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case, and should bo reformed altogether.Fou tho next few months the American people w ill be frequently and forcibly reminded of the so-called ‘‘national game.” Until the middle or latter part of Juno Congress will receive h share of attention, but after that there will be no reason why the public mind should not be wholly devoted to bose-ball. The forty or filly young men wlio compose tho “league clubs” should feel highly flattered at this state of things, and it is to be hoped will feel a duo sense of responsibility as national representatives. It is quite true that in some respects they fall very short of representing the national intelligence, but in tho mutter of pitching, batting, catching, fielding, etc., they are undoubtedly pre-eminent, and will probably be the brigltf, particular models whom the youth of the land will spend their summer vacation in trying to imitate. There will be some broken liiubs, a large number of disjointed fingers, and not a few fractured skulls, but these are insignificant compared with making progress in the imtionul game. Base-ball, like other manias, is exclusive in its nature. Aspiring to be recognized us the national game it discourages all other ball games us irregular and illegitimate. Occupying the whole field, it leaves no room for others. In former years there was n variety of these, and if they were not played with as much science or jockeying as base-bafl is played with now, they at least furnished jolly good sport to tho youth of the last generation. Elder readers will easily recall some of these. There was the simple game of “two old cat,” in which the bull passed back and forth between two pitchers and two strikers, the pitchers being also catchers. There w*us not much room for fine fielding or jockeying in this game, and we never heard of any pool-selling in connection with it, but it was an honest, enjoyable old game for all that. “Three old cat” was the same game played on a triangle, the ball passing round and round, and aii hands alternating at tho bat, as thay caught in or got caught out. Then thcao was “bull pen,” in which there was iio batting except on the body. Tho ball passed from hand to hand until it got hot, and then some fellow was “soaked” with it iu a way he despised. “Run around,” or, us it was sometimes called, base-ball, was the nucleus of the present game of that name. There were 110 regular “nines,” but sides had to bo chosen This, after the leaders were selected, was generally done by one of them tossing up a stick or ball-club, which tho other caught, and then each one placed his doubled hand over that of the other, alternately, until the one who caught the end of the stick had first choice. If he could catch it by a very small end, but fight enough to throw it over his head, thatwas enough. The pitchers and catchers were selected by common consent or acclamation, and in that, as in other matters, universal suffrage did not always put the best men in office. Sometimes a lazy fellow who wanted to play, but did not like to run after balls, would set up a claim as pitcher, which would bo recognized without muoh questioning. The playing was not very scientific, but it furnished good sport. The game could be learned without a teacher, tiiere were no big salaries paid, no leagues, no admission fees, no pool-selling, but it was a brave old game, notwithstanding. There were other gantesof hand-bull, nottospoakoffoot-ball and hookey, or more popularly “shinny.” These filled an important place in the sports of former years, but they are rooted out and displaced now by “the national game,” with its complicated rules, its fearful and wonderful vocabulary, its high-salaried players, who make enough during the summer months to enjoy a whole winter of obscurity mid idleness, its professional umpires, captains, managers, etc. All this goes to prove tliat times change, and ‘that we aro a progressive people. The youth of the last generation thought they enjoyed tlieir simple games, but they didn’t. The right way for people to play ball is to hire a few muscular chaps to play for tlfem, and then bet on the result.
Newspaper Details
Indianapolis Journal
Indianapolis, Indiana, US
Mon, May 13, 1878
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Harvard U.
MA, USA 07 Aug 2020
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