Atlanta Georgian., 1912-07-30
By John ('Chief'') Meyers
w YHo is the biggest man in the
w game of baseball, from the
popular viewpoint?

The pitcher.
Whom do the fans talk about
when they're reading their papers
on the way home from business at
night, or on their way downtown in
the morning?
The pitcher-the man who had
them swinging like gates" the man
who stood them on their heads"
the man who fooled them so that,
as the saying goes, they couldn't
hit the ground with their bats"
Working behind the plate, as 1
have, for a few years, have been
able to study few Of these pitch
ers and to become pretty familiar
with the pitching game as gem
eral proposition. And now I'm go
ing to try and tell little bit about
some of the pitchers have worked
with, and how they work:
I don't want to get too eloquent;
but l would Ike to say that If you
take all the pitchers in the world,
and all the stuff" they've got, and
roll up all their careers into one
and then look the product over,
you'll find one man-and one name
sticking out.
I don't think l need to mention 1t.
l can hear a chorus of fans all over
the country-friendly or hostile
speaking It:
Christy Mathewson.
There's no comparison between
Matty and any pitcher that ever
tossed ball. or, in my opinion,
that ever will toss a ball. He's
the old master. the perfect artist.
l think that every person who ever
saw him start will agree with me
that when he takes the box 1t must
be realized that the finished prod
uct, the best ever. Is at work.
In the club I've often said to the
boys: why, could catch Matty
sitting in a rocking chair" That
might sound TO an outsider like
loose talk. But It's true. I could.
I'd do 1t on a bet. Here's the rea-
son: He has perfect control.
When I'm working with Matty I
know that there's to be no hag
Cling over batters. I mean, no sig
mailing by me. then negative shak-
ing of the head by him. then an
other sign from me, and perhaps
another mix" from him. He knows
just what he's doing all the time.
He knows the weaknesses of oppos-
ing batters better than his catcher
does He's the boss of the battery.
and yet a chummy boss, a pal all
through the game.
Curve Ball His Mainstay.
The best thing that Mathewson
has-which may be a surprise to
the casual baseball readers his
curve ball The way Matty works
is to spring his curve-a big curve
which starts to curve all of sud
den-on a batter as soon as eur
club is in any kind of hole. He
let's the batter know that he has
something" And having fooled the
batter once. he generally fools him
again.
In some cases. where. for In
stance. very clever fellow will ex-
pect Matty to switch to another
ball. he'll send the same one over
again Or. with a fellow not so
clever, and who's looking for re-
peater, he'll switch to a straight.
fast one.
And. once the sort Of ball is de-
cided upon between Matty and my
self, know it's going TO be right
where It's marked for. I won't have
Ia dig down in the dirt or 60 up in
an aeroplane after It, think Mat
ty could put up silver dollar on
a barn door and bing 1t every time
from the regulation distance
There has been lot Of talk
about Matty's "fadeaway" ball. I'll
tell little inside stun" about that.
The "fadeaway" Is. in plain words.
an indrop curve. 1t is a ball that
comes up to the plate straight. and.
Just az the batter swings. slowly