The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-05-30
The :. National Game. y

For the next few months the Ameri-
can people will be'frequently and forci
bly, reminded of the so-called Nation
al game" Until the middle or latter
part of June Congress will receive a
share of attention, but after that there
will be no reason why the public mind
should not be wholly devoted to base
ball. The forty or fifty young men
who compose the league clubs
should feel highly flattered at this
state of things, and it is TO be hoped
will feel due sense of responsibility
as National representatives. tits quite
true that in some respects they fall
very short of representing the National
intelligence, but in the matter of pitch
ing, batting, catching, fielding, ETC., ),
they are undoubtedly pre-eminent, and
will probably be the bright, particular
models whom the youth of the land
will spend their summer vacation in
trying TO initiate. There will be some
broken limbs, large number of dis
jointed fingers, and not q few fractured
skulls. but these are insignificant COM
pared with making progress in the
National game. Baseball, like other
manias, is exclusive in its nature AS
piring to be recognized as the Ma
tional game it discourages all other
ball games as irregular and illegiti-
mate. Occupying the whole field, it
leaves no room for others. In former
years there was variety of these, and
if they were not played with as much
science or jockeying as baseball is
played with now, they at least fur
nished jolly good sport to the youth of
the last generation. Elder readers
will easily recall some of these. There
was the simple game of ''two old cat,'
in which the ball passed back and
forth between two pitchers and two
strikers, the pitchers being also catch
ers. There was not much room for
fine fielding or iockeying in this game,
and we never heard Of any pool-selling
in connection with it; but it was an
honest, enjoyable old game for all
that. "Three old cat'' was the same
game played on a triangle, the ball
passing round and round, and all
hands alternating at the bat, as they
caught in or got caught out. Then there
was bull pen," in which there was
no batting except on the body. The
ball passed from hand to hand until it
got hot, and then some fellow was
" soaked with it in way he despised.
"Run around,' or, it was sometimes
called, baseball, was the nucleus of the
present game. of that name. There
were no regular g nines," but sides had
to be chosen. This, after the leaders
were selected, was generally done by
one of them tossing up stick or ball
club, which the other caught. and then
each one placed his doubled hand over
that of the other, alternately, until the
one who caught the end of the stick
had first choice. If he could catch it
by very small end, but tight enough
to throw it over his head, that was
enough. The pitchers and catchers
were selected by common consent or
reclamation, and in that, as in other
matters, universal suffrage did not al
ways put the best men in office. Some
times lazy fellow who wanted to play,
but did not like to run after balls,
would set up a claim as pitcher, which
would be recognized without much
questioning. The playing was not very
scientific, but it furnished good sport.
The game could be learned without
teacher, there were no big salaries paid,
no leagues, no admission fees, no pool
selling, but it was a brave old game,
notwithstanding. There were other
games of hand-ball, not to speak of
football and hockey, or more popularly
!" shiny" These filled an important
place in the sports of former years, but
they are rooted out and displaced now
by !" the National game" with its COM
plicated rules, its fearful and wonder
full vocabulary, its high-salaried play
ers, who make enough during the sum-
mer months to enjoy whole winter of
obscurity and idleness, its professional
umpires, captains, managers, etc. All
this goes to prove that times change,
and that we are progressive people.
The youth of the last generation thought
they enjoyed their simple games, but
they didn't. The right way for people
to play ball is to hire a few muscular
chaps to play for them, and then bet on
the result. t.-L Indianapolis Journal.