-
can athletes got "A punk deal At the hands
OF the Britishers. Literally thousands
upon thousands OF columns have been
written on this theme. and there isn't
anything To he added To the story. There
fore. ii isn't at all necessary for the New
York papers 20 print all of the views or
the entirely unknown people who hap
pencd to see the games in London and
who. returning here now. are seeking the
opportunity OF riding themselves into the
newspapers with the outworn olympic
theme as their medium.
In fact an altogether unSeemly efort
appears to be I'm the progress Of making
to keep the Olympic business in front
Of the public vision. Now they re solicit
ing "A $500 Sjft To be slipped to Mike
Murphy. who trained the American ath-
letes who participated in the games.
Mikes a good trainer and all that. but
it looks from where some folks sit as II
his friends are getting him in sort OF bad
by asking the general public TO slip him
5,G0o bucks fer his share OF the work at
the games.
Wen all be ready to whOop 'er up all
over again the next time the Olympic
games are held. which'll be some time
from now already vet. But in the mean
time we cant he expected to stick UP until
all hours of the night every night to yell
our blocks off over things that, happened
"A couple of months ago. and anyhow
these Olympic athletes were given a pref
ty fine time when they came back.
weren't they. with all the soldiers and
things turning out for m and hitting the
President of the United States down at
oyster Bay, and all like tlNt?
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20

ton certainly did get his goat good and
proper. l heard him employ some ex-
petives with reference to the charge that
would keep me using the asterisks on this
machine for about twenty minutes II l
wanted to set them down. but | am a
believer in the theory that stuff that
can't be set down in any other except
the asterisk way might just as well be
lodged altogether. But I didn't blame
Patsie for being het up, at that.
Fixed" Affairs.
This. too, Is the season when the out
front teams begin to hook up for the final
excrucating dash to the tape, that the
Show Me Association of corpulent-conks
who don't know any more about base ball
than they do about the Coperncan theory
begin to shoot out the cracks about the
base ball races being fixed affairs,
"hippodromes'' devised to fetch in the
gate-money candy and all like that. 1t
is really astonishing that base bail writ
ers go to the pains, as quite few of
them do, to write elaborate demalS OF
these nonsensical rumbles. Leaving al
together aside any consideration of
whether 1t would pay the base ball pow
ers to stand for even sembiance or DIS
people who know anything
a bout it know that It wouldn't pay-the
case is so simple that it ought to be mani
fest to the understanding of a barnyard
hen. If these crackists about the hippo
drome' thing would stop for one-eightt
of a second to reflect upon what would be
liable to happen if the owners of base
ball clubs or the base ball powers IN gen
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
REASON FOR SOME
PLAYERS FAILURE
Loaf in Winter, Get Out of
Condition and Hike Back
to the Minors.

Just now, while the annual Cy Young
and George Van Haltren stories are going
the rounds and the base ball writer's are
using up reams of paper telling how long
these men have been in the game lot OF
folks are wondering why so many ball
players last few seasons. go back to the
minors and then disappear entirely.
The average base ball life is generally
conceded to be somewhere between ten
and twelve years. A man may work in a
rolling mill twelve hours a day for twenty
years. he can make delicate watches and
high-grade works of art for a score of
years, he can engage in all sorts of work
that requires skill and good eyesight for
perhaps twice as long as the average ball
player retains his skill. and there must
be some good reasons for this.
1t is a noticeable fact that all the ball
players who have been in the game for
years, and who will play as they used TO-
never lay off and loaf for long periods
Ball players by the hundreds quit all
kinds of work when the season ends In
the middle of October and do not do a
tap of work until March, when their clubs
go south.
Then the winter laggards have to swell
ter and work in hot climate to get down
to playing weight. Taking weight off rap
those who grow fat in the winter are in
weakened condition for several weeks and
cannot do themselves justice.
The foundations to drink and lead
fast life are greater in base ball than in
more prosaic occupations. y star ball
player is much sought, and hundreds OF
hangers in places where a ball player
shouldn't he are tickled to death If the
diamond hero will join them in good
time" A lot of the younger fellows fall
for it. and in consequence come back IN
the spring in mighty poor shape. An OBJ
server could name two dozen veterans
who slow up just a little each season.
who worry and work to distraction each
spring to catch on by the time the season
starts yet who spend their winters in
luxurious idleness. 1t seems Il queer way
of doing.
Some one has suggested that club own
ers sign up their players to a twelve
months contract and run a wOodchopplrG
brigade or a pedestrian club in the winter
time But the managers and maEnates
have enough woes keeping the men going
during the season.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20

