Pitchers who threw every ball the same way gave him the most trouble

[chichi]

Harry Davis gave them tips on reading pitchers. Frank Smith of the White Sox was a tough spitball artist for them. One day Davis told them he noticed that every time Smith fifa 15 coins threw a spitter, he looked at the ball when he rubbed it. If he just rubbed it without looking at it, a fastball was com- ing. Eddie Collins picked up the knack and soon didn’t need a tipster. He developed the ability to read what kind of pitch was coming by the pitch- er’s wrist or hand position when the ball was thrown. Pitchers who threw every ball the same way gave him the most trouble. Tip-offs didn’t always help. Ed Walsh raised his eyebrows and the peak of his cap went up when he applied the slippery elm to the ball. He knew it and everybody in the league knew it, but they still couldn’t hit it.

Soon the youngsters were watching everybody on the field. One of them discovered that a certain infielder had a habit of shifting a little to his right when his catcher called for a curve and to the left when a fast one was called for. All a batter had to do was glance at the infielder to know what was coming.

A sign on the left-field fence at Bennett Park in Detroit advertised the Penobscot Inn. The ad featured a large painting of an Indian’s face. The eyes were made from flat pieces of tin. One day the A’s pitcher was being hit hard in the first inning. As the bombardment continued, a rookie sitting beside Mr. Mack said, “I may be crazy, but it looks to me like that Indian’s eyes are moving.” He was right. The eyes moved to the left when a fastball was called, to the right for a curve. The A’s changed their signs; the Tigers didn’t score again the rest of the game. The next morning they went behind the sign and found ropes and pulleys used to move the eyes and reported it to the league. Connie Mack had taught them well.

Mack advised them to watch their own teammates too, to spot what the other team might pick up. Fidgety Eddie Plank was enough to make an alabaster bust nervous. When he first broke in, Mack and his catch- ers had noticed he was tipping his curve by moistening his fingers, then wiping them dry. He cured himself of the habit — most of the time. Mack taught his boys to be alert to it; whenever Plank lapsed they were to holler a reminder to him.