The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-09-14
Real Football Battle Scheduled Saturday
Sport Chatter

SPOIl Sh ]
Few young pitchers come up
from the minors and find a prom
tnent place on q pennant conten.
der staff. ,,st-
But the ST, Louis Browns owe
part Of their squirt this season to
a youth who was pitching last
season with the Louisville Colon.
els In the American Association.
Wayne Wright.
A sweeping sidearm delivery,
patterned after Grover Alexandefs
is Wright's chief stock in trade.
Recognized batting stars have
been mystified by his stuff. The
secret has been explained now
however. It's the fingernail ball !.
1t conforms to all the pitching
regulations. Wright in no way
hampers with the ball. He neither
rips the stitches nor scratches the
leather. He merely places the
edge Of his fingers against the ball
and gets his grip with thumb and
small finger.
Hes mastered a varied assert.
ment Of shoots with this delivery
"a slow ball that doesn't reyolve.
sharp, jerky curve, and a fast
ball that hops approaching the
plate.
Like other youths, Wright hal
to walt on Old Man Opportunity.
He sat on the Browns bench for
two full months before he pitched
ball. An injury to Urban
Shocker created a vacancy early In
June.
Wayne was Just a mediocre
pitcher last season with the team
that achieved the American Asso'
citation pennant, winning Il
games and losing Is. He ranked
thirty first in the earned-run
table, allowing 4.6S earned runs
per game. Danforth, In the sare
league, won 20 and lost 16 games,
with an earned run column Of
2.66. Yet Wright has been a far
more successful pitcher in the
American League than Danforth,
Joe Phillips, veteran OF many
a diamond battle and probably the
best known player in this section
of the country, has been tho
hero OF many baseball skotGll, 80
to make him the bulwarK Of MI.
other yarn or two won't ,lo him
any harm. .
One day last summer so the
story runs, Charles ("sleepy')
Burns Of this city was pitching i
game for a team from Weston
managed by Alta Boy" Bennett.
For seven innings Burns went
like q major league star, the op.
posing batsmen getting only one
little bingle. Before the start Of
the eighth inning, according to
the story told by Bennett, Burns
came to him and asked to be
taken out Of the box saying that
the other team was going to reach
him in the next frame.
Bennett thought this was all
nonsense and that the pitcher was
having q weird dream. He insist
ed that he go right on pitching.
The first seven men up in the
next inning hit safely, two three
baggers and three doubles being
among the bingles. After the
seventh man had hit safely, Joe
Phillips came running in from
center field, put his hands on
Burns shoulder and exclaimed:
Listen, kid. pass few OF
them-f am all In racing around
out there"
The side was retired without
further damage, and Burns went
in the ninth frame and famed
the side, The game. however, was
hopelessly lost.
a few weeks ago over at
Waynesburg, Shell Johnson Of
Grafton. the best umpire In West
Virginia, according to all those
who have seen him work and who
has known Phillips for "a long
time. was working q game at
Waynesburg. johnson and Joe
got into a round about some new
balls as the last of ~the ninth
started. Johnson ordered Phillips
off the ground. Joe went up In the
air higher than a kite and \ex-
claimed. "Just think this is my
home town and you have ordered
me off the grounds" 1t took q
meeting OF the board directors
held behind the plate to get Joe
off the grounds. He declared
that Johnson would never work
another game, but a few weeks
later he sent him an invitation to
work series OF nine games.
Phillips gets so interested in a
baseball game that he forgets ev-
erything but the score and the
inning.
One Of the hardest luck after.
moons that Joe ever had was at
South Side Park, this city, a
couple years ago. 1t was a II
inning game between two city
league teams that finally was call
ed on account of darkness with
the score a tie. The first time
Joe came to bat that afternoon
the center fielder made circus
catch Of a drive from his bat
near the fence. Every time Joe