The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-12-25

the DOPE
vEDDE Err g A r D

XW * 1 lum SWINGS IL Is StIdHBo,
indeed, however, that the
4 National League favors a return
- the use Of resin on the ball by
Bitchers. 1t is not so much the
0dea that the use of resin to OBJ
Jain firm grip Is so harmful,
but that the path to trickery is
opened.
n The fans wanted more hitting
hnd the powers of baseball saw to
10 that their wishes were fulfilled.
Xrhen it developed that there was
TOO much smuggling and measures
were taken to curtail the activities
be the batsmen. But there is no
Use going backward to the old
Hays of freak deliveries.
The umpires i'm the majors
have fought hard to prevent
81 licking of the ball or the apply
ibg of foreign substances 1t is
said that I'm the American Asso-
g citation pitchers ges away with
4 some of the cheating stuff.
q Dave Danforth, formerly of Co
8umbus and now with the Browns,
always was reputed to be past
master at fooling around with the
4horsehide. He met plenty of
in the majors and when
NE first went UP had ball after ball
B Thrown out.
4 It was charged that balls were
ampered with before being tossed
but and this indictment brought
Forth the new rule in the American
League that the umpires should
AXE the balls from the boxes.
HThere is not much doubt, but that
EDave "got away" with, plenty of
Funny stuff in the A. A. He used
to strike out nine or ten or think
*he had bad day.
N Riggs Stephenson of the In
dams says it is harder to hit in
4 the Association than in the "big
u show" One reason is that more
curves are dished up. There may
be other reasons.
We remember in this connection
4one time many years ago when
2Lyman Johnson was moving down
|bll opposition with his emery ball
while pitching for Frankfort, Ind.
Vile was almost unbeatable. One
Sunday the Henry Qn.) Grays came
10 town and Hold Eller, now an In
flianapolis traffic officer, was on
khe mound for the visitors. 1t was
Just before his big success with
Cincinnati.
n Al Shaw, who always could
smack EN-, crashed one on Eller in
&he first inning putting Frank
fort ahead a couple of runs. Then
johnson started his emery work
ing. And it was some emery. One
whole side of the ball was scuffed
ZIP. He used a file.
When Eller saw what was up
he started the same thing and
added a few more. He shined the
ball and he scratched it up
and what else he did would fill
book. Frankfort players
\ stepped up to the plate and
Il stepped back to the bench after
waving three times, weakly.
The ball hoped up and down,
ibis way and that. Everybody had
foot In the bucket-footlose and
4ree-that was the idea. Frank
fort didn't get any more runs. But
he Illinois team could not score
Either. Hits were thinks unknown.
Later in the Army we were cap
lain Of a team which got John
BON for a big game against a
divisional champion outfit and he
peat them. The diamond was
Father rough and he said the
pebbles scratched up the ball. Yes,
they did
a Those were the good old days.
Il Weren't they, EOd. loot your
traffic cops whistle twice if we
aren't right.
n And now the National League
4 wants to take step backward
and open up the days of trick
4 cry. Better not, better not.