Arizona republican., 1921-09-10
RESTRICTIONS ON PITCHERS NUT "L|vEL|ER BALL" CAUSE
 OF HARD HIT TING IN MAJORS

them alongside their children, who have stepped into the same trade.
 'The ball at present in use is the same as was introduced into the baseball playing world in 1910. The cork center construction makes it the best and most reliable ball in the orld.
 "As regards material, perhaps the wool is bit better; but the covers, of the first quality leather, and the center is of the same size, which means that the ball Is the same" HSneaked- in" the Cork Center Ball
 Mir. Curtis then went on to tell about the pros and cons of the anti slugging campaign that is at present before the public.
 Tt is an old story to us," he re- marked. "The public has very little idea of what a struggle we had to market the cork-center bah when 1t was perfected in 1910. Although it is not generally known, when the cork-center ball was devised and was ready to supplant the old rubber core type we had to sneak it into the big leagues.
 ''The players used the ball for two weeks before it was made known that the ball was of new type. When the news broke those man. agers and players who were not go- ing as well as they imagined they should do immediately blamed it on the ball. One prominent baseball magnate insisted that the cork ball be taken out immediately-that the rubber core sphere be put back again. It might be interesting to note that his team was relatively low in the league standing.
 "Some two weeks later, this mag mates team took turn for the bet ter and began to climb in the stand ing. Immediately, said magnate changed his ideas on the subject and declared that the cork center ball was pretty good, after. all.
 Up to the Big Leagues
 "So is the case at the present. Pitchers who find that they cannot come across with the proper stuff immediately blame the ball. h. fielders who fail to pick 'em out of the dust properly blame it on the ball. It Is human nature, that's all.
 "As for the slugging. the big leagues used to give the pitcher the upper hand. Now legislation of ball. dom has taken away his advantage and the batter is the player catered to now. The practical removal of the spitball allows the batter to get up close to the plate. for he no longer has to fear that the ball will make wild, saliva induced break and bean him. Pitchers are, more and more, compelled to shoot the ball down the groove and the result is that batters, no longer afraid of wild shoot, stand up and slug the ball.
 If the big leagues are anxious to limit hitting. why do they no go after the players and not after the innocent ball? If the old days of hit and run and third to- -second-to-first are wanted back again. why not let the pitchers use saliva on the ball?
 ''Another thing that handicaps the pitchers is the fact that the moment the surface covering of the ball Is roughened, 1t is removed from the game In the ante-Ruth days. after several innings the balls outer cover ing used to resemble a relief map or the globe.
 gro get back to the old type of game means that the big league rules must bs changed to give the pitchers the upper hand; in other words, go back to the. old limits.
 How About the Colleges!
 Have you noticed that in colle- giate baseball, there have been no