One Minute Talk: Fred Toney

14 Sep

In 1916, The Newspaper Enterprise Association ran a series of brief articles called “One Minute Talks with Ballplayers.”

Fred Toney:

“I didn’t know the slightest thing about pitching overhand when I got my first chance in the big league. I had always relied on an underhand delivery.  I hadn’t been with the Cubs an hour before Mordecai Brown took me in tow and taught me the overhand style but I unconsciously fell back upon the underhand delivery after pitching a few as per instructions.

Toney

Toney

“I’ve been plugging away for three years mastering the lessons Brown taught me and now I only use the underhand ball as a mixer-up.  I had always been successful with my underhand delivery and was afraid the change would hurt my effectiveness, but now I’m glad I listened to older heads.”

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