The evening world. Newspaper, July 22, 1911, Page 6

WILTSE NEW GIANT PENNANT HOPE / THE EVENING WURLD, BALUBDAY, JULY . 23, 1911, —_— -—- See ¢ We Have No Light-H eight WAIST LING « pao e* se ae ae ” -_ IN 1867 THE CURVE’ “aN Champion Now, and if ‘ INVENTOR Sam Langford Wants the Honor He'll First Have to) Fight for It at the Class | Limit—175 Ringside. Gopyright, 1911, by The Preas Publishing Oo, (The New York World), ACK O'BRIEN, signing himself “light-heavywelght champion of the world,” ts out with a challeage to @i lght-neavy weights, Now, as a matter of fact, Jack was once the real and unadulterated light- heavyweight champion. He won the title fairly from Bob Fitzsimmons, who had taken it from George Gardner, who Won it from Jack Root at Fort Erle. O'Brien stoped Fitzsimmons in thirteen rounds at San Francisco, But the title has not been fought for t@ oo many years that is ence nas been almost vorgotten, It never wi taken very seriously by the sporting Dublic. And if O'Brien claims the title Row he's a ii le off in his calculations, for Staniey Ketchel knocked him out two years ago in Philadelphia in three founds, As Ketchel was a middie- weight, and under the light-heavy weight Umit of 175 pounds, he took that title from O'Brien—that is, if Jack still held it. For Jack fought and lost to Tommy Burns in Los Angeles a little over a THe BALL Re pi “TH MATHEWSON'S F; The PLATE , AN EITHER year after he deat Fitusimmons. At that time Burns may have been within the 175-pound limit, in which case would, of course, have taken the light- heavyweight crown trom our friend Jack. if Burns had a right to call Mimseif Nght-heavyweight champion he let the title go by default when he retired from Player Secured in Trade With) a . Boston Rustlers May Be | lasbed shen heimett Ripaani here Used Regularly. | any case, we have no light-heavyweight | champion, even of Americ As for Sam Langford's claim to that honor (and Sam seems to think he ought to come in for some sort of a title somewhere or other), Sam will ave to establish the fact that he 1s a light-heavyweight. In his recent fights has been o the pound mark— and yet he has had the nerve to call himself a middiewelght. ‘The only way in which Sam can get this neglected henor is by fighting for it. He'll have to tasue his challenge to all the light heavyweights and fight all| the most satisfactory deals of the year, comers at the weight. No doubt he can and there is no doubt that New York 0 through the crop of them without | and Boston will both be strengthened, much trouble—always providing that he! ‘There is an unmistakable tinge of sor- can make 175 now. Sam started a8 &/ row surrounding the departure of Al more » but tet wet Seco den Bridwell, for he was loved by fans and much younger, He has been rowing. Sam tikes lquld refreshments, which in| Divers almost as a brother. For sev- @ way accounts for his increase in oral ra he has been one of the main- eight. He takes very poor care of his| stays of the club, and the fans will condition when out of training, and|never forget thas it wae Bridwell who when he has only an easy mark to pre-| drove out the hit that really won the pare for. When he has a hard Aight on| pennant for New York in 1908, only to| heavyweights to crack. T doubt that| Bidwell has been « most loyal man to of them except Johnson can beat| the Giants, and there Is not a player on the team who would not go out and fight for him, In addition to hie per- «oe sonal popularity Al has been @ great are muddled a Iittle just now. | player, but during the past few montii Jack Johnson {ts unquestionably | he has shown a tendency toward slow- heavyweight champion, ‘There 18 no] ing up. He was never fast as a baso, Light heavyweight title holder. Bly} runner, but for years he was a marvel Papke ts middleweight champlon, Ac-| {in the infleld, In that department his cording to his own claims, for he has] sowness became noticeable the first of tween the Giants and Boston by which Buck Hersog comes back to McGraw in exchange for Al Bridwell and Hank Gowdy came as a startling surprise to the fans of New York. It has evidently met with popular favor, however, for @ great shout went up when the news was flashed to the spec- tators in the game between the Giants nd the Cardinals. To the teams concerned it is one of T™ announcement of a trade be- him. expecially world's titles, the best middlewelghts In| this season, and McGraw realized that! Australis and