Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1871-09-14
Mr.. Jack Littlesame's Opinion
Base. Ball.

WHO should meet but Sam Skingame
made up like regular swell, full suit OF
black, stove pipe hat, patent-leather boots
and all.
Whats the lay, Sam" seq I, "Wnat's
yer little gamer"
"The Nashunal game" SCI Sam. "1'm
a member and stakeholder of the Dirty
Stockings"
"Yes, but what's the gamef Is i,
bones or papers? SCI kinder ignoriu
the stOckins
"Its the one ball game" SCI Sam. "The
Nashunal Game Of Base Ball Want tC
jine:"
well. don't mind," says l, "but I'd
like to be lett out of wearing the stockins
till cooler weather"
STOW that" SEE Sam. "Drty Stock
ms is the pet name of our professional
nine"
SO Sam agreed to let me have some OF
his stock IN some bradS to pay for mem
bership, and we went up to the Cheatem
grounds to see the first game for the cham.
pionship betwe< the Dirty Stocking and
the Suilcd -hirts of Sedalia. 1t was hot
as blazcs, but you may pick me 10 for a
flat it there warnt more than three thou
oe>AAN PNSPAS oieeAhS SASAS AZ GAO 0OA
Pr. tty soon the game began. The first
thing they did was to select an umpire
An u,Apire's duty is to stan out one side
an holler, an to make sure thing of it,
every once in while he sings out, lone
bawl" 1.-TWO bawll" Aftcr they had
stood the umpire out in the sun, one of
the Dirty Stockins picked up big club
aud stood over q little iron plate like q
pavior with hammer. Three other chaps
went and stood on three little sail loft
cushions three other fellows winked at
| each other and got as tar 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 III front of him an b-gan to pitch q
ball at his head, and he dodked it, an then
the chap behind would chuck j. back.
Bime-by the Teller that held the full
hand of clubs got mad, struck the ball an
drove it into the short stop man q
stomach. 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 j, an fetched him
a pelt side of the head as he come up.
Then the umpire yelled "Out" The
crowd chccred, the wounded was carried
off in an ambulance, new men put in their
placi s, and tn. y 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 ,
have our own ambulance, coroner and
undertaken, and the doctors bring the
medical students over to all the matches to
study 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
was fust introduced, men used to play for
the fun an exercise; but sense John Nor.
rissey, Jim Fisk and our kind have taken
the game up, they have to pay member
Of the professional nine thousand dollars
for the season, his doctors bill, an all he
can make through his friends in side bets.
You can bet your pie the Nashunal
games big thing.