New Britain herald., 1915-08-04
IS 4 CURVE BALL
 AN HLUSION?'
(Continued from Page Eight
the oseason lasting SIX months and r,,nre?

the eseason lasting SIX months and more?
 A catcher and a pitcher have set of signals. There is a sign for a curve, another sign for fast ball, etc. Now, if the catcher signs for fast ball (which is supposed to be practically a straight balI, and the pitcher mis- takes the sign to call for curve and eitches that, why is it that the back stop either gets the ball on his meat N na4an--which is baseball for bare hand--or it hits him in the shn,
 breast protector or some other unex-
 pected spot?
 The worst sin baseball pitcher can
 commit is to '.cross his catcher''-
 hand him fast one when he is ex-
 pec.ing curve, or vice versa. Why
 I remember 9 time when first start
 ed to pitch big league ball when I got
 mixed up on the sIgns. I don't re-
 mem Der just who my catcher was
 that day, but I think it was Charley Dooin.
 He stopped and gave me sign that thought called for a curve ball.
 
 dangerous batter at the plate. started one for the batter's head and it bent over tn plate beautifully-but Dooin's glove wasn't anywhere near the ball Tn fact, he was holding his glove up back of the patter's neck, where the ball started for. It hit Charley on the meat hand" and shot past him to the grand stand. He chased it fast, and the runner only advanced to second.
 Heads up.s shouted Dooin to me aE Me took his place behind the plate again. That meant to watch his signs "a title closer. Then he gave me what I took to be the sign for a fast ball, and I put all the smoke could Son the one I put over. It was a beauty, chest high with a zip to it that caused the batter to swing under it.
 Charley had his glove down to his knees; when he saw that ball coming L> Ssaggered around a bit like a blind man who instinctively knows that something is approaching. and the pill hit him on the breast protector. Luckily, it dropped in front of him, and he was able to pick it up and throw it to third base before the rum ner could advance. Then he walked out to me.
 Gosh, Alex. what're you trying to do; kill me-" Charley whispered in my ear; and he was mad clear through, too. asked you for fast one and you handed me a curve, Then I signed for curve and you dished up fast one. Can't you see my signs Or are you trying to cross me-"
 We got together and discovered that I had twisted the signs in my head. We will suppose for example, that one finger extended means a curve and two fingers extended fast one. WeII, I had it just the opposite, aid that is why had Dooin up in the l air, and might have killed him and lost the ball game if we had not 8straightened it out right there. tell the above story to prove, to my way of thinking, that there posi- lively is a curve ball. The scientist | wfHsa agree with me that if a curve ball l was an optical illusion Dooin and I l would not have found it necessary to 1 have signs. A sign cannot produce l an optical illusion--at least, it can't l produce the thing for the pitcher, catcher, batter and all the spectators for the fans can see a ball curve, too 4 backstop might slip me the sign for fast ball an entire afternoon, and if his eyes happened to be in a curve mood he'd see them all bend over the plate, and he'd be dancing around like wild man and chasing five out of every six, because he'd miss them sure.
 The fact remains that the success full big league pitcher shoots up a fast one when the catcher orders that kind of. ball and bends curve over when ths catcher wants that. And they go through that performance an entire game, and many games, with single misund derstanding.
 But the batter; what about him He doesn't know whether the twirler is going to hand him curve or a fast one But if it is a, curve when he guessed it would be a fast one you'll see him reaching out for it after he
 Avuau With