Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-08-13
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The Secret Was Slippery Elm

ONE OF THE DISTINGUISHED visitors to our town
these last few days stanslaus Kowaewsk Of South
Bend, Ind, via shamokin Pa. In his day-when he
much better known Stanley Coveleske-he may have
been of the best bargains the late Clark Griffith
picked up
When he in his prime the Pole from shamokin
won %, "a, "a and % games for the Indians. This was
in four successive seasons 1918 through 1921 Convey
in town legitimate business Cal Grifhths OldTimers
reunion wouldn't have been complete without the old
spitbal ace.
In his prime Coveleskie was formidable figure on
the pitching mound. He would wind up with his glove
hiding the ball and his face and the htters didn't know
what to expect-except trouble Covey still had fast
ball back in 1925 when he posted 205 record for Wash
ington and his wasn't bad either But his cup of
tea his splitter
Today, little shrunken at &c. Convey is saying that
basebas lawmakers goofed when they outlawed the spit
ball. ut good pitch and still is-n the right hands
1t was dangerous than the knuckler and it wasn't
dirty pitch You just barely wet your two forengers
and threw"
AT GALS HOE-DOWN at the woodner the veteran
Highlander made it plain that splitter not to be
entrusted to everybody There art to throwing
good splitter Convey saying. IF you couldn't control
1t, you were just You could hurt batter be-
cause spitbal takes off.
ut has about the effect knuckle ball. which
to be popular today But thing you
lawful of slippery elm. You don't use much of it. but
JUST plain sweat is no SUBSTITUTE Tor Snppery elm
How often, actually, did you throw the splitter,
Covey?" bystander asked "You know when you were
supposed to be all done and Cleveland let you here
to Washington. Were you like Dutch Leonard and Hoyt
Wilhelm throwing KNOCKERS four out of five times?"
II may have thrown splitter out of FIVE" Covey
grnned II always used the same motion :. coming up
with my glove to my face but didn't throw many
sptters. And what threw . . my splitter mean
wasn't lot of guck 1t was hardly damp just fast
ball that didn't tumble"
JOE JUDGE, THE ALL-TINIE first baseman shook his
head with disbelief he listened There something
that ball, Covey" Joe sad because of those
ineders throws to first base pretty weird They'd
60 up and down and out. You had lot Of guck the
ball. Stanley"
That's not true" Coveleskie retorted "You didn't
load up splitter at least didn't Clarence Mitchell
didn't Jack Quinn didn't You must have been lousy
first baseman, Judge"
Joe grnned, and somebody mentioned the wonderful
way Clark Griffith after having swung the World Series
this way, managed to repeat the pennant winner in
1925. Johnson-the immortal WATERWAYS ST. George
Mogrdge &c. The Senators needed starting pitchers
and Gr reached into the National League to claim Dutch
Ruether waivers from the Dodgers.
Then, with master move he traded Byron Specie,
unframed pitcher to Cleveland for Coveleske. Grif
hit it good Coveleskie 20 and Ruether 49,
"T WASN'T ALI. WASHED UP" Covey was SAYING the
other night II still had that splitter going for
down after the rs season. but it about time huh?
But you've got to have that stuff going for you How
you make it otherwise?"
when you talk of the splitter" Covey was reminded
you raise the question of Lew Burdette of the Braves
Everybody says he's throwing the splitter"
"Shucks if he's throwing splitter, every umpire and
hitter would know it, Convey replied in the first place
who knows how to throw real splitter these days In the
SECOND place. who knows where to buy real slippery m2