Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1894 — ART OF BALL-TOSSING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ART OF BALL-TOSSING

THE STAR NEW YORK PITCHER TELLS ABOUT IT. £• Writes of Hl* “Inshoots,” “Oat*” And “lirop» M -»An Accurate Eye I* Moit Important— Study in 5 the Hats man's Weak I'oldU. • "T Ambition of Hoy*. It is safe to say that one of the ambitions of the average American youth is to become a scientific pitcher, writes Lester P. German, the star

New York ball tosser. Mind you, Ido not imply that they ail want to shine as professional pitchers and to adopt sbase-ball as a professon and as a means of earning a livelihood, but they want to be pitchers.

Why? you ask; and I answer, “I don’t know.” It must be in the air. It will be well. I think, to state the requisites of a pitcher in their order and then to illustrate these requisites by a cursory look at the development of the game. The pitcher must be a strong man physically—that is. he must take care of his health. It is no exaggeration to say that the best pitchers go into training on the scale that Sullivan, Corbett and Mitchell did for their bouts. The next thing is a good eye. The accurate measurement of distance is half the battle. Thirdly, the pitcher must stand the right distance from the home plate. Good delivery is not possible when the plate Is too far. The Star Position. I started in to say that it Is the ambition of every boy to be a pitcher; that is, every boy who is physic-

ally able to play the game. Every boy wants to play base-ball,and most of them do so at some time in their lives. Now, the pitcher is the star position on a team, : and naturally most people “want to occupy the center

of the sta>e,” so to speak. Much depends upon a pitcher, and a team otherwise strong, with a weak pitcher, cannot expect to win many games, and a championship never. A pitcher should acquire a springy step This is an easy matter ir a man practices a little. Learn to move all the toes freely. Thus swift delivery is neutralized. . There are, of course, many things that can only be learned from experience, such as the proper way to act in understanding signals. The evolution of the pitcher furnishes an interesting study not only to the athlete, hut to the scientist. In the days of the

old Knickerbockers, when enough runs were made to make a baseball score look like a cricket match, the pitcher was not such an important Individual as he is to-day. In those days an underhand of delivery was used, and even long after that it was not an unusual thing for a team to score 100 runs in a game. Afterward the pitcher was allowed more license, the

overhand delivery came in, and this made even more effective the curve, which learned men of science had said was an impossibility. Even after a public exhibition was held and a pitcher sent the curves between two posts, the scientists argued that It was an optical Illusion, sticking to their original idea that it was physically impossible for a man to cause a globe to curve in the air. But it was done then, and it is now accomplished by thousands of pitchers. Pitching comes natural to some players, just as catching does to others, outfield work to others, and

infield work to the remainder. To become a successful pitcher a man or boy must have something besides brute force. The day when speed alone would make a reputation for a pitcher is past. To be strategic pitcher to-

day a twirler must the out curve. have spefed, a perfect command of the ball, and puzzling curves. Another thing which I find of material advantage to me is in studying the weak points in the batsmen who face me. Some batsmen can hit one sort of a ball and they can’t hit another, and it is to a pitcher’s Interest to find out all these little things and utilize them accordingly. There is another point in pitching which beginners should study and that is the position of the feet and hands. A pitcher whose feet get in his way can never expect to become famous as a green diamond twirler. Then a pitcher who allows the batsman to see the ball all the time is at a disadvantage. Of course, the rules will not permit one to hold the ball behind the back before delivering It, as was tho case years ago, but if one is blessed with large hands, largo palms being plentiful in baseball, it is an easy matter td conceal the ball, or practically so. Nurslm? the Arm. Now as to training—a particularly Important duty for a pitcher. A pitcher’s arm—that is, his pitching arm—is his stock in trade. He must watch that arm as carefully as a mother does her babe. Most pitchers cover the arm with a sweater or coat when they are not pitching, while others wear flannel bandages upon their arms and shoulders. Concerning training, moreover, I can say nothing that anyone [does not know who has made a study of physical culture. All that is essential is to observe the rules of health and to expand the chest and lungs. A player In active training will find hand-ball an excellent exercise, as it develops all the,muscles. Bowling is also a favorite pastime of mine in the winter and spring, as I find that

knocking tenplds keeps my am good and all the time. A pitcher should be nxyefol about using his full strength in tRe early spring games. The bones ancf, muscles act contrary, particularly otAa very cold day. It has been said that ja pitcher when he goes into a game should be prepared to think that it is his last. I do not believe this, for a pitcher who nurses his strength ought to last for many years. The long and honorable career of Timothy neefe, John Clarkson, and James Galvin illustrate this point.

LESTER P. GERMAN.

THE OUT DROP.

AN IN CURVE.