Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 215, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1917 — ENTER “COLO FINGERS” [ARTICLE]

ENTER “COLO FINGERS”

Russell of Yankees Victim of a New Ailment. ' Exposes Bars Hand to Hard-Hit Ball and Contracts Frigidity of Digets— Numbness Forces Him From Mound. Don’t use your meat hand to slop hard-hit balls that are batted back at yon. If yon do yon may put an end to yonr pitching career. This is the advice Allan Rnssell, Yankee spitballer, has to offer brother members of* the pitching fraternity, and it is well worth consideration. Early last spring Russell reached for a hard-hit ball through the box with his nude flipper. He got his hand on the ball and succeeded In retarding Its progress, but Immediately afterwards he suffered a sharp pain In the first two digits of his pitching hook, which was followed by numbness. Then his hand grew cold and he had to retire from the game. Since that time Russell has suffered with a new ailment —that of cold fingers. It only comes npon him at intervals, but at such times he is unable to grip the ball, and therefore unable to control it, so he often has to leave the mound. Sore arms, due to a cold, are common ) with pitchers. The sprained tendon, wrenched shoulder and the unexplainable loss of speed and control at intervals is also common. But cold fingers and a numb pitching hand Is a new ailment. One day at Chicago Bill Donovan sent Rnssell to the mound to hurl against the White Sox. It noticed that before delivering the ball the Yankee pitcher rubbed his fingers, just as any player may do In unusually cold weather. Questioned after the game, Russell explained that the index and second fingers of his pitching hand had grown numb and cold, and at the time, several hours after the game, the fingers were still chilled. When Bill Donovan heard of Russell's trouble he decided to send him to a specialist, and as soon as the Yanks returned to New York the spitballer was carted off to a sawbones for an examination. The surgeon, after examining the hand and questioning Russell, decided that circulation in the hand was Impaired because of an internal bruise, and started treatment which he believes will eventually bring relief by eliminating the cause.