Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-05

Just how successful the sSheino
worked out. + don't know. l have
talked with several American Asso-
citation umpires, and they tell me the
rule was rigidly enforced. do know
several association pitchers VINO
Joined the American League, after the
close of their season, relied largely
on the spit ball for success in the
Johnsonian organization.
There is Ray Heating. for instance,
who Joined the New York Americans.
Perhaps Heating got by in the as
ISOLATION with the fast one ana the
curve, but the moment he came back
to the American League his nest as
set was the splitter.
Decries Freak Deliveries.
| have always regretted the intro
duction of the spit ball rand other
freak deliveries. | think base ball
would be more interesting II pitch-
ers confined their stock IN trade TO
speed. curves and a change in pace.
IT would give the batsmen better
chance. and, since a certain amount
Of ba tting is essential to the interest
of the game, that would be one ad-
vantage gained. In the second place.
it would tend to develop smarter
pitching If the twir]ers had no freak
delivery to resort to in pinch. In
the third place, the introduction OF
the freak deliveries slowed UP the
game. because a pitcher i'll using a
freak delivery must have the bail
properly manicured before denver
ing it, and must be careful as to hoW
he holds the ball as he starts 1T to
the plate.
Another annoying feature that has
crept into the pastime as a result of
the use of the freak deliveries Is the
constant desire of batsmen to make a
careful investigation of the ball any
Il ia
through in a pinch. In a great many
eases the thought of an alibi is upper
most in the athletes mind. as he de-
mands that the ball be given the
"once over" Yet in many cases l
have not attached a whit of blame to
the player, because to get such de-
ceptive break on the ball it was prac-
tically certain the pitcher resorted to
some unusual method.
Emery Ball Now Disguised.
Russell Ford made the emery ball
famous Many other pitchers pro-
longed their careers through its use.
emery ball must go. placed such
drastic penalty on the use that the
emery ball proper is no longer in
cluded in the repertoire of American
League pitchers. The emery ball. I'M
der various DISCUSSES. still flourishes,
L
mated from pitchers stock in trade.
Through roughening of very small
surface on a ball 1T is possible to
make said ball do all kinds of funny
maneuvers 1t is only natural that in
a pinch a twirler will resort to such
delivery il possible. Pitchers have
discovered it is easy to create small
rough spot on the ball without re-
sorting to the forbidden emery paper.
To offer an example of the theory
ft.,e- tn .I.sr,s
the conversation i had with an Ameri-
can League pitcher few days before
the close of last season. I will not
give his name, because that would be
unfair. but I will say he is one of the
best pitchers in the American League.
one who could easily hold his own, If
speed. curves and a change of pace
were really all you could possibly get
away with,
I had noticed that whenever in
pinch this pitcher would get lot of
STUFF on the all important ball. He
could make ii sail" AS e rule,