The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-03
CRAVITATION PLAYS
AN IMPORTANT PART
ON BALL DIAMOND

feeders are in constant dread OF II
jumping from their hands.
The scientific explanation Of the
spithall is simple. The causes and
results may be made more obvious IL
a marble Is employed instead of a
regulation baseball. Without spinning
the marble. drop II into 4 tall jar OF
water. The marble will drop straight
downward for q foot or moro. then
lurch sideways and follow \ sigxag
path to the bottom. No one can tell
which way the marble will lump"
when It breaks from the straight
line of descent. Sometimes 1t may go
one way. sometimes another. II il the
same with a .lobbed' baseball; the
ball giides straight forward for some
distance--then breaks"
The reason for the phenomenon L.:
Compressed air accumulates ahead OF
the ball This Is an unstable state of
AFFAIRS. similar to a broom poised on
the tip OF the finger: the least disturb
ance may make the ball pass to one
side of the compressed air just as the
slightest disturbance may topple over
the broom.
After AL Orth's first spitbail began
to cut down batting averages more
than decade ago. pitchers who tried
to emulate Orth were at sea to know
how to control the Jump" Go back
again to the marble and jar. Imagine
a small spot OF oil on the marble This
oil spot. being slippery. allows the
water to glide over II with iess fric-
ton. thus DETECTING the marble out OF
! its course.
Similarly. q wet spot on the base
ball-the spot on which the pitcher
expectorates--enahle the air to glide
over the sphere with reduced friction
The direction Of the sidewise Jump"
IS determined by the tendency to
Jump In a certain direction. should
travel further In a straight line be-
fore jumping" So with the baseball
The compressed air ahead will. per-
hans, make the pro1ectile turch
aside. even II not 4 spitball but the
pitcher Is not aware In which way It
will be detected. The spit spot simply
starts the Jump" in a prearranged d.
rection.
To &c, complete control over the
sfdewise Jump" IL extremely difIicult.
When and where II Ii to occur would
he difficult, to ascertain. as the pitcher
would have tt. throw the spit spot in q
fixed direction. Without spinning the
ball. this virtually would be impos-
sib'e. The pitcher may send the ball
spinning RAPIDLY. however, the curva-
turf of its path preventing an accumu-
lation of air ahead. This accumula-
ton enhances a curve. not break"
Air Handicaps O'Rrien.
But as an Antttheeis to the accu-
INFLATED air problem there comes the
case OF Buck O'Brien. Several sea-
Sons ago tho Boston fans were re-
1oicing because the Red Sox pitching
, stan was to acquire 4 marvel from
the Denver team Of the Western As
isociatton. O'Brien was the marvel"
and he arrived In Boston pre-
coded with tales Of terrific speed and
slaughter OF batsmen. ;, But when In
the American League O'Brien failed
to justify his reputation. was SUBJ
Iseauentiy traded to the Chicago Whit.
Sox. and finally thrust Into some
minor league The impression az
once sprang up among the fans tina.
he couldn't Withstand fast company.
Persons who delved into the matter
more thoroughly, however, came to q
different conclusion--OBrien was
victim OF circumstances.
Here Ii their explanations: The air
OF Denver Is pure and rare, owing to
the elevation. Hits made in the Dem
yer bail park were travelling further
than hits IN low regions. and all the
pitchers looked like Walter johnson.
Balls flying through space met With
little air resistance. But later, when
tho pitcher from the mountain coun-
TRY went to Boston. his exceptional
speed fell below par. Heavy atmoe-
lpheric pressure has been blamed by
many a. the causa
y IT, + Z