Arizona republican., 1921-09-10

Baseball fans throughout the country have been reading reports on the "livelier ball'' with numerous the ories advanced for the heavy hitting in the major leagues this year.
 The cork center ball as used in the American and National leagues this year is the same ball that has been batted around the big league lots for the last ten years, according to Gus Hanson of the Berryhill com pany and he gives as his authority for the statement a letter received from Spaulding few days ago.
 The so-called 'livelier balr' as used this year was stitched on the inside, according to press reports, giving the ball a smooth surface which handi- capped the pitchers. The eastern press carried lengthy articles explain ing the handicap to the pitchers who were unable to get a firm hold on the ball and manipulate the twisters. The eastern papers also state that starting with the July game the old style outside stitched ball made its appearance in major league games and the magnates were gradually throwing in the outer stitch ball.
 But Mir. Hanson contends the ball
 
 resilency as the cork center ball used 15 years ago and the ball has not been changed. In the letter received by Mir. Hanson of the Berryhill com pany, the Spaulding company has en- closed a clipping from the Brooklyn Eagle in which Paul Lockwood at tributes the heavy hitting to the new restrictions on the pitchers.
 The article which follows will in- terest baseball fans who have been watching the box scores during the season:
 Psychology of the individual and psychology of the mob are responsible for the present agitation against the long distance walloping epidemic that is now raging in the major leagues. The propensity, or perhaps weakness, of men to "alibi" poor performance is responsible for dislike of the base ball at present evidenced by a few major league players and managers.
 Julian w. Curtis, president of A. G. Spalding & Bros, manufacturers of the official National league ball, is authority for the above statement. MT. Curtis. former Yale oarsman, ex- coach of Yale's crews and head ref cree and starter of the Intercollegi- ate Rowing association, has devel- oped a deep knowledge of inside base ball from years of experience in han ding contracts of all sorts and de- scriptions, as well as managers, play CTS and magnates. When asked to give his ideas on the present con troversy thal is raging around the heavy slugging in the major leagues Mir. Curtis said:
 Tt seems that whenever baseball player, a whole team. a manager or a magnate finds that his team or he l himself is not performing as well as he thinks he or it ought to the in- evitable result is a search for an alibi. And there is nothing so ca asy to fasten an alibi on as the bal itself.
 No Change Since 1910 First let me say" continued MT. Curtis, that there is no new method of construction used in the buildine of the Spalding official Nationa League ball. Nor Is there any change in the materials or the quantities ol material that goes into the ball.
 Tn regard to construction. we have now old employees who have beer with the firm since it started manu- featuring balls. They are stil working at their benches, many o'