Johnston, 16; the West, Is. and the Will
son. IS.
Kentucky Futurity eligibles are: Bin
volo Helen Hale. Silver Baron. Salem.
The Leading Lady, ORC Lambert. Doro-
thy Axworthy, Henry Henry, Settler.
Fair Margaret. Justo. Little Sweetheart
The Laird. Electric Tod, Nancy Brown,
Sub Rosa. Thistle Downe, Saddle Worthy
and The Harvester.
The nine eigibles for the pacing Flu
turity are: Katana, Master Mckerrer
Tom Brewer. Kewanee, Medium. Admire
Birtles. Catherine Direct and Col For
rest.
Those remaining in the Three-year-Olds
Futurity are: Berta. Nelly Tregantle,
Sister John Frances, James A. Springer
Todd. Vito. Vanity ORC. Margot Leonard
Belvasa. Swift Bell. Crook colt Bards
town Belle, Robert c., Fannie Lawson,
The Bondsman-Ashleaf colt. Echo Todd
Czarevna. Raggedy Bill, Zllah, Gracious.
Peter. Miss Moko, Bertha c.. Bernard
Kentucky Belle. Alstanley, Orc Mcktn-
ney Billy Burk, High Admiral and
Ophelia Peter.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
HARD-HEADED BOXERS WHO
HAVE SOFTEST OF HEARTS

Few of US look upon fighters as the
most cultured persons in the world, but
there are some who can set examples
for millions in this world. Battling Mel
son, Billy Papke, Leach Cross and Ru-
dolph UnhoIz are the four most shining
examples.
Did any of these four go crazy when
fortune smiled on them? Do you see
any of them driving around in auto
mobiles?
Not so that you can notice it.
Just as soon as Battling Nelson made
enough money he sent for his kid brother
and paid for a course in college for him.
The brother is still in college in Califor-
MIA. Battling Nelson had very little edu-
cation, but he learned after his bumps
that the educated man won out. He is
seeing to it that hisi brother will have 1t
on him at least In that line.
Billy Papke made 1900 in three years
of fighting. The very first thing he did
was to build a fine house in his old
town for his mother father and sisters
He was not neglected when he was Kid,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
9 Speels".

iron-rimmed specs that can be purchased
for kale on the nail.
For ever so many reasons there isn't
nickeTs worth OF love lost between the
McGraw band and the Donovan outfit
and the Trolley Dodgers simply surpassed
all of the existing dope in their effort TO
pull the Joints down few pegs when
that series was In progress. Ihey play :
ed the whoppingest kind of ball too
suppose that on the day that Matthew
son and Rucker, the latter that gee-cork-
er of finger on the Brooklyn heaving
staff hitched up for eleven-inning due!
in which the Giants just did manage to
get their one little teenchy run by pure
iuck-I suppose the Brooklyn push were
doing all they knew to chuck a game into
McGraws lap on that day, Ell?
But all of this stuff that gets itself
heard around about this tailend of the
season with reference to thrown games
is of course. the pureSt pitf1e serene. 1t
emanates mostly from the kind of folks
that begin to perspire blurd when they
see that they're by way OF losing 50 cents
in a poker game, and there's no cure for
the hard loser that anybody has yet been
able to discover.
Nationals Accused.
Why, don't you remember. a few years
ago. when the Washington team. no less,
that was then so deeply anchored in the
cellar that 1t was almost possible for the
antipodeans to reach up through the
slight earth crust and hit 'em with hunks
of loose coal-don't you recall how the
little old Washington team. that didn't
want anything else at that time but
chance to go off somewhere and die. was
accused by one of the out-front clubs OF
easing a few games to another of the
stretch-finishing mobs? Certainly you re-
member it, and you remember, too, how
sore as butcher you felt at the sugges-
ton that the club could even be dreampt
of being guilty of such ornery muckerish-
ness.
And perhaps Patsie Donovan. formerly
of Washington, D. c., and now the heap
chief of the Dodgers, wasn't some
caloric around the collar-band when he
heard of what they were saying in Pitts
burg with reference to those games he
had leased" to the Giants? You recall
what mild, soft-spoken individual Don
ovan was down yonder at home in Wash
ington don't you? Well, he's mild yet. all
right except when they try TO chuck paw
ing blocks at his nanny, and this accusa-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
CALIFORNIA THE MECCA.
Racing Men Expect Better Racing on
Coast Than at New Orleans.
Oakland Stakes.

NEW YORK, September 1a,-Horsemen
who intend to race in California are get
ting their stables ready and all indica-
tions point to fine racing, both at Los
Angeles and Oakland, the coming winter
California racing. 1t is believed will be
the big racing for the winter. The most
sanguine do not expect good racing, If
any at all. at Crescent City and City Park
tracks, New Orleans, as in previous years.
1t is not so very far to California for
the horsemen with good material, and
the purses and stakes at Oakland and
Arcadia will be more worth while the
coming season than ever before. Thomas
H. Williams has planned many increases
in stakes for Oakland, and the same is
true, of the southern California track
One of the recruits to California rae
ing this winter will be H. NJ Ziegler of
Cincinnati, who will race a string of
ten or twelve two-year-ods at Los An
geles. Charles Hughes, who handled the
Ziegler horses for a number of years,
has made reQusition for ten stalls at the
Arcadia course. These are now yearlings
of high promise and they win begin the
racing season of 1909 at Los Angeles.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20

