The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-30

The reason why paSebaH CdH ns
thrown 90 that il viii describe wonder
full curves during its progress through
the air is that every such bah has .
surface made up OF mountains, val
leys, craters. canyons gorges. plains
and other irregularities OF the surface
that. when the difference in size II
taken into consideration, makes Inc
surface of isne earth seem ike plate
glass.
N IL were possible to make perfect
sphere--if il we're possible to make .
baseball with an absolutely smooth
surface and an exact sphere--no pitch
er in the world could make II curve,
The very best pitchers baseball has
ever known or probably ever VIII
know could not make the ball deviate
a hairs breath in its flight.
And so while II is partly in rne art
mr. Lnact the professional pitcher has
! I'm iao,esisig. FIT Is also. d1ae 70 the fact
that baseball has a wonderfully
rough surface against which the All
catches and turns it, that gives It the
curve.
If Won pass your hand over plate
glass 1t moves smoothly with nothing
To retard II. IL you pass your hano
over an unpianed board you can feel
the roughness. Splinters. we call
them. You cannot move your hand
as easily over the board This is the
same principle with the basebai.
There is roughness to Its surface
that catches in the air and forces
one side about, or retards that side.
Tshis has bre one result. to make the
baseball leave its straight course and
in doing this ii describes a curve
This has but one result, to make the
from the cleverness OF the pitcher who
can so accurately Judge his muscular
control as to make a baseball curve
up or down, right or Jeff or. In tne
parlauce of the fan. he throws a
, adrop'' or an 'sin-shoot," or out
shoot" But the fact remains that II
IL the roughness of the baseball that
makes all his pitching cleyerness
possible.
Take brand new league ball IN
your hand. II looks to be perfect
sphere. that is, absolutely even. and
uniformly round. ana as smooth as
glass" And II has rough surface
But baseball under the most pow
erfuI of microscopes enlarge 1t micros-
copically 10000 diameters and what
do you see2 The very tning mention
ed In the first paragraph Of this ar
i tlc1e. me SuIIaCc ~ IbuEH. ~ ioVhs
like the landscape In the Alps or Vel
| lowstone Park. or the Had lands, OIL
| the Grand Canyon, or the Andes or
any other rough section OF the earth
| 1t has peaks. ranges, ridges, valleys
planes and poles, Eulches and all parts
| OF uneven places. and II t.1e earth
could be made "a small as baseball
Ell would be pracficAilv perfect sphere
and absclutelv smooth. This II he-
Icaases the highest naonntainas Of tbs
earth. the deepest valleys would be
millions upon milisors Of time. small
tler lii comparison with the rough, I'M
even places on baseball II either the
earth were reduced to the size OF q
baseball or baseball enlarged 20 the
size OF the earth,
III this were not true the earth would
! not revolve 20 regularly updn its axis
| Ii wonid perform an ''inshoot,s Oh
l"cutshoot, II and curve or through
| space. tit St IA M
| III our drawing al u BIT az the sur
| fAcs OF baseball maKnffied i0.e0t
/ diaxnAtsrs, IL saiaosxs rsaE@ed rnountAir
| PEAKS ana deep valleys and eraters
such M has never sheen dup located or
1 our earthss eslrface The ttnfest II
4 Kern1a. y ttl1fou of which nfSh I Ionaiig
sss q '' 'ss