pretzel curve (1886), pretzel battery (1887)

Tue Jan 25 10:05:52 UTC 2005

* pretzel curve (originally referring to the curve ball of Charles
"Pretzel" Getzein of the Detroit Wolverines in the 1880s; later applied to
other, often German-American, pitchers)

1886 _Daily News_ (Frederick, Md.) 26 Jul. 4/5 The Chicago's describe the
course of the ball from his [sc. Charles Getzein's] hand to their bats as
a "pretzel curve."

1886 _Atlanta Constitution_ 27 Jul. 8/4 Wells's pretzel curves were too
much for the Memphis yesterday, and they gave the champions another
victory.

1886 _Atlanta Constitution_ 17 Aug. 8/4 (heading) Wells, the pretzel
curver, retires the Charlestons. (ibid.) Kappel, Phillips and Brosnan, the
heavy hitters of the team, went down before the midget's pretzel curves.

1890 _Chicago Tribune_ 1 Aug. 6/1 (heading) Stein's pretzel curves.
(ibid.) Perhaps he copied his curves from the twists of a pretzel; at any
rate he can make a ball take all the curves peculiar to that German
article of diet.

1890 _Middletown Daily Press_ (N.Y.) 10 Sep. 1/6 Getzein's pretzel curves
were not so effective.

1891 _Chicago Tribune_ 22 Aug. 7/1 Charley Getzein, he of the famous
"pretzel" curves, was in the box for the visitors. Those who remembered
the weird twists that Charley carried with him when he was twirling the
old Detroits into the championship felt that it would at least take some
time for the Colts to solve the intricacies of those "pretzel" curves.

1894 _Atlanta Constitution_ 14 May 5/4 But the Atlanta boys being from
Cincinnati say they are onto "pretzel" curves and will teach Mr. Klopf a
lesson he'll never forget.

1894 _New York Times_ 16 Aug. 8/5 Breitenstein, a youth with a strong left
arm and pretzel curves, prevented the New Yorks from winning a game
yesterday.

1897 _Times Democrat_ (Lima, Ohio) 14 Jun. 4/3 Charley Mooney and R.T.
Wilmot dispensed their choicest assortment of pretzel curves.

1897 _Times Democrat_ (Lima, Ohio) 18 Aug. 5/2 Mr. Blackburn kept the
batters dodging by the pretzel curves that he put on the sphere.

1899 _Trenton Evening Times_ (N.J.) 15 Apr. 6/2 George Reed, of the
Rogers, has one of Griffith's pretzel curves this season, which he claims
will fool some of the hitters.

1905 _New York Times_ 13 Oct. 6/1 (heading) Philadelphians unable to stand
against his pretzel curves. (ibid.) That professor of occult speed and
pretzel curve, Christie Mathewson.

1906 _Bucks County Gazette_ (Pa.) 31 Aug. 3/7 He had grape vine shoots,
pretzel curves and fade-away drops. Cohan pitched so many fancy curves
that his wrist got twisted and had to finish the game by tossing
jew-drops.

1908 _Chicago Tribune_ 31 Aug. 6/1 No longer will Chicago's fans struggle
with the pretzel curves of the great sou'paw's patronymic.

1914 _New York Times_ 5 Sep. 8/1 Ruelbach then went through all the
motions of uncurling a pretzel curve with nothing in his hand but his
fist.

1916 _Lancaster Daily Gazette_ (Ohio) 11 Aug. 2/3 Baus' pretzel curves
could not puzzle the printers.

1934 _Washington Post_ 13 Aug. 11/5 The Earl started to pitch -- throwing
those pretzel curves at Foxx.

1938 _Nebraska State Journal_ 8 Oct. (Sports) 1/6 Marcellus Monte Pearson,
a burly right hander who can toss his pretzel curve thru the eye of a
needle.

1942 _Los Angeles Times_ 6 May 20/7 Jimmy Wallace, a tiny, apple-cheeked
boy with a winning smile and a pretzel curve.

1951 _Chicago Tribune_ 3 Apr. III-1/4 Marvin Rotblatt, the lefty with the
pretzel curve.

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* pretzel battery (Charles Geitzen and Charles Ganzel of the Detroit
Wolverines, 1886-88, or various other German-American pitcher/catcher
combinations)

1887 _Daily Northwestern_ (Oshkosh, Wisc.) 19 May 1/2 Krock and Gastfield,
Oshkosh's "pretzel" battery, verify everything said in their favor.

1887 _Daily Northwestern_ (Oshkosh, Wisc.) 25 May 1/2 The Blues will
present their pretzel battery -- Lang and Simpson.

1894 _Chicago Tribune_ 10 Nov. 6/1 Among the jurors is Charles Getzein,
the professional baseball player, famous some years ago as the pitcher in
the "pretzel" battery of Getzein and Ganzel.

1895 _Washington Post_ 23 Aug. 6/1 The original "pretzel battery"
consisted of Pitcher Getzein and Catcher Gas[t]field, and not of Getzein
and Ganzel, as many suppose.

1896 _Chicago Tribune_ 31 Aug. 8/2 Charley Getzien, the ex-league pitcher,
and at one time a member of the famous Detroit "pretzel" bettery of
Getzein and Ganzel.

1905 _Atlanta Constitution_ 27 Dec. 9/3 The dissolution of the pretzel
battery came long ago. After Breitenstein left Heine Peitz remained the
star of the catching class here.

1908 _New York Times_ 18 Apr. 7/1 The work of the pair [sc. Schlitzer and
Schreckengost] yesterday indicated that there will be another pretzel
battery to achieve success similar to that attained by Getzein and Ganzel
years ago in St. Louis [sic].

1909 _Mansfield News_ (Ohio) 3 Sep. 3/1 However, the soft pedal end of the
pretzel battery, "Hezzy Schreck" Breymaier will also be in the game.

1909 _Washington Post_ 5 Sep. S2/5 A noted team of bygone days was
composed of Getzein and Ganzel -- the pretzel battery they were called
when they played for the Detroits in 1887.

1914 _Clearfield Progress_ (Pa.) 5 Aug. 3/2 Another pretzel battery. Der
Herr Pitcher Schauffalaufe and der Herr Catcher Ehlminghle have signed
with Manager Herzog of the Cincinnati Reds.

1925 _Chicago Tribune_ 20 Jul. 21/5 Getzien and Ganzel, playing for
Detroit in the 80s, were known as the "pretzel battery."

1943 _Mansfield News Journal_ (Ohio) 18 Jun. 12/1 We called Osborne and
Delahanty the Shamrock Battery, to distinguish them from the Pretzel
Battery of Petie Sommers, pitcher, and Fritz Grumbling, catcher.

1944 _New York Times_ 24 Aug. 14/6 There were some great names on the St.
Louis rosters in those early years -- Ted Breitenstein and Heinie Peitz
(the Pretzel Battery).

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--Ben Zimmer