Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-09-07
Correspondence.

L
ball club, Steuens Point, W1scon-
sin,
My DEAR SIR The "Granites'
have seen your challenge, and also
your sickly TRADE upon the new game
as you choose to call it, both of which
appeared in the Stevens Point Journal
soon after your triumphal entry into
your own town, in the dead of the
night, after having been, for the Sec
ond time during the present season.
fairly beaten by the GRANTEES, of
Grand Rapids. We do not wonder
that you feel little sore and mortified
after two such signal defeats, but we
do wonder, that you should be simple
enough to show it, to all of the neigh
boring towns, through the columns of
the Journal.
Is it sympathy for which you ere
crying? IF SO we can heartily con-
dole with you in your present misfor-
tunes, for we have been beaten once
during the present season by the Wau-
sau club, but we did not come home
crying about it, but were and are yet
proud to have met, and played with,
and been defeated by such gentlemen
as make up the Wausau club And
we will guarantee to you that if you
are SO anxious to play another game
this season, if you will 60 to Wausau
and play the club there one game, you
will disband your organization imme-
diately afterwards in disgust. The
trouble with you gentlemen is that
you cannot play the National game of
base ball, But we did not mean to
discourage you, and we do honestly
think that you have the material, with
proper training, to make foir base
ball club, and by careful selection Of
your opponents and playing only with
those VINO are beginners, you may yet
be able to win a game. But you have
one serious fault which you should try
to correct, that is the habis of grum-
bling with, and bullying your oppo-
nents.
You know that your club is made
up almost entirely Of fall grown,
heavy, two listed men, while ours is
composed entirely Of young boys, all
of light weight, but on this account
you should not attempt to bully, over
awe, and frighten us, with view of
winning the game by such unfair
means, for such an act is ungeatleman-
iy.
When we played the first game with
you at the Point, your men grumbled
and buliied SO much that at the 4th
innings the umpire, who was a young
boy from this city, but who neverthe-
less understood the rules of the game
perfectly, and tried to be perfectly i'm
partial, became so Disguised with your
constant eomplainings that he with
drew and refused to act any longer in
that capacity, you then selected a man
from your own town aud played the
balance of the game under his rulings,
bat as the game progressed, and you
were constantly losing ground. you
persisted 10 placing the fault upon the
umpire, you should think of this Sc
riously, and you will End that the
fault is IN your playing, not in the
rulings of impartial men who are call
ed upon to judge between you and
your opponents.
AS 20 the secoad game, between
| your CLUB and ours, before the game
commenced you were informed that
there was gentleman here who un-
derstood the rules and would act as
umpire, if you desired, and further
that if at any time you became dissat-
isfed with his rulings you could call
/
for change. You are perfectly we'll
aware Of the fact that the umpire thus
chosen did rule in your favor ia all
doubtful cases and that you did net at
the time call for any change. Now
gentlemen, We have played you, and
won the best two games in three, and
this is all you are entitled to from us.
We would be pleased to crafty you.
but really, we have net the time to
spare, at least until you attain some
reputation elsewhere.
Yours,