The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-07-03
NJ. " Ball
HANDICAP
NOW
81 Babe Ruth

The boys on the bench got
Into an interesting sort OF
argument the other day and
the subject was whether or not
old time pitchers had anything
On the pitchers Of today.
lot of old timers were present
srcluding Bill Carrigan, who was
catcher back in the days when
ni.chers were supposed to be pitch
ers. And they had some mighty
interesting things 70 say on the
subject
Most If them agreed VII :
theory i've held all along. Inat
a. tI,at nitchers today have Just rs
r,,ch stuff, and know just az mucn
baseball as the fellows VINO pltc li,.u
Is or 20 years ago. Pltcners IN
Rube Waldberg and LEFTY 5rovs
are just as fast as the oio li'iisi :
There we're no better curve
nails % years ago than the one
H@vhie Pennock losses up TO
I,;tters None 81 the old timers
L.d anv better control than
AIaraneIsr has tOday-and they
Sis5r,,f rov,,es any smarter then
49,, tfle PennOcks, the Shock
80. the Alexanders, the Sherdels
md the Quinns of today.
Al. see the thing the difference
II pitching is in the rules the
pitchers have to work under. ~
81 people figure that the raDpl1
bail has had a lot to DO WITH pl.uli.
Ing changes. Personally never
believed much in the raDpiL pau.
Tho big difference, 80 Tar as me-. 49,. :
and pitchers are concerned = ia IL.
IN these days there's always new
hslt n,ft there to be hit at.
Tal.e any baseball that has been
III three ar four times and It loses
Iot Of life. The cover becomes
Isnae Il FL cut and scratched am
,.r1,slssd. Give that ball to any
.,steS, uaodern or old ttmer-and
csn nnaJxa ii do q lot of tricks.
- fl1e old days they kept balls IN
80 ganoe until they were black.
rSstr,,era could work with them ana
ras1re them do all sorts OF queer
shinrs If you did get hold OF
one ii wouldn't travel.
Today pitchers are pitching
new basebaIIa all the time. Inc
minute 3 ball becomes the seasI
BIT black or SCARED lts t1EOM
ont and another new one R.t
into the game. Nnem you ~
. rev, haII II carries. 1 hit balls
inst Is far fifteen years ago rs
hit them today. But not a.
.fter.- hecause I didn't get >
rhanee 10 hit that new one 80
much.
Rack in the old days most pitchers
cheated q little. I don't mean that
- Islander. But they we're smart
eallows--and they took advantage OF
that rou1hed surface and that loose
ssvar - ret a lot of stuff that
-rn,, couldn't get with new ball.
srhev were permitted to uss splitter
4l,AYa too. and q sinner, and
Int Be other freak things that are
barred today.
An Of that helped make pitching
m easier job. In those days with
no one on, a pitcher could afford
~ ease IN g. little. He knew that
even il a slugger did get hold of a
hall. the chances are 1t would go
only for a single or a double.
Nowadays pitcher can't do that.
He has to bear down on every hit
ter for IL he doesn't some fellow is
apt to come along and put one out
OF the park, and there goes your
ball game.
Understand. I'm not underestimat
Ing those pitchers of ten ard fIf-
teen years ago. They were great
The Washes, the Mattys, the Ben
derg, the Planks-all were wonders
But remember this, too. l saw
them. I played against them.
hit against them. So did Carrigan
So did q lot OF, old timers who are
still in the league. And most of
those fellows, agree with me that
the pitchers of today have just as
much natural stuff-they're Just as
smart and they know just az much
about pitching as the old.timers.
! It's the rules that hurt them. That
and the fact that they never get
hold OF an old ball to pitch.
Copyright. 1928, by the Christv
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