The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-02
greatly similar to Mathewson's, fast ball with a deceptive hop.
 Cross Fire an Old Style

greatly similar to Mathewson's, a fast ball with deceptive hop.
 Cross Fire an Old Style
 The principle of the cross fire ball, used so successfully by Eddie Plank and Hooks Wiltse, is as old as left handed pitching, though these pitch CTS saw the possibilities of it more than their predecessors. The idea was to place the right foot on 3the ex- treme right corner of the rubber, and then extended toward the first base as far as possible pitch to the bats men from sharp angle.
 An inbreaking cure completed the delivery, and both of the pitchers mentioned achieved great success with it. Rube Waddell, at one time Plank's teammate on the Athletics and per haps the greatest left-handed pitcher ever developed, used terrific speed, giving his ball the "hop" or "break" already discussed in connection with fast ball pitching.
 The knuckle ball had been tried 1 by some old timers, but only in prac- tice for the purpose of seeing what | queer tricks they might make the
  Detroit, was about the first pitcher to use it successfully. The idea was to hold the ball against the knuckles of the lower fingers, holding it with the index finger and thumb, and let it slip out of the hand like a spit ball. The delivery was painful on the knuckles and required very strong fingers. It is dangerous ball to pitch and a catcher can hold it only after long practice. Cicotte also has eXperimented quite bit with it and has used it successfully.
 Russell Ford, formerly of the Yan- kees, was the inventor of the emery ball. He and Sweeney kept the se- cret for a long time. Sweeney later confided it to Ray Heating and grad ually other pitchers began to try it. To a baseball layman the principle of the emery ball may not sound logical. The general impression of the fan was that Ford and other emery ball pitchers roughened the cover of the ball in order to grip it more firmly. Many other pitchers who knew or sus- pected Ford roughened the ball thought the same way, and almost tore their arms out experimenting with it.
 The principle of the emery ball was to roughen one side of the ball and pitch it with the fingers holding on the smooth surface. The air cur rents would take up the rough sur face and give the emery ball it's fla nous sail. Ford would combine the i, splitter with the emery ball at times, letting the spitball slide out of his hands with one side of the ball rough ened.
 The resin-bal and the so-caIled shine ball, ,"both made famous by Ci- cotte, were outgrowths of the emery ball. Despite deniaIs Cicotte, until stopped by the umpires continually used powdered resin on the ball. One side would be resined and the other } side smooth to give the ball the strange sail when the air currents got it.
 The "shine balr' consisted of rub ping talcum powder into one side of the ball, thereby polishing it or shin } ing it. The anointment made the nat ural side the rough side and was supposed to give the ball it's sail. Ci- cotte later admitted this ball was more } or less of a psychological delivery. } The players who hit against him be- l. lieved he was doing something mys- . terious to the ball, and it did not } help their confidence when they fac ed him.
 The bean ball, made famous by Carl Mays and Dutch Leonard of the Red } Sox, is older than baseball. It is known by ball players as "dusting 'em off" It is a wildly delivered ball , looming dangerously near the batter's head.