Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1910-02-14
sPITBALL PASSING.
Billy Evans Predicts 1T Has Only q
Short Time Longer to Run.

-Four years ago nearly every young
| pitcher who came to the American and
| garded the spitball as his most valu-
able asset, says Umpire Bill Evans in
the Washington Star. I we'll remem-
Der the occasion, for the ufnpires in the
weeks of play were kept more than
busy trying to dodge wild pitches and
subway heaves. Many a game was
| practically turned into a farce because
| of the inability of some youngster to
locate the plate with his spitball. AL
though he might have got away, had
he shifted to his curves and speed
when he realized he had no control,
few of them would do such a thing,
but would keep on foolishly making
wild pitches and handing out passes,
until the merciful manager used the
derrick.
Minor league pitchers who could
control the splitter were few and far
between. If they didn't have control and
the splitter refused to break, then
the opposition began making dents in
the concrete walls and big holes in the
wood fences. 1t soon became evident
to many managers that the splitter,
while a puzzling delivery, had so many
ifs connected with 1t that its use was
taking quite a long chance.
The following year, when baseball
scouts were sent out to look over minor
given instructions to forget about the
splitter and select pitchers who had
good steam and plenty of curves The
spitball Immediately began to be a
secondary consideration and the bush
ers were just as quick to realize this
as they were the fact that q year be-
fore the splitter was looked on with
great favor. Consequently the minor
lcsgucrs began dropping the vapor ball
from their delivery and gave all their
attention to perfect control, developing
speed and mastering the curves. For
the last two years many. more minor
league without the spitbaIl than those
who had it in their repertory- No bet
ter proof could be conferred that the
peculiar delivery is fast due to pass out
of the great national game
Inability to control the ball is the one
bad feature of the delivery Many of
the pitchers who are regarded as stars
in the major leagues today are still up
are much more liable to develop
streaks Of wildness than twirlers who
do not resort to its use. If Jimmy
Dygert of the Athletics could control
his splitter he would be practically
unhittable, but Jimmy cannot, and Of
ten he is taken out of the box before
the opposition has made a hit just be-
cause he may have filled the bases
with passes. Dygert has one of the
greatest spitters in the business, but
because of his great speed and over
hand delivery he gets so much stuff on
the ball that control is a difficult
ball over It loses much of its decep- |
tiveness.
Perhaps one big reason for the de- |
crease in the use of the splitter Is |
the fact that the batters have begun to |
wait out a spitball pitcher. No longer |
do they go up to the plate, swing Wild |
ly at any old thing, and walk back to |
the bench to tell how each strike broke
over a. foot. They go up to the plate |
and make the twirler work /
every minute, try to keep him in the |
hole all the time, and meet with much |
success.
The most effective spitball is the |
was going to cross the plate about his /
knee, and just about the time he gets /
ready TO n Get 1t the ball takes a sud /
den dip and passes over the plate at /
his shoe tops, or hits the ground di-
rectly in front of it. Not so many
years ago it was more or less of
custom to close ones eyes, pray and /
take a wild swing. The splitter
started at the knees is invariably a
ball; the players now realize this and
make them be over. Batters will tell
you that a splitter started at the let
ters breaks over at the waist line and
Is not hard ball to hit.
That the spitball is injurious to |
ne arm there is no question. Yearsago
most of the twirlers using it denied the
but since many of them |
nave admitted that it is a terrific
strain.
Perhaps the spitbalI pitchers are
lust resting up, maybe in year or so
he crop will be bigger than ever, but
aking the last two years into consid-
ration, 1t looks very much as If
Clarke Griffith was quite a prophet
when he said: Let the splitter run it's
ourse; it will die a natural death"