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Show GREASING BALL IS JHB NEW m ' SCHEME TO LAND BALL GAMES JN some sections of New Jersey la a variety of soil that greatly resembles resem-bles aoapstone It Is said that some of this has been Imported to the pitcher's pitch-er's mound at League park in St. Louis and to a certain extent Is responsible for some of tho early success of tho Cardinals. At any rate, Fred Clarko and some of the other big league managers are spinning the yarn, and there seems to bo some truth in 1L Incidentally Clarko blames the soapstone soil for hlc banishment from the game whilo tho Pirates were In St. Louis rccontly. coupled with tho flvo dollar fine plastered plas-tered against him by Umpire Johnstone John-stone for soiling tho ball. According to the wise ones, tho soap-stone soap-stone Is partly responsible for tho Inability In-ability of vlBlting twlrlcrs to control tho ball. J.t Is said that once .somo of this soil Is rubbed on tho covering of tho ball It gets slippery and the pitcher pitch-er cannot throw with the same effectiveness effec-tiveness as when it la free from the substance It 13 also truo that before their recent eastern trip tho Cardinals' pitchers wero noticed to put thdlr throwing hand In their hip pocket before each pitch. Each player packed about a bit of Band, and when the Cardinals wero in the field it was necessary for tho pltchor to uso this to mako tho sur-faco sur-faco of the ball rough. This same soapatono has causod many a laugh during the gamo at League park. Thl3 especially happens when Harry Salleo occupies the mound. It IsJnMiablt of many pitchers to rub earth on their pitching hand Just before delivering tho ball Harry Is one of those pitchers, but it has been noticed that ho prefers to rub his wrong fin on the ground away from the pitching hill, and It Bccms strange to many that ho walks many paces from his position to pat a favorite spot of the carthv Tho pitching knoll at League park Is not tho only one which has a soap-stone soap-stone soil. It Is said that Manager McGraw of tho Giants was tho first to discover the effect of tho slippery dirt and had a load or two shipped over from tho Jcrsoy sido to tho Polo grounds In New York. Of course Man- agor Bresnahan soon was "wised up" and did the same. When In St. Louis recently Manager Fred Clarke of tho Plratos thought he discovered somothlng strango about tho ball. When a long foul was hit his way ho found that tho sphere was very slippery and that his pitchers were having trouble In controlling tho ball ' For that reason ho rubbed the ball on tho ground In an effort to erase tho smoothness and was promptly fined as well as cha.jed when ho complained to Umpire Johnstone. The soapstone soil on the pltchlnr hill can hardly bo called Illegal, and thero seems no way of preventing the clubs from putting the slippery stuff In tho twlrlors neighborhood. |