Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 224, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1919 — MUST ABOLISH FREAK BALLS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MUST ABOLISH FREAK BALLS

Manager Stallings of Boston Braves, Opposed to Use of Paraffin, Emery, Etc. Manager Stallings of Boston believes firmly that baseball authorities will have, sooner or later, to banish all paraffin, emery and other accessories that make startling curves in baseball. The spithall is not used by the young fellows coming in. It is the old boy who feels himself slipping who takes to it and keeps himself in baseball several years longer than one who does not use it. “Take emery,” says Stallings. “A man can put it on his glove and an

umpire can rub his hand over it and not detect the dust. Yet there is enough there to roughen the ball and let the twirler get a grip on it. “One twirler on a winning club has so much paraffin scattered’ about his person that he smells like the Standard OiL He makes no bones of it. The catcher gets a new ball and bounces it to the pitcher on the ground. That makes a rough spot and the pitcher smooths the side opposite and you have a curve that will outbreak a spitter.” . ' ' ...

Manager Stallings.