The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-12-31

BY Associated Press

by AssoEldtSu rcrB
CHICAGO, Dec. 30.-The discoverer
of the play. chiefly responsible for
the modern day style Of football
the forward pass-has just been
found. He is Fielding II. c"Hurry
Ups Yost. veteran coach at the Uni
versity of Michigan. twenty-five
years ago, nine years before the for
ward pass was used in fotball, he
introduced the spiral throw, using it
first at Ohio Wesleyan university to
teach punters how to kick spiral
Using his hand instead of his foot.
for Yost says he was poor punter,
he explained to his squad how to
impart whirling motion to the oval,
to give it speed and direction. For
many years he used this trick in
coaching his backfield, and in 1905,
the year before the presented day for
ward pass, he published in book
on football, illustration of his meth
cd of getting off the spiral throw.
.The Spiral Throw
I'm executing the SPIRAL throw"
yost said in his 1905 article. place
the ball on the hand as in the illus
tration. The ball should lie diagon-
ally across the palm from the base
Of sfe thumb to the end of the little
finger. The arm should be. brought
around forward in a horizontal line
and. just as the ball leaves the hand.
it shotfld be caused to revo1ve on
II, T. -. Tar Iii ta a
around the ball and to the left. The
oval will thus be made to rotate like
a spiral kick. The end of the ball
that is ahead in the picture must
be kept ahead all the time. The ball,
in this manner, can be thrown with
case 80 to 80 yards. The revolution
of the ball on IT'S axis should be
rapid. This pass can be made with
or across the wind and with practice
the player can control its distance
and direction almost as well as IL
the oval were a baseball"
Ban Defends Actions
Many versions of the Ty Cobb hit
controversy have filled the columns
OF baseball gossip. but the truth is
that President Ban Johnson of the
American league refused to accept
an unsigned box score as official.
When Johnson announced, after
several weeks Of dispute in news
paper articles, that the hit was
awarded to Cobb because the official
box score was "unauthenticated." he
meant unsigned"
An unsigned box score. Johnson
held. was like an unsigned check
no good. The discovery Of two dis
crepancies in the unsigned box score
was brought to Johnsons attention
by the American league official
statistician as routine matter. and
the Associated Press box score was
substituted for the official box.
Careful checking of the seasons
box scores for final official aver
ages brings to light, it Is learned
many disputes and obvious errors
which are corrected by the official
statistician. II plainly erroneous,
without becoming known. Some Of
fetal scorers, it is said. have been
prone to omit such undisputed events
as double plays and home runs.
High Priced Economy
.sThe Life of Bat Nelson" former
lfghtwe.eht champion, who met them
all and retained his title until Ad
Wolgass won the crown, fails to re-
veal the money-saving capabilities
of the former smuggling and punish
ment absorbing Dane. although II re-
lates his life's ring career authenti-
cally.
Nelson recently returned from tho
cast where he was awarded $1,000
damages following his arrest on 4
charge Of shoplifting. which he
proved to be untrue. Enroute home
he learned that the price Of a sleep
ing car berth would be So. Rather
than spend that amount. Bat" says
lie sat ;ir all night and when he final
ly dozad off to sleep all the windows
in the coach We're opened, causing
him to take cold which prevented
him from talking for several days.
That - cost me 1900" he said