Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 243, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 October 1910 — BROTHERHOOD HAD FAST BALL [ARTICLE]

BROTHERHOOD HAD FAST BALL

In 1890 Baseball Players Used Bphere That Burned Inflelders When Hit—Some Batting. Speaking of the rubber-cored ball and the cork-cored ball and likewise the cry* for more batting* how many of the fans remember trie time when a ball was used that did result in extra slugging? In 1890, wnen the Brotherhood was hatched and tried, there was the same yell for extra batting that you hear today. The Brotherhood decided to gratify the wish, and, first of all, moved the pitcher a foot back. Then they had a special ball built, with twice as much rubber as was contained In the Reach-Spalding globule. The result was batting till you couldn’t rest, but, unfoFtunately, was also bad fielding. While the new ball went so fast and so bumingly that the inflelder* had to duck or die, it also took weird and inexplicable leaps, and when sailing for the outfield, would actually turn and wheel away as If blown by the wind. It is the plain truth, and no exaggeration, absurd as it may seem, many a time a ball would start for •center, and, with the center fielder all set, would swing over and take the right or left fielder off his guard. Batting? Plenty. Pete Browning led with .391. Had the present scoring rules, which all favor the batsman, been In use, Pete would have been tabbed .450, maybe more. Any time they want more batting, a rub-ber-centered ball, with additional rub ber, Is the thing to do the "work Browning would have hit about .60( that season with the pitcher as fai back as he Is now, and using tbs' lively balL