The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-12-09
MATHEWSON TO
USE SPITBALL
big Six" viii Try SaIiVav De-
livery Next Year.
BkTTERS HAVE SOLVED HIM

Is Less Effective, and McGraw Has
Consented to Let Him Adopt Pug
zline 5aII-his Control Is a Handi- |
cap, and He is Losing His Speed.
Christopher Mathewson will probably |
be found using the spitbaI next season |
in an effort to retain his usefulness as
n pitcher. He is under contract for two
years longer with the New York
Giants, and he does not want those
two years to be what his last two
months the past season were.
Matty knows full we'll that he is no
| longer a young man iii full vigor of
athletic ability and recognizes the fact
that he is not as effective as he was in
his prime.
| 1t has been said that the great pitcher
can pitch for several years after his
arm goes back on him-on what he
( knows. There is some truth in that,
but still he feels that if he adopts
new delivery his years of active Ssery-
ice will be heightened.
/ Matty has been pitcIaing so long that
his deliveries that We're once SO puz-
zling have become less effective than
in the past, for the reason that the OPP
ponents have become SO familiar with
his style that they stand up before him
with all the confidence in the world
and just lay back and wait for the
balls they expect.
There w~s a time when if a batter
made more than a single off Big Six
it was a rarity. But now as many long
drives are made off him and as fire.
quently as off other pitchers with much
less reputation.
Matty has always had better CON
troll than any other pitcher who ever
occupied the box. Now, as the time
has arrived that he has not the speed
| he used to have, he finds that his ac-
curacy of aim is a handicap to his
effectiveness. Batsmen face him with
( the utmost confidence. knowing there
is no danger of their being hit. 1t is
not often that control works against
pitcher, but it surely does now in
Matty's case If he was a bit more
wild he would be much more effective.
by adopting the splitter he thinks
he will not be as true in locating the
I plate.
Manager McGraw has never allow
\ ed, ms pitching crack TO use the spit
ball. In fSct, none of the Giants
/ pitchers, with the exception of Bugs
/ Raymond and big Jeff TcSreau
have been allowed to throw it. But
I McGraw, wishing to have Matty OF
his team as long as possible. has told
/ Matty to go as far as he likes from
now on and to pitch any kind Of bal
he wants TO.
+ Matty has been influenced largely il
his determination to adopt the damn
sling 10y the success of Leon Ames the
past season in taking up the delivery
4 Ames was never much on contro
l when he was a Giant, and the fac
I that he seemed to improve in accurac.
of aim when using the splitter infu
! enced Big Six" in his decision
1t will be remembered that JaCl
& Chesbro. after he left Pittsburgh ant
I Joined the Yankees, adopted the spit
ter and became wonderfully effectiv
= with it. Jacks arm had gone stall
and he saw that the only way b
% could continue in the game was to pic
VI SOuIGlLliS ItN anu IlN nCitNISA I'll
splitter as means of salvation. II
DC succeeded beyond his fondest hopes.
W The fact that he pulled the Yankee
up to cOntenders in the race up to til
~ very last day of the season, althoug
the championship was lost by his wi,
pitch, proves that Chesbro's shown
was phenomenal.
NIatty should be able to get even be
ter control than any pitcher who la
tried the splitter. One spring in Marii
Matty experimental with the saliv
a pellet, and he fairly made the bah tall
.se 1t would take three or four little iumI
- or CULVER in the air from the box to I'll
plate, and sporting writer named ii
new delivery the 'quiver." 1t took Il
funniest gyrations imaginable.
Q Although there have been man
W. claimants to the discovery of the sri
ball. some critics are inclined to h
. lieve that Frank Bowcrman is entitlt
to the credit of being the Christoph
-rz. Columbus of the delivery Frank w:
catcher, but he had inclinations
become pitcher, and whenever
could induce any one to catch hill
C which was seldom, he would alwa.
~ toss up the ball after wetting it, and
. would shoot and jump ia the most pu
Eling manner This was fully fiftet
years ago.