The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-05
MUD BALL WILL NOT BE USED THIS YEAR IN SOUTHERN LEAGUE Constitution of League Pro- hibits DiscOloring of Any
 Ball by Players
BAUGH SAYS RULES
 MUST BE ENFORCED
Release of Clark of LoOkouts UphOlds Belief-Same Rule Covers Emery and Spitball-ResOlution Against
 the Mud Ball Were Voted Down

the Mud Ball Were Voted Down
 The mudd ball, which caused three day sensation in the Southern league las season, will not be employed by pitchers in the Baugh circuit this season. Tnl is despite the fact that the directors hav' taken no definite stand in the matter mol has the league executive prohibited th' use of the delivery. He has merely de cided that the rules of the league shal be inforced and will so instruct his um pires, which will spell the death of thu mud ball.
 There is in the constitution of the South ern league a section which prohibits iron discoloring the ball in any way. H' may not, when receiving a new ball iron the umpire, rub it in the dirt and st change the shining wn.teness to a dul gray. The constitution provides that al offending pitcher, after warning, may be fined for second infraction of tht rules.
 The mud ball agitation theoretically is in the same status as it was last veal when President Baugh announced tha the national board had not ruled agains the delivery and that he would not in terfere. That is his position today theo retically. Actually, he has virtually pro hibited the use of the mud ball, that is he has not. but the league has and nc pitcher will be allowed to use the delivery simply by means of a law that is already on the statute books of the league.
 CLARK RELEASED AS RESULT The renewal of the mud ball agitation came with the announcement that the Chattanooga club had released Pitcher Jeff Clark, reputed to be one of the few twirlers in the Southern league last veal who was able to use successfully the method of delivery known as the mut ball. This release was brought about, il was announced, because of the decision to do away with the mud ball. The fol. lowing from the Chattanooga Times is Illuminating:
 Secret of Jeff, Clark's release to tho Springfield club is out.
 Jeff was let go because the league confidentially put the ban on his mud ball' last fall, and that was faf5 | Some of the fans in the league may have marveled that 8 youth who pitched IS scoreless innings in one day
 last year and delivered himself of
 divers other stellar, performances
 should not have been retained for 1916, even if he did finish with rather anti-climaX.
 Previous to the discovery of the
 mud ball. Clark was only an ordi- v{<o Ia hod nf y1or and got by with a number of good relief performances, but was unable
 to finish a game he started. As soon as he began to use the new delivery. he was marvelously effective.
 DISCOVERER UNKNOWN
 Just who discovered the delivery or
 whence it came, it's hard to say, but Kid Elberfield and Raleigh Aitchison
 coached the youth in using it and found him quick to learn. The Chat tanooga manager defended the style of pitching as no more iniquitous than
 the spit ball and other tricks of the
 pitching profession, but the league
 ruled otherwise.
 Clark has a fair fast ball and q medium good curve, but hardly strong
 enough for this circuit. It may be
 that he will make good in the Central league. He has two great pitching assets-control and nerve-in addition
 to which he is quick to learn. These assets may stand him in well.
 Now, as a matter or fact, when tht resolution to prohibit the mud ball came up in the meeting of the directors last fsll 1t was voted down, according tt President Baugh. It was joined to g resolution which provided also for th' prohibition of the emery and the spi balls. This appeared 10 the directors tt be superfluous, as there is already rult against the emery ball, yhe spit ball is universally prohibited and the mud bal proposition is completely handled in { rule of the league already in force Therefore the matter was allowed to re main in sttus quo.
 VIOLATION OF RULES
 MT. Baugh, when he came to investi gate the subject. decided that there il Q rule, the provision of the constitution mentioned above, which covers the mut ball very fully and the umpires will b, instructed to inforce this rule agains discoloration of the ball. as well as al otEer regulations.
 President Baugh says that if pitcher can deliver the mud ball without there by discoloring the pellet he may do i and welcome This, of course, is permis sion to accomplish the impossible, fJ the essence of the mud ball lies in tat daubing of mud on the sphere in orde to give the fingers a firmer grip an( make the ball break.
 Chattanooga need shed no tears O blood over the enforced release of Clark if 1t was enforced. which is open to ques tion. He was not of Southern leagu calibre, although he has two requisite of great pitcher. It is not impossible that with further development he woul' make Elberfeld a good man. but at pres ent he is unripe. Clark was not s wonderfully effective last season. H won Il and lost 13 games and about si. of the games he won he bounced Sir mingham for. He seemed to be a jim to Moley's club. and it was peculiar, be cPuse he didn't have thing but goo, control and plenty of nerve. His fas bali did not break and his curve wa slow ball and nothing more.
 As 8 matter of fact lot more wa made over the mud ball than there wa any Justification for. This form of de livery was by no mean generally use, over the league and few of the pitcher found it really an aid. or course ther vas considerable stalling and sweepinl up of shandfulls of the soil for the benefi of the timid batter, but the pitcher wh, regularly used the mud ball was not ant will not be.
 CALIFORNIA ROWING