ngland, and} he would have to get a faster man. | Johnny Thompson ts said to have! Hergog was available on sccount of| welghed more than the middleweight bis troubl with Che Boston Civ, and ete eGraw jumped at the c poshe to At Fale: sl aal a ae vane him. By including Gowdy in de he did not suffer much loss, as there| There is no legitimate welterwetaht | 08°11 hance of the young fellow champion even of America at present: |igving @ show ta work this season. everal fighters claim the title, The! gti Gowdy will be a valuable ma’ last legitimate holder was Honey Mel-| for Tenney, as he can catch as Jody, who was world's champion by vir+las play frat by Tenney ts probal AIAND C@ULD NOT Go ABove PRESENT DAY i} figuring on teking himself out of the BEST SPORTING PAGE IN NEW YORK HOW PITCHING ART HAS DEVELOPED r ( \ . OD ng Re sony UNDER “THe ORIGINAL RULES OF BASEBALL THe PITCHER HAD ‘To 105s To LET THE BATTER. GET & Good CRACK AT IT. = Te ‘Sat Oop AND AMOUS “FADE “AWAY” BALL. CURVES Down AND IN ADS IT REACHES Db IS-DELWERED wWiTtH THE HAND REVERSED. HERZOG OR FLETCHER AT SHORT Wiltse Pitches Best Game of Year for Giants. George Wiltse pitched the beet game of t! r for the Giants and the fans were absolutely amazed at his sudden reversal of form, The last time out h was bat.ed from the box, but this time he had the game in the hol- hand from start to During the entire nine innings only twenty-nine Card! als faced him. Only two hits were made and not reached second base. Two them got a base on balls and |. but Chief Meyers ‘Not a sign of @ hit until the seventh innin, dup to that time only three men had faced Wiltse in each inning. If George can only keep that kind of thing going there will be nothing to this pen- nant race but @ walk-in for the Gtanta. ‘and appears on the field this afternoon he will have the distinction of betng the only man who was ever traded by the Giants and remained in the league long enough to return, Herzog Is very fast on the bases and he has been hitting terday and played great at third, is likely that he will stick on the team for the rest of the season, and the short- atop Job will go to either Fletcher or og. In case Devlin shows that he lowed up, Fletcher will be moved er to third and Herzog will go to ort. Herzog was traded to Boston two years ago with Outilelder Collins and Pitcher Parsons in a deal by which Recker came to New York, It ta, a rather peculiar coincidence that Brid- back to his old team and es the same, Bridwell came the Giants with Tenney In the fa- ous trade of 147 by which MeGann, Bowerman, Rrowne and Ferguson went to Boston. Tenney and Hridwell are both back on thelr old team and play- ing together, They have always been © personal friends, and the new ar- ement will probably be personally atisfactory to all the players con letory over Joe Walcott, Mele cerned, Gowdy 1s especially pleased, as tae cei Lia fig’ to heavier men| game and playing Gowdy at first. it will give him a chance to play regu- and has not defended the ttle for When Hersog dons a Giant uniform! larly, Marry Lewis claimed it after beating him, but their fight wasn't at M42 ring side, and ft is not a sure thing that Marry can make weight, He has been fighting @ me the middlewelght Me for the lightweight champtonahip, To Suffer Ad Wolgast bas an iron-bound claim on that. He is a genulne champion, for he beat Battling on, who took the sitle from Joe « who won tt from Frank Erne, who beat Lavigne, All of these men were world’s champions, La- vigne made bis title more than an American championship by knocking out Dick Burge in London, Burge being lightweight champion of England under the English rules, Abe Attell is king of the feathers, als Trimmings by Hilltops Excite Tiger Stars So They Fight With Umpires. ‘Nough he ha ut of the ring ¥ for a whils because of injuries to hie (Spectal to The Erening World.) FS good left arm When he Is trim, Detrott, July % Abe ts the best featherweight since the| wy Hal Chase and his HUlltops don't time of Terry McGovern. New men are I let up @ bit and quit whaling the coming up, and Abe will soon have to poor Tigers, the bugs in Detroit will fettle the championship question WIth | soon nave the local aileniste endowed Rivers of California, « Mexican fighter, ‘ who has whipped all the best feather-| With @ practice beyond their wildest weights in the West, and who recently | dreams, For # second division team to showed his superiority over the best In| drop in here and