Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1867-11-13
Sic Transit Gloria 3. 3 Grounds.
Dedicated to the N EN- hers OF the "nGer-
town National Base Ball Gu b.

!
town National Base Ball Clu b.
Among the various places in our city that
are being made to "blossom as the rose, the
old grounds Of the National Base Ball Club
must be counted in. Yes, the old grounds are
"played out" for in passing few days ago,
we noticed to our chragrin and amazement a
house in course of erection on them, and it will
not be long before the surroundings are bloom
ing cabbage garden. Some one must be doing
this who is not an admirer OF the ''noble
game" and is without the fear of Base Ballers
in his heart, or else he would not thus trife
with their most sacred rights We were
that our friend Werlich was at the bottom of
the thing, for in his eagerness to do what he
could for the grow til Of the city had sold the
grounds, and thereby gave US this ''unkindest
cut of ALL" Many thoughts of sadness passed
through our mind as we gazed on the old spot
where we were wont to meet in battle array.
No more on the old grounds would the Cap
tains "choose up" and with their respective
sides ego in" to win No more would Hunt
ley pitch those fairest and best balls, and with
the bat send those ''sky-rockets" into the air,
which were terror to all felders. No more
would Basford do such good catching behind
the batsman, and throw so miserably to the
bases when players attempted to run on "fouls'
No more would Thompson have his wind-pipe
put out of joint, and the 'claret drawn from
his probosis while playing at first base, and
doing all that could be done in that capacity.
No more would Pipher play around that sec
ond base, tuning and sweating like porpoise,
catching those tEfrs," which seemed an i'm
possibility. No more would Bishop try SO
hard to play we'll at third base, and only fail
on account ofhis 'sbuttered fingers" No more
| would Coe play SO well as short-stop, and
when any dispute arose as to whose turn it was
to knock be sure to step in and claim the posi-
ton. No more would Dafter fly around be-
hind the knocker as spry as an eel and catch
all the balls that were with in the range Of pos
sbility, and "more too" and when at the bat
! make such telling hits. No more would
| Sprague have such streaks of luck in going the
rounds, and count up as many tallies as "auy
other man" No more would Norris do such
umpiring as to call down the excavations upon
him Of both sides, and attempt to play at short
| stop, but only succeed in playing short without
the stop No more would Fuller ssstand I'D to
the rack'' as left fielder, and quibbie on some
point in the game with some one as equally
"rumbunctious" as hinself-Perry for instance
No more would Lovely attempt to make first
base after striking, with the almost certain ty
of being put out before reaching it. No more
would Green perambulate home when the dusk
of evening approached, especially if his sda
had the outs. No more would Knight attempt
| to play with sprained finger from sense OF
| duty. No more would Mann, Graves, Kruger
and Norton, be tainted with the cry,
| Here's q victim, Here's victim" No
more would Oerling, McMilen and Rack emu
late the better players and bid fair to equ
| them.
And no more would the 'sfemale young la
| dies" sit on the soft side of slab seat, impro-
vised for the occasion, and take lovers inter
est in the game until "the last armed toe ex-
PRED" No, those scenes are passed and gone
never to return, and so we turn from the "foul''
| and 'base" subject.