Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-04-03

How did learn to throw the spit
oalI?" said Ed Walsh. We'll II nave
to tell you that with 3. confession /
always have made d practice of grab
bir.g any thing that any other pitcher had
whenever ! saw it. That is the way
have perfected my pitching. NO pitching
secret is safe around me.
I'm the early nineteen hundreds l was
big. husky Irish Mick, and l got the
idea that I wanted to be a base ball
pitcher One spring l reported to the
White Sox in Marlin Springs, where the
Giants now train
There was another young pitcher there
named Elmer Strici1lett He and
chummed together. One day Comisiley
got him out to see what he could do
and heard Elmer tell him that he had
something good That was enough for
me- I certainly hadn't Al! ] had was
a fifty-cent piece in pocket. So when
Elmer went out to work | was there
standing around nearly rubberins my
neck off What l saw was the first spit
ball
u saw how Stricklett did it and l
stories about the birth of the spit ball
but / believe that Elmer Strickiett was
the first pitcher who used it.
ITS a wonderful bail. Many people
have an idea that you can throw only
one kind of twister with it. As a
matter of fact. YOU can make spit
ball do anything. follow any curve.
The physics back OF spitna! is the
reverse twist BY wettng the fingers
held on top of the ball and keeping your
thumb perfectly dry you make the ban
spin over and over forward-that is TO
say, it spins away from your fingers ana
toward your thumb The effect is a per
fectly astounding p'tch downward ~
goes straight for the batter's head then
swerveS out and takes a sudden dive
downward
Say that spitbal is such a wonderful
thing that | would like nothing better
than to face an all-star team of the best
battcrs in both leagues and show what |
could do against them with my spllter-
YOU know, some time when | am feeling
just right.
after You learn to control it. a splitter
is an assassnator Of batting averages.
] have frequently allowed a batter to
pile up three balls just for fun, then cut
over three spitters on the corner ana
struck him out.
81 hear IA lot of pitchers complaia that
the splitter can't be contro!led-that it is
a wild erratic bali that goes its own
way without discipline That isn't so.
The trouble is that they don't learn to do
it before trying it.
Before | had the nerve to use a spit
ball in game | practiced it for two
years and part OF another
II used it for the first time in deSDera-
ton | was pitching against Cleveland
in 19Ot and they We're numbering me.
1t was awful. I never got such a lac
ing in my life. Then l pulled this new
splitter on them, and got away with it.
Il had worked very hard on it | had
worked on it all that first year after |
learned it at Marlin Springs. Then for
two wears therea fter every minute that
I was not actually at work in Il game,
was out behind the grandstand working
on that splitter.
of course, to throw a wet ball with
accuracy is difficult at first. But you
can learn it like anything else.
II think that many pitchers smear
the ball with an unnecessary amount of
spit, just moisten my two fingers
and rub them on the ball until 1t is
damp. Then I reach down and pick up
some dirt and rub the dirt on the wet
spot until it is thoroughly black.
| FINALLY I rub my fingers on my trous-
crs. Then | am ready to throw the spit
ball.
is it running my pitching arm?