make the Tigers bite the East by easily defeating Joe Coster: | the dust two consecutive games after jem Driscoll of Wales had the o : i & ten-round no-decision match with Aj. | ‘hey have elmply peated oe 7 Geet tell in New York, and Driscoll is feath. | Club tn the League to @ tro erweight champion of Fngland under | dition which excites Michigan's metrop- English weight rules, Still, @ no-de-| olis to the Limit, cision fight, without a knockout, hae no| Jy poth games of the series the HiN- tops have outbatted the Tigers and out- Dearing on championsh! ped aurea sek now. Nobody | fielded them as well. The League lead- can prove a clear claim to it, Johnny jers' pitchers have looked soft tn com- Coulon is one of the best bantams—a | parix to Vaughn and Ford, while Benuine fighter. Several others are| Chase had his men hustling fully as pressing Lim close, and It would take ® | hard ag were the Tigers and getting that, Coulon's title 1s only local, as he |*wWey With all sorts of long chances, has not defeated bantams from the! This morning the supporters of the ether Sghting co) tries gy the world, ‘Tigers are haunted with theewtul fear title ts Jennings and Cobb Liable Long Suspension that both Ty Cobb and Hughte Jennings fre Hable to severe sentence on the bench for disorderly conduct in yester- jay's game, from which both of them were chased by Umpires Egan and © holly. The Tigers bi both arbitrators discrimination in A been fighting with day, alleging unfatr neveral ca New Yorks had been peeved, too, on several occasions, The wmplres are considered about the st pair in the League, and they at the kicks of players firat victin of thelr w Joo Casey of the Tre &s the nolsiet bench-warmer in | American League. Exan chased » annoy nh was Catcher who Is noted the fof the Tiger coop. Then, tn t inth, | Jennings chirped a sarcastic comment Jon Connolly's work, the occaston, Well with their scrappy little I | feed for a week jhim real good, nd the rest mig @ different matter, ® promising minor leaguer, THIS CAME TOBARTH INTHE LATE ZOU (IN 1903 THe : “SPLTBALL” EUMeR STRICKLETT. INVENTED A TRUE CURVE, BUT RATHER. AN the ball hard th! vason. McGraw has | not decided whether he will play Her- | fog as a regular or put Fletcher tn at short. Devlin got back in the game yea- jatrangely enough, being the decision on | which Dantels was declared out steal Ing third, Connolly flared up and sent Hughie to the clubhouse, | Jennings's loss to the club ts con- siderable, as the Tigers ht do What would happen to his team in the mean time, however, te Schaller, the most Jogical substitute, 1s nothing more than Copyright, 1911, by The Press Publishing Co, (The New York World). =o @ OS uo CUMMINGS FosLeo EVERYBODY WHEN HE INVENTED “THE “CURVE BauL® THEY WOULON'T BeLieve THAT (IT Re&auucy CURVED. Hg ( BALL™, WHICH WAST UNEXPECTED ‘BREAK. Pitching of To-Day and Fifty Years Ago Function of Box Artist Completely Reversed Since Early Days of Game—Then Twirler Tossed Ball So Batter Could Hit It, While Now He Tries tf Keep Him From Hitting It. He most nteresting discovery in a ohase through the rather tnaccura: and incomplete history of the national game of baseball {s that the func- tion of the pitcher has been completely reversed. It becomes compara- tively easy, therefore, to answer the question: “What is the difference between the pitching of to-day and that of fifty years ago?” The difference is that the function of the pitcher, of fifty years ago—sixty- | six years, to be exact—was to toss the ball so as to enable the batter to hit it, The function of the pitcher to-day is to throw the ball where the batter cannot hit tt. Though the original framers of the rules were ignorant of the fact at that time, pitching is and always has been the pivotal point of the great American game. It naturally follows that this branch of the ecience has been afforded the |sreatest opportunity for development. Practically every important change in | the rules has been aimed at the pitcher. The bat, the ball, the distance between | the bases and the fundamental rales of the game have stood for half a century, | while thé pitching has gone through @ steady grind of evolution. | ‘The history of pitching sctence cam be divided into four distinct eras: | The Gay of the underkand toss. . The day of the overhand toss or throw. The day of the curve bal. The aay of the spit-ball. When the first rules were adopted by the old Knickerbocker Club in 184 the