The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-03-21


and closes the motion with a re-
covery that, instead Of being a
sprawl is rather reminiscent Of
Wild Bill Donovan and leaves the
pitcher In excellent shape TO field
bail, hit at his position.
! tried for several days to conjure
NJ the name that Summers build and
actions kept subconsciously suggest
ing and then tumbled Ii was Tom
Hughes. The Hoosier stands 6 feet
2 inches In his uniform and, although
bigboned. Ia SO slender that he
weighs but 10 pounds. He Is only %
and is just beginning to fill out By
the time he gets his lateral growth.
he will come mighty near the 200
pound mark. Now he is the perfect
reproduction OF the Washington star
when he first dashed across the pig
league horizon and hia movements ara
sfaallarIy suggestive OF the man who,
lhad ne the disposition, might easily
have been the peer OF any pitcher in
the land.
WHEN 1T COMES TO REPER-
TORE, 1T IS A MERE STATEMENT
OF FACT THAT HERE AT HOT
SPRINGS, WITH THE TRAINING
SEASON SCARCE BEGUN, SUM
MERS HAS SHOWN THE VETERAN
TWIRLERS OF THE DETROIT
BASEBALL CLUB A SPECIES OF
DELIVERY WHICH is ABSOLUTE
LY NOVEL TO THEM ALL. AND
IF IT SURPRISES SUCH MEN AS
WILD BILL DONOVAN, GEORGE
MULLIN AND ED KILLIAN, THERE
is CERTAINLY GOOD REASON TO
SUSPECT THAT 1T MAY SURPRISE
A FEW AMERICAN LEAGUE BATS
MEN THIS SEASON, NIGHT WAHR?
OF course. the new ball Is the IA
nous fioater, OF which we heard last
fall. after the player had been pur-
chased from Watkins team.
II certainly Is bird.
Summers throws IL with the
same motion as his fast bali
and speed 10 where he lives, by
the way---but, instead OF shooting
across the plate In meteor style
as the batsran has right to ex-
pect, the ball hovers In air,
slides along till within IS or 20
feet Of the plate, and then breaks
sharply away from a Ieft-handed
batsman, after the fashion Of the
Wathewson-Joss fadeaway, though
different from this famous deliv-
cry In the fact that II 10 slow
ball, while the older article 10
thrown with speed.
Summers delivers this ball over
hand. side-arm and under-hand, secur-
ing a different sort OF a curve for each
respective delivery. The standard use
OF the ball Is with the overland
heaye, however.
How In the world do you do it7'
Is a question asked OF Summers every
time he cuts loose the astonisher and
here is the answer to the question, as
told 20 The Times by the pitcher him
self
when Eddie Cicotte and | Joined
| Indianapolis I'M 1906, he was expert
mentlng with what he called a
knuckle-balI He took hold of<the ball
with his thumb and the first joints
OF his fingers. The ball used 10 d.
all manner OF funny stunts. though
Eddie had very little idea where il
was going when he cut II loose and
do not remember seeing him use II
ia game.
Il got to trying the knuckle ball
along with Cicotte and with about the
same results I kept at Il all that
season, the greater part OF which time
! was with the Grand Rapids Central
league champions under John Camel
Eventually, | found that, while tho
! ss,Fs ssa-eersits== tsttA -eeatselieA= ans
extent when thrown OF the knuckles
| could get substantially the same re
suits by pinching Il In my fnger.tips
holding II away from the hand. Tha'
! Is the way I throw TT naveu1 any