and says that they will not be neglected
when they grow old.
Rudolph Unholz. although looked on
by the sporting fraternity as a square
head" has a heart as big as a boxing
glove. He was a cook, a waiter rub
Der in baths and bum before he grabbed
little wealth and fame by beating
George Memsic in Los Angeles. AS soon
he gathered $1,000 he sent for his kid
brother. who was in Germany. and a
present is sending him to school in Dav
export, Iowa. He wants his brother 10
learn a profession, and as he wins purses
he keeps sending the brother along.
Leach Cross, although not the wealth.
lest fighter in the world, hasn't spent his
hard-earned money in cafes and saloons.
His father had some reverses in a bust
ness way, and Leach went to bat for him
With' his first hundred. His father still
gets every cent the little East Slider earns
and will continue to get it until the trou-'
bles are tided over.
1t is all right to be a good fellow with
the gang at the corner, but it's grand
er idea to be a good fellow with those
who We're good fellows to You when you
were nothing and had nothing.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20

NEW YORK September 12.-The end
of this season will see the passing of
lot of stars who have been in the base
ball limelight for number of years.
This is particularly true of the American
League. where the top-notchers who were
grabbed from the National League back
in the war days of 1901 and 1902 are fad
ing away Connie Mack. in Philadelphia,
is ready to cut loose Ralph Seybold, the
elephantine outfielder. while it is also said
that this is the last season for Jimmie
Collins once the peer of all third base
men. and of Ossie Schreck. whose chief
claim on fame was that he was the only
man who could handle RUDE Waddell.
In the New York Highlanders there are
number of changes sure to come.
Clark Griffith is already out. So is Al
Ortiz, the veteran twirler, while Willie
Keller and Kid Elberfeld will not be seen
in Highlander uniforms next season I'M
less all present signs fail. When Keller
leaves the Highlanders he will quit the
game but Elberfeld may catch on with
some other club.
Comiskey is another manager who is
going TO cut the strings on some of his
old-time stars. George Davis is one and
Frank Isbell. the bald headed utility man,
is another. while Pat Dougherty may also
feel the ak in favor of younger man.
Freddy Parent Is another who is on the
anxious seat. as he is showing the effects
of age
Jimmy McAleer has Tom Jones. a
veteran who is probably in his last year
as big Lacquer. while Wallace and Fer
riS are also veterans. but are making
good this season and may last another.
X
In Cleveland it is Bill Bradley and
Elmer Flick that are about in their last
season, particularly Flick, while in De-
troit there is one man who Is sure to be
replaced next season by a younger man.
That is Bill Coughlin, the old third base
man. jennings has the youngest seasoned
team in the business right now, and with
the one exception noted all his players
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
ALI, KINDS OF CHANGES
PREDICTED IN BIG LEAGUES

look good for from three to ten seasons
yet.
The National League is far better bal
anced than the American now in the mat
ter of young players. With the possible
exception of McGinnity there is not one
of the old timers liable to be missing
next season from the Giants lineup. Ten
ney's grand work this year makes him
look like a fixtureinext season. Plttspurg
has Tommy Leach, who may be forced
to quit on account of i'll health as well.
but the rest of Clarke's men look good.
The balance of the National League teams
are composed of youngsters In the main.
who still have many years of good base
ball left in them.
The draft list of players made public
by the national commission shows that
many players who have tasted the joys
of life in the major league before will
come back again next season. Most
prominent among them Is Fred Buelow,
who, as far back as 1899. went from De-
troit to the ST. Louis National League,
and since that time has been in and out
of the big league three different times,
playing with Detroit. Cleveland and ST.
Louis Americans. Now he comes back
again from Minneapolis. going to Wash
ington. Another one is Frank Huelsman,
a giant outfielder. who can wallop the
Dali a Inle-Wfle1l lie IlltS IL, Dul Call l
field a lick. He has played with nearly
every club in the American League. went
back to the minors three times. and now
is grabbed up by Connie lack for the
Athletics from the Harrisburg team.
Harry Wolverton is another to- come
back into the big leagues. He has been
drafted by the New York Americans.
Wolverton has played with the Chicago.
Pittsburg. Philadelphia and Boston Ma
tional League teams, as we'll as with the
Philadelphia Americans. and in the out
law days was one of the most persistent
contract jumpers in the business. 1t was
this trait that caused his many moves
in and out of the big league, as he has
always been rated as high-class player.
Other players who will have a second
trial in fast company are Jap Barbeau,
the diminutive shortstop of the Toledo
team. who goes to the Philadelphia Ma
tionals; Cliff Curtiss of Milwaukee. who
Joins the Philadelphia Americans. and
Jack Hayden of Indianapolis who goes
to Chicago.