framers did not realize that the pitcher was to be the pivotal man of the game. They placed him behind a line that was forty-five feet from the batter's |box and he was instructed to throw the ball so that the batter could hit it. He could stand at any place behind that line that he chose, but to prevent him from throwing the ball with too much speed he was forced to deliver It with an | underhand toss, That 1s to say, ne could not bring his throwing hand above | his watst Hine, | Of course the game was in a very crude state at that time and the fine points were lost in the shuffle, To give the reader an !dea: The Knickerbockers played the New Yorks @ game in 1646 and were defented 23 to 1. Notwithstanding the sting of this defeat, both teams waited five yoars for a return metch. Under those rules the pitcher was compelled to deliver fair balls to the batter and the batter could refuse to strike at them until he got one to his liking. No strikes were called unless the batter struck at them. An instance of the great advantage enjoyed by the batter is that in the early sixties in a game between the Atlantics and the Mutuals, Al Smith of the Atlantics pitched fifty-four balls to McKeever of the Mutuals before @ strike was called. Can you imagine a thing like that on the Polo Grounds to-day? ’ HIS mechod of pitching underhanded kept up for many years, until several I shrewd pitchers saw the necessity of lessening the number of runs and began to find means of evading the rule batter from hitting the ball, Probably the beat of these underhand ptchers was Tony Bond of Boston and Hartford. He kept inching up on tne rules until he was throwing from a point several inches above his waist. That forced a change in the rules by which the pitcher was allowed to throw with an overhand motion And put as much speed on the ball as he could, It was then that the art of pitehing really began to develop. ‘That is getting @ little ahead of the story, however, of the underhand toss that the curve ball was discovered. In 1807 pitching became recognized as a science, The Charter Oaks of Hart- ford, Conn., came to Brooklyn that year to play the Excelsiors on the Capitoline rounds and they were noted for their heavy batting. ‘The fxcelsiors had a young pitcher named Arthur Cummings, however, who completely knocked them off their pedestal, Cummings had discovered in practice that by twisting the ball In the hand and spinning tt ae it started toward tne batter It would curve in a direction contrary to the laws of gravitation. He waited for the ar- rival of the Charter Oaks to give this curve @ thorough trial, and when he Aid start it the heavy hitters were absolutely helpless, They could not undi stand how @ man could cause @ ball to curve, and several of them were ao stub- born over the matter that they spent the rest of their lives tnsisting that tt could not be done. Neverheless, Cummings had opened the way to many pitch- ing discoveries, and his name went all ove rthe country as @ wonderful inventor, Scme Mstorlans have claimed that Bobby Matthews invented the curve ball, but Father Chadwiek, who was @ witness to Cummings's great performance on the old Gapitoline grounds, always declared that he was the real inventor. Tho overhand throw came into vogue in the late seventies, but the pitcher was still hedged around with restrictions in favor of the batter, While he was allowed to throw the ball with great speed, he was compelled to throw it at a point Indicated by the hitter, In other words, the batter could call for “high ball,” “low ball,” & so that they could prevent the for 1t was in the days F the early overhand pitchers Asa Brainard of the famous Cinctnnatl Red O Stockings was probably the best exponent, He could throw the ball at the point Indicated by the batter and st! prevent hard hitting, Brainard id not pitch the curve ball, however, one of his reasons being that he did not belleve in it, Asa Brainard, by the way, must have been a striking figure as he went into the box, He wore a long black beard that completely covered his face and hung down to the top button of his baseball shirt. It might occur to the baseball fan of to-day that it was @ good thing that the old time pitchers did not have to alide to bases, A beard full of dust and gravel could not have been a very pretty or comfortable affair. Hrainand pitched for the Cincinnati Reds on of it, Cobb's absence from the play | thelr famous tour when they went @ whole