By the first week in May, Tom knew how to pitch an out-shoot and in-shoot and a drop. I say he knew how, but I don’t affirm that he always succeeded, for he didn’t. This discouraged him at times, but Mr. George only laughed. “Why, Tom, if you could do what you wanted to with that ball every time, you’d be a--a sort of infant prodigy that you read about! How old are you, anyway?” “Sixteen and a half.” “Well, that half may help some,” laughed the detective. “But you’ve got several years ahead of you yet before you’ll reach top-form, son. Why, I couldn’t do as well as you’re doing when I was seventeen!” At which Tom took comfort. Tom had read or heard of many more deliveries, such as the “fade-away,” the “knuckle-ball,” the “floater,” and the “spit-ball,” and was eager to have Mr. George show him about them. But his teacher put it off. “I can’t pitch a ‘spit-ball’ myself, Tom,” he said. “That came along after I quit the game. I know how it’s done and some day we’ll have a try at it. Same way with the ‘knuckle-ball’ and a lot of the other ‘freaks.’ What you want to do now is to learn control. You’ve got enough to start on; three good breaks and a straight ball is enough for any pitcher. After that it’s just a matter of putting the ball where you want it, fooling the batter, teasing him with the wide ones, sneaking in the good ones under his nose, changing your pace, and having him hit too soon. Oh, there’s a lot in the pitching game besides just curving the pellet, son! Why, I knew a fellow once, Purdy of the old Bristol team it was, who didn’t have a thing on the ball except an out-shoot, ‘two fingers only’ we used to say. Of course he knew others, but they wouldn’t work for him. Well, that old side-wheeler used to go into the box and have them eating out of his hand! Yes, sir, he just used his head, Gus did, and the way he’d serve ’em what they didn’t want and make ’em bite at ’em was a caution! Why, fellows used to say that they’d rather go up against almost any of the big-uns than Gus Purdy when Gus was really pitching! You want to remember that there’s all kinds of hitters in the world: hitters that want them high and hitters that like ’em low and hitters that will reach for ’em and hitters that won’t. And here’s another thing, Tom. Bear in mind that the plate is only a pretty narrow contrivance after all, but that the distance from a man’s knee to his shoulder is something like three feet. Get that?” “You mean it’s better to pitch for up and down position than for--for----”