Norwich bulletin., 1910-02-19
WONDERFUL WORK
 IN THROWING THE BALL
Americans Have All Nations Stopped
 in This Department.

in. This Department.
 Perhaps the prettiest feature of baseball. the throwing end of the game. excites less commert than any other branch of the sport.
 When one carefully considers how fast ball must be handled for the successful completion of any play, 1t is really wonderful the way the Amer jeans perform on the diamond. ihe precision with which they can hnrl the baseball under any and all eopui- tions Is truly marvellous.
 One who has never played baseball cannot fully appreciate the difficulty of accurate throwing. Any one who has ever played baseball and then for some reason drops out of the game for a year or more can justly appreciate the situation, and soon realizes how hard it is to get back to old-tine form. Accurate throwing is a test of the eye, just as much as the arm. often more. so. There are many men playing baseball today who have strong throw ing arms, yet are unable to get good results, because of their inability to judge distances, says Umpire Billy By ans
 The average American fan likes to see good throwing but the ability to hit and run the bases makes a much more favorable impression on him. Take any foreigner who has never seen ball game to major or minor league contest, and invariably the first thing that attracts his attention is the wonderful strength and accuracy of the American throwers.
 Englishmen Marvel at Accurate Heav-
 ing.
 happened to 5e working game in Philadelphia several years ago, when a number of prominent English crick- eters were in attendance. During the practice periods the Englishmen sim laI fIa1 of hal and the way the players, especially the outfelders. could bound the ball to the plate. To them, this department of the game was the one big feature of baseball.
 The biggest surprise for the Eng lishmen, however, was reserved until the last. After they had watched the infielders. outfielders and catchers heave the ball in all directions, from every imaginable position,' Connie Mack summoned Pitcher Jimmy Dy- gert from the playing field and invited the guests under the grandstand to ing the ''spitball." While some twirl- CTS have been more successful in win ming games by the use of the splitter, it's good bet that no one using the vapor float can do more with the ball than Jimmy Dygert This wonderful little fellow has made a careful study of the possibilities of the spitball. how by wetting 1t in different ways, by us- Ing KdTJlIlK amounts Ol SdIlNd ttflu Dy delivering the ball from various angles he could make the ball break just about as he pleased.
 Tried to Reach the Sptters.
 Quite a number of the foreigners were regarded as crackerjacks at the cricket game, and while they could see that the ball had a peculiar break to 1t, still a few of them were confident that it would be possible to hit the ball about as easily as any other curve. Those desirous of trying to connect with one of Dygert's spitters bat in the Philadelphia collection be- ing given them If I remember cor rectly, one fellow made a foul. One of them expressed a desire to try and catch Dygert. and he was supplied with mask, glove and protector. He man aged to catch about every other ball, but the ones he failed to capture hit him either on the protector or wrist, so that at the conclusion of the experi- ment he was satisfied that he had never been cut out for a catcher.
 All in a Few Seconds.
 People in the grandstand or bleach CTS do not appreciate the feat, when Wagner, BridWelI, Lajoie, Lord Bush or any of the other star infielders stop a difficult drive, throw the ball with out recovering their boise. and sue cessfully retire men like Cobb, Speaker. Collins. or, in fact, any other player possessing enough class to secure a berth in the major leagues. Practically nine out of every ten men in the ma jors run the distance from home to first, 90 feet. in the neighborhood of four seconds. This means that the infielder handling drive from the bat ter must get the ball, often hurl it twice the distance the batter has to run. and get ii there in advance of the runner in order to complete the out
 SaIivary Slant Bothers the Fielders.
 Ever since the inauguration of the spitball there has been q continual cry against it's use, because of the de- crease in batting and the fact that 1t slowed the game up considerably. Lit- tie has been said about the rela ton be- tween the use of the splitter and the throwing end of the game. Ask any in- fielder in the league what is the hard est thing he has to do, the greatest thing he has to contend with, and majority of them will tell you without the slightest hesitation that nothing is so difficult as the accurate throwing Of a ball that Is covered with saliva
 great many of the pitchers using the expectorator put d great deal of saliva on the ball to make the break all the more deceptive. Often such q ball comes to the infelder on the first bound in a very wet or slippery .condi- tion Ordinarily he has not sufficient time to look the ball over and select dry place, so if he happens to be un- fortunate enough to get hold of wet spot on the ball there Is no telling what the direction or the throw will be: it's simply a matter of luck II may hit some distance in front of the player to whom it has been thrown or may soar ten feet or more over his head.
 7 Thar the blood Of a horse has the peculiar property of acting as a styptic and assisting the formation of a cica- fri, fr4. ia