The Washington times., 1919-12-25

waters breaking their necks to serv
0rst pays his respects to Washing
ordering his dinner. II you would se
AAs Commercial club. He owns the
-Of course, you young fellows don't
remember when I was breaking In rs
a. pitcher" began President Griffith.
That's true. It is probably true that
no man in Washington is old enough
to recall those days when Clark
Gnfnth was a rookie finger, yet he
= must have been one day In his long
and tempestaous life as q profess
stonal performer on the diamond.
"WelL when I was Just breaking
IN as . pitcher" continued President
Griffith. Il got . Job in San Fran
cisco. As everybody knows, San
Francisco has some exceedingly moist
weather in the spring. I got there In
time to experience it to the full 1t
came close to running me as pitcher.
Had to Pitch Often.
I'm those days each Coast League
club had two pitchers and the team
laid of Mondays, Tuesdays, and
Wednesdays, playing single games on
Thursday and Friday. double-headers
on Saturday. and single games on Sun
day Figure IL out for yourself how
often a pitcher had to work.
when 1 reported I was in pretty
good shape. but after few days of
pitching In that moist weather my
arm went back on me-. couldn't Get
a thing on the ball and had visions
OF walking back to Bloomington.
cit finally came around to the open
ing day OF the season. The manager
didn't want to start OF with green
pitcher like me and so the other fell
low drew the job. 1t was flne day,
too. as ] we'll recall, and my eliminate
won his game That night. thinking
of my lame arm, / hoped for another
warm. sunny day for my trial had
to pitch the next day, anyway, and
1 did, too.
Drew Rainy Weather.
"on the morning Of my trial the
sun was bright and warming, but .
few hours before game time the mists
began rolling In from the ocean and
j began TO shake in my shoes. I
didn't let the manager know anything.
though. and was right out there in
the box when the game got under
way. 1t was dark and gloomy. just
right for fast ball, but / had such
a sore arm that I could barely get
Inc ball up 10 the plate, let alOne put
ting anything on 1t.
Il managed to survive the first few
innings all right. and then the mist
settled down on the field and. win
my weak whip. l saw the end The
ball got wet and / began drying .
place for my thumb. Then, though
II didn't strike me very forcibly at
the time. L noticed that i was get
ting something on the ball II was
sailing for me.
Il kept right on smoothing and
drying up that place on the ball ard
kept fooliny the batters right on to
the end of the game. 1 didn't say
anything about my discovery. and won
my nrst game for San Francisco.
ITO make a long story short,
won every game 1 pitched for five
or six weeks. i kept on using wnat
must have been shine ball, though
didn't know just what 1t was OF
how 10 improve IL. Gradually my
arm began to come back. and | fin
ished out the season on the coast.
got my start with what 1 now con-
slider an illegal delivery"
oh. How He Hates IL.
oh. how Griff hates the splitter. the
sinner and the other brands of freak
deliveries. It he has his way, they'll
all vanish from professional baseball.
"a big league pitcher caG pitch
hrst-class ball" says President Grit
filth. without ever fCoIing with these
illegal deliveries. All he requires
il physical stamina, curves and speed.
he doesn't have TO be a giant. either.
70 have stamina. Some of the best
pitchers are of medium size. They
use their brains wiA speed and
e-rves, that's all. And that is all any
pitcher needs.
aa 4GkN- ri 20
some players to use these illegal de-
| Iiveries Take Walter Johnson. TOR
| instance. Walter is never so effec-
tive as when he Is bit wild. in 9TH
er words. when he gets so much stuff
on the ball that he can't control At.
and II sails and leaps all around the
plate. \ batter takes his life in his
hands wnen he goes up 10 face that
STUFF.
Would BE Iavineihle.
IF Walter made a practice OF US
ing the shine ball or the emery ball,
he would be invincible. But he might
also Kill some oatsmen who failed to
get out OF the way. Do you suppose
batsman could always judge the
sail Of such a delivery coming from
Walter Johnson: l should say not.
- If these illegal deliveries are per-
mitted to spread In baseball. il will
be but a matter OF time when every
pitcher coming up from the minors
will have this one or that one. Green
pitchers are wild. anyway. but can
you Imagine the casualty lists when
green pitchers are out there pitch
ing shine balls and spitters and en-
cry balls2
Il don't mean 70 be unfair to those
pitchers now in fast company
through control Of spitters or shine
balls. That wouldn't be right Eddie
Cicotte, for instance, should be al
lowed the use of his shine ball until
he is done. He is a veteran as il is.
and ne can't go on forever. But
w hen be passeS nnf Of fhN La. -.