seagon without losing a game, He would, of course, cripple the team bad-| did not pitch every game, but would rest every once In a while and give Harry ly. At that, the king of all modern | wright, the centre fielder and “change pitcher,” a chance. been badly off his ‘The next school of great pitchers which came out in the made up of Johnny Ward, Charley Radbourne Jim Whitney and John Clarkson They were great pitchers in every way. They had speed, curves and practically everything that is used to-day. Hither of them would have been a great pitcher on the diamond of 1911, Many olf playere who atill take an active interest in the game regard John Clarkson as thi Magee piven ¢ at ever lived. The only “THe FIRST CHANGE IN ‘THE RULES ALLOWED A SWIFT OVERHAND “THROW, “THe BATTER Coucpd cau FoR A HIGH oR & Low BALL... HE DIDN'T HAVE To HIT UNTIL HE FELT Like tT, BLACK WHISKERS. man that they class with bim ts Christy Mathewson of the Giants. old timers say that Tim K Clarkson and Mathewson, The most important development in pitching from 1885 until 1903 was the spit discovered by Elmer Stricklett, at one time a member of the Brooklyn club. As in other oe jac! w Stricklett working with the pecullar curve during an exhibition 5 the most effective pitcher in the business the following year. Other pitchers picked up the spit) In ball, ‘This remarkable curve, or br k—it isn't really a curve—wi inventions or discoveries the inventor did not reap the benefit himself. Chesbro game at New Orleans and began to de He becam ball, and now it ts universally used. ‘The spit ball differs from the curve in that it gets its direction from the thumb instead of the fingers. By the way, this is a ball players recognize but one curve. Such things “drop” and all those variations are known simply as a “curv an extension ‘of the other. In other words, a ‘drop’ than “out curve’ with @ little more bend to it. “curve’ at all, to explain thi “down shoot, The “inshoot” 11 It {s @ ball thrown with such speed that it naturally bi HILLTOPS REAL TAMERS OF TIGERS Some of the @ was just es good, but the majority incline toward One ts simply * is nothing more nor less not a ks or Jumps {nward. The inshoot is a natural motion of the ball according to the rules NELSON STOPPED 1 ISTH ROUND BY FRANK MANTEL Although Defeated, Australian Makes Good Showing at Twentieth Century Club, BOXING STAGS TO-NIGHT. At the Fairmont A. C. two ten- round bouts and contests the three six-round have been arranged. In two main bouts Al Ketehel meats Young Jack O'Brien and Kid Ghetto clashes with Joe Farmer. At Long Acre A. A, Inter-city tournament between New York and New Jorsey fighters. At Sharkey A. C. Hughey Rodden and Johnny Lore meet in the main bout of ten rounds. After being badly punished by Ted Nelson, the Australian fighter, in the first four rounds of thelr contest at the Twentieth Century A. C. Frank Mantell, the game light heavy- weight of Pawtucket, R. 1, managed to land a heavy right hand swing flush on Nelson's jaw in the fifth round that won the battle for him, As soon as Mantell got over this punch, Nelson dropped to the floor with a thud. Referee Charley Wille vesau to coume off the usual ten seconds, and when he had reached eight Nelson got up on hin feet and began to stager across the ring. Seeing th: n was in a help. nd rely get knocked out with the next punch, Referee White grabbed him and escorted him to his corner, stopping the battle before Man- tell could Jand his k. 0. blow, Although defeated, Nelson was not by any means disgraced. He met a man at least fitteen pounds heavier than himself and who also had an advantage over him in height, and reach — YOUNG SHUGRUE WINS GO OVER WILLIE JONES Young Shugrue, the fast featherweight fighter of Jersey City, defeated Willle Jones of Brooklyn in the main bout of ten rounds at the ‘stag of the Atlantio A. C. of Rockaway. For the first three rounds the lads fought evenly, Shugrue making Jones's faco his mark of attack while Jones played for the body. e last three rounds Shugrue had the better of the milling, as he cut a h over Jones's eye from which the blood flowed freely and also had him in a dazed condition in the final round. was a hard fought one al both boys waded into each other and slugged continually, Panel iat SUNDAY BASEBALL GAMES. of gravitation, while the “out,” or curve ball, is one that is made to curve! an, rincoin Giants ihe wurong colored team unnaturally, of balltomers, will figure in