The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-10-02
THE AMERICAN GAME.
First of Outdoor Sports.
The National League Record for Ten
Nears...A Home Match Next Week.
Rock ISLAND, H.. Oct. Q, 1885.

Rock ISLAND. H.. Oct. Q. 1885.
EDITOR ARGUs:-That so much loca
interest is conferred in base ball at the
present time over the close and exciting
| contests for the league championship
will you kindly state through the columns
| OF your paper how long base ball has
| been the American field game, and the
ranking of the teams In the National
| league for ten years back or since the or
ganization of the league.
LOCAL SPORT.
1t is now over a quarter of century
since the game of base ball became popu
larized AS the game of games for Ameri
| can youth; and within that period it has
so extended itself in its sphere of operas
tions that it is now the permanently es-
tablished national field game of America
Unlike many sports taken up by our peoN
pie, which have ridden into general ia
vor on til wave of public furore. base
ball has come to stay. Not even the
great war of the rebellion could check its
progress to any great extent; in fact in
one way-through the national army-it
led to its being planted in IA southern
cline. and now base ball can he said to
"know no north. no south, no east, no
west 1t has even crossed the border
into Canada and in addition. like cricket,
has found its way at times to foreign
shores. Within the past fifteen years,
too, the national game has burst its
youthful bonds. and from the amateur
period of its early growth it has entered
upon the more advanced condition of its
career under the professional system,
which system has developed its innate
attractions within "A single decade to an
extent it otherwise could not have
reached in thrice the amount
OF time. In 1872 the first profession
association was established. and now in
1885, we find the Professional fraternity,
after their passage through the Red Sea
of gambling abuses so thoroughly con
trolled in the interests of honest play by
the existing professional organizations,
that the evils which attach themselves to
Professionalism. in sports generally, no
longer find space Tor existence within
the arena of professional base ball play
ing. In fact, our national game now
stands alone as u field of sport in the
one important fact that it is the only
public sport in which professional ex
emplars take part which possesses the
power to attract its thousands of specta~
tors without the eXtrinsic aid of gambling
The record OF the League championship
contest each season from 1S15-the year
the League WAS organized Ito the present
season, inclusive, presents n very inter-
esting array of statistics showing the va>
rying features of the several clubs which
have entered the League arena within the
past nine years. This year completes
the first decade IN the history of the
League organization, and the record
of the full period will make up an exceed
ingly interesting history of professional
ball playing in the palmiest days of its
history.
The record from 1876 Ia TIM prese mt
date is as follows,
1876 Chicago, Hartford. ST. Louis,
Boston, Louisville, Mutuals, New York;,
A thlelic, (Philadelphia) Cincinnati.
1877 Boston, Louisville, Hartford, St
Louis, Chicago.
1s7s-Boston, Cincinnati. Providence
Chicago, Indianapolis. Milwaukee.
lS7y-Providcnce, Boston. Chicago,
Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Troy City.
Syracuse.
1SSO-Chicago, Providence. Cleveland,
Troy City, Worcester, Boston, Buffalo,
Cincinnati.
1Ssl-Chicago, Providence. Buffalo
Detroit, Troy City, Boston, Cleveland +,
Worcester.
1882 Chicago. Providence. Buffalo
Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Troy City,
Worcester.
1888 Boston. Chicago. Providence
Cleveland, Buffalo, New York, Detroit,
Philadelphia.
1SS4-Providence, Boston, Buffalo,
Chicago, New York. Philadelphia, Cleve-
land, Detroit.
The exact record tor the season about
closed-1SS5 is of course yet incomplete
although from all present appearance
es, Chicago will walk away with the pen :
ant, the other contesting clubs in the or
der of their position at this time being
New York. Philadelphia, Providence
Boston, Detroit Buffalo, ST. Louis.
HOME GAME.
Through the efforts of A. G. Miller and
Others there will be two interesting
games in Rock Island next Tuesday and
Wednesday. The Chicago EDWARDS, well
known here through visits to Rock Isl
and, when local base ball was in its prime,
with Portner, Walsh, Grady and Ready
will play the Stars with Sage Anderson
and others on the old fair grounds, Ar
rangements will be made for the accOmo
dation of everybody, ladies' especially.
Evening Musicale,
The concert given at the First Baptist