Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-06
SPTbALL PITCHING
SLOWLY DYING OUT
Foxy Griffith, Four Years Ago,
Predicted Its Early
Demise.
BY Umpire Billy Evans.

By Umpire Billy Evans.
What's the matter With the spit" ball !?
Is the once much discussed puzzler
doomed to die slow but natural death
Have the pitchers of the country reach
ed the conclusion that it's use is bad
thing for the salary whip, or have the
batters worked out a solution for the
once my sterious mystifier?
Perhaps none of the above things has
happened. but there's no denying the
statement that the use of the spit ball
in the ma jors and minors has been rapid
Iy decreasing for the last two years.
Each winter, until the present one, the
spit ball has been one topic that the
scribe could discourse on when no other
cold weather base ball topic was on tap.
The spit ball was always good for a
story no matter how cold 1t might be
or how scarce base ball news really was.
y spit ball reform has been demanded
and redemanded for several years. 1t has
been argued that the use of the moist
delivery greatly lessened batting, delayed
the games resulted in many more bases
OH balls, because of the difficulty to con-
troll it, made catching difficult PROPOSE
a player received the ball, and last but
not least was given as the cause for
many sore and glass arms.
Although a hundred suggestions were
possibly offered to counteract the eff
fectveness of the splitter" none of them
has ever received more than passing at
tention. They offered good winter base
BAH gossip, but each year the rules COM
mittee passed over the cold weather re-
forms and allowed the splitter to reign
supreme.
Several years ago I happened to be
member of group of base ball men
who were discussing the spit ball pro
and con. Most of those present sug-
splitter Clarke Griffith, the present
manager of the Cincinnati club, then in
charge of the New York Americans, vast
one of the very few present who didn't
believe that some radical action should
be taken in the matter.
Grit Prophet.
You can talk reform all you care to
in the winter remarked Griffith, but
none of the reforms or suggestions is
possible ON the ball field. / am against
the use OF the spit ball, but there is
not a chance to legislate against it. 1t
Tire curve or the drop, and no matter
What rules are made to prevent It's use.
the pitchers will find some way to get
around them and escape the notice OF
tic IHc SplI udIi 10 HULL AZ
favor now. but / am certain that in time
ii will pass out of base ball, just as quiet
ly as it came into the sport. Let the
splitter run its course and 1t will die q
natural death. The date of interment Will
be in the near future.
1T was about four years ago that I
Heard Griffith get that out of his system.
and 1t certainly looks as if the Cincinnati
manager had the correct dope. The
Spit ball no longer enjoys the popular
ifv~it 6iH with DitcherS I'm both ma Tors
aud minors, and it would not be at all
surprising if in four or five years more
1t would be nothing but a memory.
Five years ago it was believed that
the spit ball delivery would revolution
ize base ball. Major league scouts in
their tours around the country gave the
pitcher with good splitter" more at
tehtfon than the youngster who depended
on speed and curves for success. On his
return to the club he represented the
manager would invariably ask as a first
question. What kind of a splitter has
this fellow?"
1t didn't take the minor leaguers very
long to discover the fact that pitcher
with d good spit ball had a much bet
ter chance to succeed than a twirler with
the old stuff. AS result, every pitcher
began TO dabble with the vapor float. and
In very short time nearly every pitcher
in the bushes took great pride in using
the spit" ball.
-Four years ago nearly every young
pitcher who came to the American and
National Leagues for a fall tryout regard
ed the spit ball as his most valuable
asset. / well remember the occasion,
for the umpires in the American League
for the last four 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
beeasisa OF the inability of some youngster
to locate the plate with his spit ball.
Although he might have got away, had
10 CHI tod To lie nd VII aY
lie realized he had no control, few of
them would do such thing, but would
keep on foolishly making wild pitches
and handing out passes. until the merci-
fui manager used the derrick.
Minor League "Spitters' Are Wild.
Minor league pitchers who could con-
troll the splitter were few and far be-
tween. II they did have control and the
splitter refused to break, then the op-
position began making dents in the con-
crete walls and big holes in the wood
fences. IL soon became evident to many
managers that the splitter" while a
puZzling delivery, had so many Ifs" con-
rected with il. that its use was taking
on re long chance.
The following year, when base ball scouts
were sent out to look over minor league
material, many of them were given In
structions to forget about the splitter
and plenty of curves. The spit ball
Immediately began to be a secondary
consideration and the bushers were just
as quick TO realize this as they were the
fact that a year before the splitter was
looked on with great favor. Consequently
the minor leaguers began dropping the
vapor ball from their delivery and gave
al their attention t. perfect control, de-
veioping speed and mastering the curves.
Fer the last two years many more minor
league pitchers have come to the big
league without the spit ball than those
vino had il In their repertory. No bet
ter proof could be offered that the Pc
culiar 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 tie major leagues today are still up
against tile same old proposition. They
are faucll more liable TO develop streaks
of Witness than twirlers who do not re-
sort 10 its use. If Jimmy Dygert of the
Athletics could control his splitter he
would be practically unhittable. but Jim
my cannot, and often he Is taken out OF
the box before the opposition has made
a hit, just because 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 overland
delivery he gets so much stuff on the