Show i The Magicians of the Moist Ball By GRANTLAND RICE RICE- WERE ARGUING the other THEY day just a n fuzzy bunch sitting around about the best spitball pitchers in the good old days when saliva slants were baffling be- be bewildered batsmen n. n t. t tW M They were arguti arguing ti M ing about the best x 1 y of the lot only few 3 seemed to agree V Ed E Walsh hows how- how however s l. y ever got the most fie VV votes and he was the natural choice Big Ed the Merid- Merid Meriden en magician of the Grantland Rice moist ball won 40 games one season 1908 and saved 12 others He only worked in n 66 games That was the year 1908 when 1908 when Walsh struck out 15 men allowed two hits and was beaten 1 to 0 by Addie Joss's completely perfect game There was another spitball master who wasn't far behind McGraw 1 always said he had the finest pitching motion in baseball His name was Bugs Raymond Bugs first collected fame around 1903 at Shreve- Shreve Shreveport Shreveport Shreveport port La That year he bet somebody 25 that he could eat a whole turkey drink two bottles of scotch and win a double He did Bugs came to Atlanta next spring to join the Crackers He arrived at high noon and I he was due to work against the Boston Ameri Ameri- Americans Americans Americans cans worlds world's champions that year This was the team that had beaten Pittsburgh the fall faIl before with Hans Wagner Tommy Leach Will Bransfield Fred Clarke Deacon Phillippe etc aboard Bill Din- Din Dinneen Dinneen Dinneen neen had been the main and win win- winning winning winning ning workhorse for Boston which also featured Cy Young I happened for some odd reason to be in a bar that day when a looking char char- character character character acter came in He De hadn't shaved sha ved and he wore no tie He J. J j was vas throated bull-throated and practically practically practically ally bare of arm How about a drink he asked me I r had to buy him two drinks He also wanted a a third You must be Bugs Raymond I said And you are booked to pitch against Boston today What of it he asked How do we get to the park We walk I r said being down downto to my last ast nickel after Raymonds Raymond's two drinks The walk was about a mile and anda a half hall Bugs spent most of his time throwing rocks at pigeons mockingbirds and telegraph poles He must have thrown a hundred stones At the park Ab Powell told tod Bugs to warm up Ive already warmed up Bugs said Here were the world cham cham- champions champions champions facing one from the last outpost of the bush at that time The sequel should be that Bugs Raymond had his ears shot away in the first in- in in in- ning The answer is that he shut out Boston's champions with two hits both scratch singles and struck out 12 men He De had a working that day Ive I've never seem equalled There but for alcohol Mc Mc- McGraw McGraw McGraw Graw said once could have been the greatest pitcher of all time He could have worked five games a week Then I r thought of the time Id I'd seen him pitch a head double doubleheader er the er-the the first one against pigeons mockingbirds and telegraph poles the the second section against Bos Bos- Boston's Boston's Boston's tons ton's champions Early Signs One series and one swallow do donot donot donot not make a summer But a series can at least give one some indication indica indica- indication indication tion of things to come later on For example it was generally agreed that two things could help hep the Red Sox no little in their des des- desperate desperate desperate search for a phantom called the flag These two things were much bet bet- better better better ter pitching and a fast home start at the expense of the Yankees their roughest challengers But if you care to check back backa a few days you'll find the Yank Yank- Yankees Yankees ees hammered three of Boston's select pitching staff for 34 runs in inthe inthe inthe the three games an average slight slight- slightly ly Y better than 11 runs per contest Parnell couldn't hold a run nine-run lead Kinder was just as bad Par Par- Parnell Parnell Parnell nell is still due for a good year but after all Kinders Kinder's one good goodyear goodyear goodyear year came when he was 35 It shouldn't be hard for pitchers to win games in ip the Red Sox coun coun- try Even losing two tw out of three the Sox piled up 23 runs in the three games They usually give their pitchers enough runs to make it safe for almost anyone who can throw a ball Take the case of Vern Stephens Last year Stephens only ony hit and yet he drove in runs How could that happen Because every time Stephens came to bat the bases were inhabited with red- red legged base runners runners close close to 1000 for the season In another New York-Boston York argument the Braves at this writ writ- writing writing writing ing are far in front of the Giants The main idea of the trade was to bolster the Giant defense which yielded 21 runs in hi the two Brave I games |