The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-09-21
MR.JACK KLITTLEGAME's OPINION OF
~ BASE BALL,

/ Who should l meet but Sam Skin
game. made up like a regular swell
full suit of black, stove pipe hat, pat.
ent leather boots and all.
=" What's the lay, SAM" sez J.
"W hats yer little game 2?
&c The Nashunal game sez Sam. I'm
a. member and stockholder of the
Dirty Stockings "a-7 20 = q h3aii
/ !" Y es, but what's the game? Is il
bones or papers 2" sez 1 kinder ig.
noring the stockings. o,1.-.r
s.Itis the one-ball game" sez Sam.
- The Nashunal Game of Base Ball.
Want to jine ?" a. e1e un le
"Well, 1 don't mind" says /, but
I'd like to be left out of wearing the
stockings till cooler weather"
g Stow that" says Sam. "Dirty
Stockings is the pet name of our pro-
fessional nine." ssa er
So Sam agreed to let me have some
of his stock and some brads to pay
for membership, and we went out to
the Cheatem grounds to see the first
game for the championship between
the Dirty Stockings and Soiled Shirts
of Sedalia. 1t was hot as blaZes, but
I you may pick me up for a fiat If there
warn't more than three thousand peo-
pie sitting there in the sun.
I3 Pretty soon the game began. The
first thing they did was to select an
umpire. An umpire's duty is to STAN
out one side an holler, an make sure
thing of it, every once in a. while he
sings out, ssOne bawlwe"TWo bawlln
After they had stood the umpire out
in the sun, one of the Dirty Stockings
picked up big club and stood over a
little iron plate like a PaViof with a
rammer. Three other chaps went and.
stood ON three little salllloft cushions !;
three other fellows 9winked at each
other and got as far out in the field as
they could ;ianother man planted him,
self fifteen feet from one of the little
cushions. Sam says they call this man
.hshort stop" because he don't stop.
there long before his head is caved in
by the ball. Then player stood be-
hind the chap on the little iron plate,
am another went in front of him an
began to pitch ball at his head, and
he lodged it, an then the chap behind
woul chuck it back. jr3ao 81 45e
Bime-by the feller that held the full
hand of clubs got mad, struck the ball
AM drove it into the short stop mans
stomach, flung his club back and
knocked out the front teeth of the
man behind then ran at one of the
chaps ON the little cushions, knocked
him down and stomped on him, and
went for the chap on the next cushion;
but the ball got there somehow before
him, an the5chap on the second cushl
ion grabbed it an fetched him pelt
side of the head as he come up. Then
the umpire yelled ssOutw The crowd
cheered, the wounded was carried off
in an ambulance, new men put in their
places, and they began all over again.
0 / asked Sam if anybody ever got
hurt playing the National game?
g '..jNot enough to interfere with the 4
game, z says Sam. &c We've located our
grounds pretty near the city hospitals,
have our own ambulance, coroner and
undertaken. and the doctors bring the
medical students oyerto all the match
es to study surgery q We did have
life and accident insurance agent but
the first two matches failed his COM
pany.va 3saaa ssssfs y ssh So - a3si3S
Sam says that when the Nashunap
game was first introduced, men used
to play for the fun an exercise; but 1
sense John Morrissey, Jim Fisk and
our kind have taken the game up, they
have to pay a member of the profess |
sional nine thousand dollars for the
season, his doctors bill, an all he can
make through his friends in side bets.
Y ou can bet your pile the NashnnaI |
games big thing. ~ .99' 'aal'i 80
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