The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-07-12
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"HERE'S \ LOT or TALK this
season about a new kind OF
- ball used effectively by sev.
oral pitchers and which has been
known as the shineball. licorice
ball. talcum powder ball aud what
not
Its use. so far as reports show.
has been confined TO the American
league and for the most part TO
pitchers on the Chicago club.
The name "shineball" probably
is the best way to designate the
innovation. which ball payers de-
clare has a peculiar break. which
IS only exceeded By that OF the II.
legal emery ball
As the emery ball was produced
by the use OF a small rough spot
on the ball. the shineball is sim.
Harry caused by a small. very
smooth spot on the ball This may
be caused by rubbing talcum pow
der. licorice or any other smooth.
slippery substance on the ball
Eddie Cicotte and Danforth OF
the White Sox and c. Falkenburg
OF the Athletics are said to have
developed the ball particularly
well. altho other pitchers are said
to be using H.
The legality OF the ball was
taken up with President Ban John.
son by Umpire Billy Evans. but the
league president refused to rule II
out
What is the "shineball"9
u 10 particularly Vicious
member OF the spitbsll family.
which depends upon air pres
sure for It's peculiar defiance
Of the lava Of moving bodies
and Of sravitstion.
Its breaks are similar to
those Of the emery ball, but
not so sharp.
The shineball can be made to
break either up or down, and the
shineball which breaks down may
also break either to the right or
the left.
In throwing the ball so that the
smooth surface Is on the top, the
ball win break slightly upward. II
the smooth spot is on the bottom.
the break will be downward
The explanation Is rather tech
meal. being based on several laws
OF physics.
The shineball Ia only effective
when the shiny spot is on one OF
the poles OF rotation. Experiments
show that the friction OF the air
on the sides OF a moving ball is
somewhat greater than the veloc-
ity OF the ball The natural sur
face OF even a new baseball Is
rather rough and the friction would
be less on the surface made shiny
by the application Of talcum pow.
der or licorice
This tends to pile Up the air on
the side Of the ball which has not
been "doctored" and slow up the
speed OF that side.
The air cushion causes a pres
sure on the side Of the ball which
has not been "shined" and pushes
the ball in the other direction.
This Is the mystery Of the
The use Of the ball by ICY Falk-
enburg Is particularly interesting.
Falky was the second man to
use the emery ball. which had been
invented by Russell Ford He used
II first at Toledo with such effect
that he was sent back to Cleveland.
from which club he had been farm.
ed. In 1914, Falky, then regarded
as an old man in baseball, a pitch.
or who had outlived his usefulness.
won his first 10 games. lie fin.
ished the season with an earned
run average Of 2.21.
The use Of this ball was discov-
cred the following year when both
Ford and Falky went to the Fed
eral league.
The use Of the shineball this
year was first noticed In a game
bitched by Falkenburg In a game
between the Athletics and Cleve-
land MAY 22
SOME FAMOUS baseball inven.
tons are listed as follows:
I867-The first curve ball was
invented by William Arthur Cum
pings. Other curve balls had I'M