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us«xi to Knock around r.s young lei.ows.anu thoy bavo beon so busy over oiuco they hadn't time to got photographed.Every one in town know.? Fred Erliy. Ho organize! tho XVtiito Stockings ami Is now a vnluod nttucho in the *|M*oinl iiKWiiiont burouti in tlie city hull. But every ono doesn’t know how Fred Erby looked twenty year? ago tho titno this picture was taken. Mr. Krby was the club’s nmniigor. It wi|J bo olnox vcil that ho looks like n woll-foi cherub, and tho calmness and roposo of IPs features alTord no indication of the vigor with which ho could yd! when on Excelsior made u homo run.Many of tho old mom bora say O. Charles Smith was tho father of tho Excelsior base ball club. Mr. Smith shake? his hoad at this urul modestly dcclnros that tho uino was already orgnnizod when ho became a member. Ho giro* a lvilrciivo tug to hi* gray mustache, runs his hand through the thick, silvery Iccks on o. Charles suit it. his forehead, and i-ccomes pleasantly reminiscent. Ho will tell you that in lSf.7, when “Siin Fnrwoil—brother of John V. Pur-woli—played “.MroiKl, tho Excelsiors adopted tin* Now York rule? ono provision of which was that the game should only bov.vl f Ikn.ta.a t . r « \ » *p'.ayod with Ihreo bases. Before tlmt lime they’d I Mien playing with four l«m*s, orj including homo. with llvo bas-'s, but after the alteration \vas malt;!o in tho stylo of play and tho boys got omo now buls the game picked up fresh interest.The ball -rounds wore in tho middto of a bleak prairio, ntul except when used by tho Indians for an occasional sun dance they practically belonged to the Excelsiors and wore rent free. Mr. Fmi*)i states James Malcolm president of tho in his day, and nil tho old Excolsiors recall what a wonderful pi ay or Mr. Malcolm was. IIo con-tinujd to piny with tho club long after Mr. Smith and “Sim Farweil rotirwd, and f.i ; WftH famous as a pitcher. Tbero is not much in Mr. Malcolm’s pic lire, which was taken long ago when Baby Ansonthatwasclubthat.TOM FOLLY. Pecntonica horn.games, lasting five or sir days. Such an occasion was called a tournament. Those tournaments camo off iu tho country towns, almost invariably during fair tlmo, and it was a groat day for ovory ono at tbo fair when in addition to tho regular program, including horse-races and tho llko, a game of ba:o I all was to bo soon. In almost ovory of theso tournnmonts tho Excelsiors worn victorious Thoy Imd In Tom Foloy ono oi tho host third basemen in tho country.Later ho played tho same position with tho AVhit*' Stockings tho llrst year they w«*ru organized. Foloy and Aloe Kennedy were in tho second tournament at Rock ford, when the Poca tonics club was dofoat-o I by tbo Dotrolts by a score of 56 to I. That was a crushing defeat, and it was sig ■ ia!ized by tho pro sontatlon to the vanquished niuo of a tin horn—tbo famous Tbo noxt sonson, wbon ihe Nationals of Washington defeated the Excolsiors by a scon* of 4’» to 4 tho Poca-tunicas presented tbo horn to tho Chicago club—which was tho most badly defeated nine of tbo season. All tbo crack players worn in tbo game. Gardner Willard, then :i student at Harvard, and who was shorl step and captain of tho collogo ni ne, played with tho Excolsiors. Alec Konnedy was in lho game.A crowd estimated at botween twenty thousand and thirty thousand poople went away out to Dexter park nt tho stock yard* to seo tho sport. Tho Excelsiors were certain of being nblo to win. Tho day beforo tiio Nationals measures! bats with tho Forest Citys at Ilocfc-iord—Spalding’s club --and were nrlistical-»-.* trounced. Now, the Excelsiors had always U-Hton the Forest (Jitys, and they wore certain sure thoy ecu Id vauquish tho club tho a. d. Kennedy. l'orost CiSys boat. But tho Eastern bnll-I lay or s were seen nt a disadvantage. The day was rainy. Tho ball got wet. The Eastern players couldn’t get around the slippery prairio ns nimbly as Spalding and his mon. and another thing that bothered them was Spalding’s pitching. They c juhi’nt bit tho ball though ovory one was a picked innn, and, perhaps, they wero the best lot of fielders in tho country. A. Good-
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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