The Washington times., 1922-03-18

eligible for q full slice Of . world
ers instead Of cash when he carried
rcentage Of the purchase price.
Those wrinkles have been ironed
out and Dave is down here with the
Browns. He forms what clockers
and baseball sharps say may be the
difference between third place and
the pennant for the 1922 Browns.
He Ia contented. That means q
lot. but ne wouldn't be here, as he
told me, but for the fact that ne
believes the Browns have q chance
to represent the American League
In this years world series.
Baseball for Dave has not been
q %, ,OO0.barrel-a-day oil well. He
cites his release from the Chicago
White B0x in 1919, two days be-
fore tho time Of eligibility for tho
c0ntesting players. He accepted
that release. Not all Of u, how
ever. for he was marked for the
Columbus club, but he changed
his course and Joined the Balti-
Dry Docks.
Then with Columbus last spring
he told them that he would pitch
himself back to the major league
class and that II ne succeeded he
wanted piece OF the financial
glory. He did pitch himself back
by winning twenty-five and losing
fifteen games, with a tail-end club.
The New York Yankees bid s25.000.
That is official. The Browns
swung the deal with players.
However. players have a financial
vaiuG. Dave knows IL and he did
not accept the deal until q check
was delivered in a registered let
ter. TIE size Of the check carries
no Importance to this story.
Danforth's pitching career starts
as a coiiegtan with the Baylor Uni
vcrstiy entry beck in 1911. Against
collegians Dave burned a steaming
fast ball. He won game after game.
famed from twelve to eighteen per
game, won shutouts, and naturally
his fame spread. 1t reached the
big league circuit and once inside
the major loop the rest was easy.
Connie Mack was on the Job
ahead of his rivals and landed the
e0-year.OId prize. He reached
Philadelphia and was amazed at
that layout. the double-deck
grandstand. the bleachers way out
there In left field, not to forget
that he was getting money for
pitching.
Shucks--as for law. well a 90
year-Old lad prefers that uniform
and spiked shoes to rows of la.y
books. and constant study. Dav.
did at that time
He was in baseball. He had
chucked law and education aside
and he was going to turn on his
power and current. He had chosen
baseball and baseball It was to be.
With Dave II was to get one thing
supremely. He couldn't rattle the
ivories like Paderewski and his
knowledge OF international law did
not compare with that of Eljhu
Root. To be able to converse flu.
emily In nine languages but with no
Idea In any one OF them was not
Dawes map Of his future.
He had heard and read about
Eddie Plank. Eddie and Dave were
similar-both left-handers. and said
David-why not pattern after
Plank? He did.
Plank was Danforth's mound
model. He received Eddie's in
structions on dealing with the
betters and he made q close study
OF the pitching art.
Danforth is just that-a repro.
duction OF Eddie Plank. He fusses
around the hill, adjusts the can
bitches the belt, wets the tins of
the fingers a bit. mods the hep d
when he has received the signal
from the catcher and then-just
at the moment when the batter ,s
fretting, is nervous and excited he
pitches.
Get the batter nervous and YOU
have him down." explained Dave in
rehearsing his pitching secrets to me.
Il like to read the stories which claim
1 am using the shine-ball. Over in
the American Association last season
the batters argued with the umpire
on the ball. The ump balanced IL,
looked all around the seam and the
cover and tossed II back to me.
The batter has an idea that the
pitcher shouldn't get him out; that
the batter should rattle the outfield
boards. The pitcher In out there to
prevent the batter from getting a
safe drive. I'm a pitcher and I'm nut
there studying my batte,s.
Take the good batters. They walk
up there with all muscles timber and
their eyes set on the pitcher. II you
pitch to them when they are pre-
pared for a follow through motion
you're going to see the heels of your
outfielders frequently"