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Show s SOTHORON IS GIVEN NEW LEASE ON LIFE Without Spitball Brown Pitcher Was Failure. Regain of Confidence Makes St Louis Toner Think That Former Skill Hat Returned Held Cardinals Cardi-nals to Four Hits. Allan Sothoron, Drown pitcher, Is blooming again. He's got hlsi spitball and his old confidence back. Giving spltballerd a continued lease on life meant more to Sothoron possibly pos-sibly Uian to any other of tho 10 major ma-jor leaguo pitchers now qualified to uso tho moist delivery. Without Uie spitball Sothoron was a failure. He was stnrted against tho Clove-land Clove-land Indians In tho opener last year without his spltter. They peppered V.1 - Allan Sothoron, him off the hill. Later in tho season he wns reinstated as eligible to throw the wet ball, but he mado a poor comeback. come-back. That one gamo turned hlra from a winning pitcher Into a loser. His pitching average for 1020 was .324 as against .025 for tho yenr before, be-fore, when ho used his pet delivery all season. "When Cleveland beat me in that gamo I got tho Idea In my head that I wasn't there ns a pitcher without a spitball," -says Sothoron. "I had depended de-pended upon It too much. Tho spit-ball spit-ball Isn't the only ball I throw, but It fits Into my system. "After that disastrous game with tho Indlnns I couldn't regain my old confidence, even after they gave mo my spltter back. Confidence Is a thing that any winning pitcher must have. "A pitcher might have a fadonwav as good ns Mathewson's, tho speed of falter Johnson nnd tho control of Unbo Adams, but unless ho thinks he can master tho batters who faco htm no is helpless. pm KnB t0 nll right again this year." Tho fact that Sothoron held tho Cardinals to four hits and beat them n an exhibition gome Indicates ho is bis old self. With the apparent comeback of Sothoron the Drowns' pennant chances are looking up. |