Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-16
BALL PLAYERS WHO WERE IN
SPOTLIGHT IN OTHER DAYS
Arthur Cummings Tells of First Curved
Ball Pitched = ommy Bond Had
Dug Allison as His Catcher
With Hartford.

IN the field, and these two teams had a
merry time until loo fighting for the
Joined the Atlantcs the team was a
imember Of the Association of Professional
! Base Ball Players, the predecessor of the
National League.
Enters Fast Company.
the Hartford team of the same associa-
ton. 1t was Hartford's second year
in what would now be STYLED fast
company" In the first year 1874, it
barely escaped landing in last place
But In 1875 it finished third. and in
| 1876, the first year of the National
| League. 1t captured second place
Hartford had strong team in 1875
| and 1876 some of whose players had
/ made national regulations, and others
| were destined to shine in the future
Bond pitched for the team in these
| two years.
| His catcher was Dug Allison, who
gained fame as member of the re-
doubtable Cincinnati team of 1859.
! out a defeat.
John j. Burdock played second base.
He was with the Atlantic team in 1871
1913. and became a member of the
Hartford team in 1875. Later he played
| grand ball for the Boston National
League team.
] The left fielder was Tom York. one
| Of the best outfielders Of his day. who
/ played brilliant game later as
| member of the Providence team
| First Curve Ball Pitcher.
Arthur Cummings was the second
pitcher on the Hartford team and the
| first man to use curve ball. He was
a tall. slim lad. weighing only III
| and he had long but sinewy arms. He
first used it against the Harvard Uni
versity team in 1869. Some say that
the discovered was accidental but
Cummings himself claimed that he got
his theory from throwing clam shells.
He saw them curve to the right and
to the left, and conceived the idea of
making a ball do the same thing. The
heavy batter of the Harvard team was
player named Archie Bush Cum
nsings was afraid Of him and tried the
curve when he struck at the ball."
says Cummings, 1T seemed to go
foot beyond the end of his stick. !
tried again with the same result, and
then / realized that l had succeeded
at last.
the Hartford team in 1875, but in 1876
Bond was the star. In 1876 Cummings
figured in a record breaking game II
was against the Chicago team at Chi
cago June 10. George Zeittlein was in
the box for the White Stockings. The
game went eleven innings, when Chi
cago scored the winning run. 1t was
the first time that nine innings of play
were completed without, either SIDE
scoring a run In theteleventh inning
James Devlin. who played first base
for the Chicago team, went all the way
to third base on a wild throw by Bur
dock and scored when Paul Hines Hit
to left field for a single.
Were Never Reinstated.
This Devlin. who scored the winning
run in the record-breaking game,
pitched for the Louisville team in 1876
a,p 1877. In the latter year he was
convicted Of crooked work by throw
Ing games and was expelled and placed
on the black list by the National
League, along with his cOnfederates,
Cravcr, Hall and Nichols. Not one of
these men was ever reinsta ted, and their
names are the only ones on the black
list" a menace and caution to pos
terity, which is felt to this very day.
Zettlein. the winning pitcher. got into
the professional ranks in 1870 with the
Atlantics, and later pitched for Troy.
Philadelphia and Chicago. He was not
heard of after 1875 until his death
May 90, 1906, at Patchogue, Long
Island, aged siXty-two years.
Paul Hines. who drove in the winning
run, was one of the most promine mt
and clever Outfielders of the old guard
He began his professional career with
Washington in 1873, and during the
next four years was with Chicago.
From 1873 to 1885. 'period of eight
years. he was with the Providence
team. where he gained a distinction that
places him among the stars OF the
game. In 1878 he took part in a triple
play that not only thrilled the specta-
tors, but prevented the score from
being tied by the Boston team. the
subsequent pennant winner. His ad-
mirers still claim that Paul. who was
stationed in center field, made the play
unassist4d. but records show otherwise
There were men on second and third
when Burdock. the Boston batsman.
seemingly made a safe hit over the
caught by Hines on the fly close to the
ground. The two runners instantly ran
for the next base Hines, after run
ming at great speed for more than five
yards. touched third base and then
threw the ball to Sweeney at second.
completing the triple play
Enjoyed Long Career.
Hines was with Washington in 1885
and 1887; with Indianapolis. then a men,
Der of the National League, in 1888
and 1889, and with the Pittsburgh
and Boston National League teams In
1880. This was practically the end OF his
base ball days. although he returned to
Washington in 1891 and 1893, and played
first base for Burlington. Iowa, in lsAo.
and the same position for Mobile in 16Ni
In 1876 the Hartford team engaged In
another record-breaking feat by being
shut out three times in succession by the
n 4 tam n