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'* BASEBALL IN DAYS GONE.A 0LU8 FAMOUS BEFORE THE WAR.Tho Game Very IMfToreut from That ofTo-ilay — Some of the l’ltiyori— Scores MsiUe—Inclileuls.An old-timo resident Of Chicago, who from tho day* of Jong ago, ha* taken an Interest in tho National gauv. coutributcd tho following sketch of tho firxt bore hull club of th Garden City. Ho writes:Tho old Excelsior bsso ball club.of ChIc-agc—:!o pick «f whoso player* ure represented below—goes back m tradition to tho time when tbedistinguitbod gentleman John Doe and Richard Roo were both littlo boys together. That was when thoro woro clam boi* in the Chicago rivor, and tho north branch was an Indian village devoted to tho manufacture of beaded moccasins and tho absorption of untaxed government whisky to bo had by tho jug from post traders. But the old Excelsiors woro hitting tho ball. It was a lively ball—tho kind that wouM bound ovor a church sureplo and meander on u quick lope outside tho township linos. Underhand pitching and nono other was allowwJ. A foul hall caught on tho first bound and the striker w.vs out. No balls Horn called on n pitcher nn.l n striker was justified in Ktoudiug over tho pluto us long ns bo dosircd or until such timo as ho got the kind of ball ho nuntol. This concession to tho batsman bad the effect of generously prolonging tho struggle, Boma-tiiiHs a gnmo of baso ball under t'hoold rules wouhl last Six hours or more. Out there was more fun in tin game* then than thoro is now. Tho old Excolsiors say so. For example: What particular excitement is thoic for a catcher nowaday* to got up clow to tho but and take ’em off hot. with his face in c.-vct-iron armor auJ no chance to got hurt* In tho old day's a catcher would liave his iioso masbi-d all over his face, and after ibis happened flt;ur or five times it would Cease to be a novelty or uny inconvenience, mid the young man was r.s prcul of Ins bruise* a* the votoran is of his scars.Tho prefeiouco which the ExcuLlora on. tcrtamod for tho old in base ball doesn't likewise extend to tho old in nrt. though one might think so from their pictures. Some of them uro old stylo pictures—there is no use donying it. But all tho Excelsior boy s nro married n o w. They don’t go in much for style, nnlt;l ihcso rni.3 u::«:v iif.voue p'cturc* tiioy hud Ink-thk Hr.B. in—well, when theyused to knock arouud ns young fellows,amihod. Hero I* the first umpire that was ever brought from the E*it Mr. Calloway, tho namoof the gentleman, name from Newark, N. J,, and from tonjf practice dodging the moqu'loca of bis native swamp land was able to see all over the diamond at once, and thus made n most ex-ceiler.c umpire. There ts something blithe-llko and debonairabout Mr. Calloway.Those li.ssomo wbis- kors, that Jauntystraw hat. bespeak the New Jersey sport, and fkkd callow ay, the Mr. Calloway, there NEW JcitSKY CM* is evory reason to be-riltn. llc». w.w on easytorn-s witn liiimo’.f. He liked Chicago aftera fashion nn l ns a mark of bis good favor bud his p'cture taken here.At different times th nino was made up of different players. In iSfiT. when they idayo.l the Nationals of Wadiington. the JCxccUiois inclntlol John Stearns, captain ami cat eh or. Mr.Stearns ivas then in the wholesale grocory business with bis fnther, but is now in the employ of R!e-I,‘Murdoch Fischer. lUikesiy, whore first nnnia i forgotten, was pitcher; Ben Banker, now school toacber in Boston, was first base;Alec Kennedy, tho In-sururc? agent on La- ,-u.de street, played rec-Jonv ,MJ7-ond base; Tom Fol«y. who is in tho letter cjrrier servico under Pos: master Judd, wat ihinl bare; Gardner Willard, the lawyer, was abort stop; B. Budd, who Is dead; A. Good rick, tliejlawyer. nml John OIerlander, who is a resident of Now Orleans, played In tho field. The old Excelsior pitcher was John McNally, and a good ono he was.Tho Excelsior* liad a nobby uniform, consisting of whito trousers extending to tho ankle and a wldto shirt of Euglbh fiau-no). On their first trip to Bloomington tltcir eyes were opened to somalhing new In the way of r. base ball uniform. Thoro they met tbo Lincolns of Lincoln, III., who wore kueo-breeches of the snmo style that is worn to-day, ond that was tho first club to introduce tho kuicker-bockur garment on a western bull Gald.No goto mouey was charged except to tournament games. Public liking for the garni? wasn’t educated un to the standard where it was willing to let go of its money unless something particularly great in tht way of Iwso ball was promise.I. This could bo hail only when a half-down or more club* got together and played a serios ol ••nines. lntin five or sir dnva Such an*APOAbso!Tills powd« durlly, rtrvngt economical tba oot bo sold In of low test, ohlt; rowder*. cold RotalBab:noW Asalesmen to itExperience large number o •come of them .venr. whose n re bdlovo son buy tbelr stock :hc post claims •'Imply to help i lively that our Canadian sloe! grow all our o from ournursot Canada) Et Fos idA. Cauadiar hardier and co -inpdoes better outheni stock, well and hence wen am sure t ‘ore a day’s timWe done
Newspaper Details
Davenport Morning Tribune
Davenport, Iowa, US
Fri, Aug 24, 1888
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Michael D.
MO, USA 17 Dec 2016
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