Mexico weekly ledger., 1908-08-13
|If VAS TOUGH ON THE UMPIRE
History OF The Famous Curve Ban
That is The Life Of The Pres
emit National oame-orig-
mated In Game Between
Washington And
New York.

other names applied to the various
curves that our slab artists dish up TO
the opposing teams, 1t is little known
that curve pitching was accidentally
discovered bya pitcher while officiating
In a game be was pitching on the White
lot, says the Washington Post. And
it might be well TO remark right here
that the umpire, Mr.. Mills Of the
Union club Of Few York, came near
being mobbed Ia that game, as, being
a catcher OF note, he was close up and
called the batsman out on strikes on
balls they declared were wild and
vide OF the plate. Ia the year 1856
the famous Excelsior club OF New
York visited Washington to play q
game with the Nationals, and with
them we're a number OF other New
Workers., who also were bali tossers,
but who came along for the pleasure
Of the trip. While enjoying the hos
pitality Of the Nationals a proposal
was made by the National juniors 70
| play a picked team from the visitors
and the challenge was accepted.
The game was played in the morn
ing Of the day set for the contest be-
tween the Senior teams, and the Wis
itors put In the field a strong aggre-
CATION, made up from players from the
Atlantics, Stars and Ecktords, many
Of whom in later years became stars In
the teams Of Gotham. The men OF
New York sent into the pitchers box
a young man named Arthur Cum
mings, who was slated as a substitute
for the Excelsiors, and be discovered
In this contest that 1t was possible TO
curve the bali. At the outset Of the
contest be started In to shoot them
over, but, finding that the junior
boys Of the Nationals were batting
him freely, be changed bis delivery TO
q slow, t~antalizins one, and 1t was
while he was dishing up these ''slow
batter" he disco sered that the ball
curved after leaving him.
The discovery was startling, sand
that night, while seated at dinner In
Wizards hotel, heimparted his theory
OF 1t to Asa Brainerd, who was the
pitcher Of the Excelsiors, but Brain
erd laughed TO scorn any such feat al
an impossIbility. On returning u
New York he made public his discov'
cry, but little credence wal given II,
and IL Is a matter Of history that hls
first public exhibition was q rank
failure. On this occasion be invited
a number OF scientific men, prominent
newspaper men and q host OF bal
players TO see the trial, but the failure
was SO abject that ali turned the laugh
on Cummings. He claimed that .ht
was anxious TO do tor much and thai
he pitched too swift a ball to demon
strate the curve. Then he went Il
work cautiously to demonstrate the
new theory. Taking his catcher intt
confidence, Cummings began to pra'
tice quietly, and after several months
OF outdoor and indoor work came oul
in 1860 with q delivery which astonish.
ed the BASEBALL and scientific world
he had Joined the the Stars of Brook
Ign and itlwas his masterful work 10
the box that lifted this young team
up the rounds, Of the Championship
ladder and brought 1t fame and honor
Of all over the country.
At first Cummings mastered only
the tout shoot" but before the first
season was over he had begun work on
the 'inner shoot" During bis career
as a pitcher be struck out more Of bis
opponents than any pitcher that ever
filed the position, and he lived to see
his discovery adopted wherever the
game was played. AS has been said,
the game In which the curve was dis.
covered was a hard fought one be-
tween the picked team OF New York
and the Junior Nationals of this city.
and had 1t not been for the fact that
Cummings used his slow curve ball In
the third, fourth and fifth innings the
local boys would have won. Ii was
the decision on strikes that caused the
trouble, for the batsman of the home
team could not see bow such wide
balls" could be fairly declared strikes,