South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-09-08
Miscellany.
Mr. Jack Littlegame's Opinion Of
Baseball.

WHO should meet but Sam Skingamt
made up like regular swell, full suit c
black, stove pipe hat, patent-leather boot:
and all.
What's the lay, Sam ?" sez l, "Wnat'
yer little game?'
"The Nsshunal game" sez Sam. an
q member and stockholder of the Dirt,
Stockings
Yes, but what's the games Is i
bones or papers p" seE l kinder ignorir
the stockins.
"Ifs the one-ball game" sez Sam. "Tht
Nashunal Game of Baseball. Want tc
jines" -
Well. don't mind" says l, "but Ia
like to be left out of wearing the stockins
till cooler weather"
Stow that" sez Sam. "Dirty Stock.
ins is the pet name of our professional
nine"
So Sam agreed to let me have some of
his stock an some brads to pay for men,
bership, and we went up to the Cheatem
grounds to see the first game for the cham
pionship between the Dirty Stocking and
the Soiled shirts of Sedalia. 1t was hot
as blazes, but you may pick me up for a
fiat if there warn't more than three thou
sand people sitting there in the sun
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 to make sure thing of it,
every once in a while he sings out, "One
bawlr' "Two bawl" After they had
stood the umpire out in the sun. one of
the Dirty Stockins picked up big club
and stood over a little iron plate like a
pavior with rammer. Three other chaps
went and stood on three little sail-loft
cushions; three other fellows winked at
each other and got as far out in the field
as they could; another man planted him
self about fifteen feet from one of the
little cushion. Sam says they call this
man "short STOP" because he don't stop
there long before his head is caved in by
the ball. Then player stood behind the
chap on the little iron plate, an another
went in front of him an began to pitch a
ball at his head, and he lodged it, an then
the chap behind would chuck it back
Bime-by the feller that held the full
hand of clubs got mad, struck the ball an
drove it into the short stop mans
flung his club back an knocked
out the front teeth of the man behind;
then he ran at one of the chaps on the lit
tie 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 the chap on the |
second cushion grabbed it an fetched him |
B pelt side of the head as he come up. |
Then the umpire yelled "Outr The |
crowd cheered, the wounded was carried |
off in an ambulance, new men put in their |
places, and they began all over again.
asked Sam if anybody ever got hurt |
playin' the Nashunal game?
- mot enough to interfere with the /
game" says Sam. "We've located our
grounds pretty near the city hospitals,
aave our own ambulance, coroner and
and the doctors bring the
medical students over to all the matches to
;tudy surgery. We did have a life and
accident insurance agent; but the first two
matches failed his company"
Sam says that when the Nashunal game
vas fust introduced, men used to play for
he fun an exercise; but sense John Nor
issey, Jim Fisk and our kind have taken
he game up, they have to pay a member
# the professional nine thousand dollars
or the season, his doctors bill, an all he
an make through his friends in side bets
You can bet your pile the Nashunal
ame's big thing.