| Ed Walsh's Spitball | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
Ed Walsh |
|
Type |
Baseball |
|
Effects |
Passes through the first solid object it comes in contact with |
|
Downsides |
Unhygienic |
|
Activation |
Spitting on the ball and throwing it |
|
Collected by |
Jack Secord and Rebecca St. Claire |
|
Section |
|
|
Date of Collection |
November 21st, 1954 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Ed Walsh was an American Major League Baseball pitcher made famous for his use of the "spitball". The spitball is an illegal move banned in 1920 where a baseball is coated with a lubricating substance such as saliva, Vaseline, chewing tobacco, etc. The lubricant would affect the weight and surface area of one side of the ball, giving it an odd trajectory when thrown.
Despite the fact that the move was banned, several players were "grandfathered in", and did not have to observe the rule. A quote from Hall of Famer Sam Crawford described Walsh's use of the move. Crawford said, "He threw a spitball. I think that ball disintegrated on the way to the plate, and the catcher put it back together again. I swear, when it went past the plate, it was just the spit went by".
Effects[]
When the ball comes into contact with saliva and is thrown the ball will pass through the first solid object it comes into contact with. After the first object has been passed the ball will become solid again.
Collection[]
Collected by Jack and Rebecca from the Baseball Hall of Fame shortly after Walsh was inducted into it.
When the ball comes in contact with Love Potion No. 9, the effects combine to form an interesting new effect. When the potion soaked ball is thrown at a person it will harmlessly pass through them. After passing through the first person the ball will lose its intangibility and become solid. The next person who gets hit with the ball will fall madly in love with the initial target that the ball phased through.