Many old public domain books can now be read on the web. Found Christy Mathewson's "Pitching in the Pinch," a 1912 classic, often called the first book on pitching.
http://www.openlibrary.org/details/pitchinginpincho00mathiala
John Mcgraw, Three Finger Mordecai Brown, Grover Cleveland Alaxender, Cy Young - before he was an award, and Honus Wagner - before he was a baseball card, populate this 300 page easy-to-read book.
373-game winner Mathewson discusses highly paid newcomers like Alexander "It's hard to get stars now without paying enormous prices for them." The word "star" wasn't used lightly in 1912. Alexander won 28 games his 1911 rookie year! (he never made more than $17,000 a year)
Be warned that 1912 was a different era. Mathewson, considered highly educated among players then, devotes a full chapter on dealing with "jinxes." When he saw a cross-eyed man, Matty would spit into his hat. Baseball bats, he advised, should be lined up in careful rows by the batboy, and never be allowed to cross one another.
Another piece of archaic wisdom: Chew licorice during the game and use it to dirty the ball!
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