The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-05-13
"SPIT BALL ARTIST" R.
FORD SAYS HE DOESN'T
USE THE SALIVA SHOOT
Souse Heave Russell Employs Is
Made To Break Either
Way
FORD PHYSICALLY WEAK
Uses His Gray Matter To Help
Out What He Lacks
In Sinew
BY RALPH l.. YONKER.

Dan artist OF the Yankees, uoesh
use the saliva heave at all. That
what Russell Ford says. He says that
the impression that he is a splitter is
erroneous-all to the bad. In other
words, Ford is "spit-ball artist and
not a spit-ball artist
Ford says that he has freak ball
that so closely resembles the splitter
that 1t has always been mistaken Tor IL.
II has all the appearance OF the
soused delivery except that while the
true tank can never tell which way IL
is going 10 tack Just before IL reaches
the port, Fords heave knows before
IL leaves its owners hand whether II
Is going TO break to the right or To
the left
Just how thisf reak is thrown is
well known by Russell Ford and he is
very communicative about 1t. For two
years, or ever since he has been in
the Big Tent, his rivals have tried to
learn. by hook or crook, just what
he threw is still we'll known by Russell
Ford.
This freak is what has made Ford
one OF the greatest pitchers of the
day: but he has other stuff He has
.tyranical fast ball good hook and
fairly good slow one. all of which are
let go with the same gestures. He has
ythe hiding stunt down well and keeps
his throwing hand we'll behind his
glove when not in fast motion, so that
il is impossible to guess what is com,
ing.
Growing all this is Ford's gray mat
ter He Is one OF the brainiest pitch
ers in the game In body he is weak
er than the iron men-far weaker. He
Is OF only average build and weighs
i75, not a great deal for a pitcher He
realizes that he is not the strongest
man in the world and he demands
few days rest between games.
He cannot be compared for useful
ness to Walter Johnson or Ed Walsh.
whose names seem to appear in the
box scores about every other day now
adays.
Just what was the matter with Ford
Saturday when the Tigers got to him
in the sixth inning and knocked him
: previously unassailable delivery into
a pulp is not known unless he weak
ened suddenly. He has been going
well up to the time he retired.
II won't be often that Ford is NAL
treated in that way, unless he gives
me lie TO all the claims OF his many
friends that he is not a mere flash in
4 the pan.
Ford, in his first year in the Ameri-
can league. established great record
Tor a youngster. In 1870 he won 26
games out of 81 pitched, Only one
other big Lacquer came near that rec
ord in the same year, King Cole. OF
TIE Cubs, being the lucky man. And
Cole went back the next year.
Last year Ford didn't show so well
butt there was more than one reason
He was with a club that landed in
sixth place, for one thing, as COM
pared TO the runners-up the year be-
tore More than half OF the games he
lost were sacrificed by one run. More
Shan half of them were lost through
errors on the part of his teammates
Moreover. he was Obliged to face
the best pitchers in the league. There
is common talk that Walter Johnson
is soon going TO have TO face only the
weaklings as managers won't want to
waste good pitchers on him. That
never was the case with Ford He has
always had to face as good as there
was.
Yet. despite handicaps, Ford won
two-thirds OF the games he pitched
last year.