another important But, to get back to the spit ball. The ordinary curve, as every iad knows, |double-healer at Olympic Field. In the 1s thrown by spinning the ball off the ends of the first and second fingers. The not at all. The spot on the ball that ts usually covered by the tips of the fingers 1s so moistened with saliva that the fingers rotary motion makes It curv, directed by the tips of the fini slip off without causing any friction, The less friction the greater the break. ‘Therefore, when the ball leaves the hand it he thumb, This giv ft a pecullar wabbling motion and it is Ilable to “ to the left. ‘The spit ball ts very effectiv and cannot be followed by the eye of the batter. Introduced the fade-away, This has not cl of pitching given above as tt has never been in general u Mathewson does not claim the invention of the fade-away, thou only twirler to successfully develop tt. HB fifth great discovery in pitching was made by Mathewson when he jed in the important stages Mathewson saw Garvin working with this peculiar curve and tmme: tk up. ‘The difference between the fade-away and the ordinary curve {s that it curves aiMfcult to explain the method It is thrown in a way oown and in as it reaches the plate. It is ve cf throwing this ball except by physical demonstration, almost opposite to the curve ball. In throwing an ordinary the ends of his fingers. of his hand to his face with the palm toward the batter. inward instead of outward, fy not generally used. Within the next twenty years we may have another curve, but just now It er, that the old timers thought the same looks impossibl: thing forty It 1s likely, Low either to the right or in that {t breaks more sharply than a curve he ts the He says that Virgil Garvin of Brooklyn was the first man to use it. Being of an inquisitive and inventive turn of mind tely took ve the palm of | fit same wil the hand is toward the face of the pitcher and he sends the ball spnining off | In throwing the fade-away Mathewson turns the back The ball leaves the hand at a point between the second and third finger and is made to rotate It Je very diMovlt to control and for that reason team ot fame they will go, agalnat the Baston fhe “Pennwtvania’ League, while in fuse “they Will have for ‘thelr opponents PMtisselcinla. Protesetonals, "who played: them wach a thrilling game two weeks ago, Finn, the Connecticut i Metropolitans against the I Oval, In the early looks of the Bronx | wed game, her, will infield club at ame the Spectrons and League will megt in @ ool win at fl cease alway and Halsey 4 Loughlin | Lyceum, their regular team, the Jacks Both teams will bare dans Oval, | Trookiyn. The McNulty play the Har indred_ and nal at Mc: ‘street morrow, Slocum, the young infield, will be oa the firing line for te ‘ In. the early come. the Independents of the Bronk W Wet Masiems, The | Eastern cinb, W. | Baltimore. ster Rocyester, sntreal, Buffalo, Providence at Toronto, fewark M Baltimore at Lynch Suspends Sherwood Magee For Rest ot Year Prosident Thomas J. Lynch of the National League announces that the suspension cf Sherwood Magee of the Philadelphia club will extend over the remainder of the playing sea- son of 1911, Magee was indefinitely suspended by Lynch as a result of his attack on Umpire Finneran during a gamo In Philadelphia owing is the announcemen Phe status of Player Mages of the Philadelphia club has been oMcially determined by President Lynch of the National League, Lynch stated that Magee had been guilty of the most | flagrant violation of Rule 70, of the Pinying Rules, by his unprovoked a. sault on Umpire Finneran during the progress of a champlonship game at Philadelphia on July 10, The assault followed by public statements coming from the player, and accepted by officials of the Philadelphia club, to the effect that Umpire Finneran had applied a vile name to the offending player, ‘This charge has b®p found absolutely untrue.” The National Baseball Commision has promule gatel the list of tueligible major League ‘players So totiowe: Na Hamer atvieklett ‘hom J, Bi heen rently mien Herta ort) MeO. tt “prerlously 1 equals a cooling LaMads''YtlLicddiadt || in the bottle with the red Wie tT, Nelwn, died trom Brandes || London in the 1770, AN aliga to report: John Memcer purchased fi Wiis fet es eee es a Ever feel all in on a hot, sultry day? At such a time Gin Bicker made from the Gin that comes Sir Robert Burnett & Co. i sal bel. First distilled at Vauxhall,