The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-07-22
MAKING BASE-BALLS.
Their Manufacture Becoming One
Of the Great Industries.
Node of Turning Them Out of Phila-
= deIphia Establlshm ent-EarIy Base
Ball Days-ImprovementsM Made
Cheap and Standard
spheres"


spheres"
at is interesting to note" said ;
weil-known baseball manufacturer
<'what great progress the game of base
ball has made during the last half cen
fury, especially in popular favor. Les.
than fifty years ago the game was crude
and comparatively unknown, while
such = thing as a baseball club wa,
entirely unthought of. Now we have
National league, State leagues and anna
teur clubs by the legion, and there is
perhaps, not a city or town that
does not boast of several organ
izations of this kind. While the game
of baseball in various forms had been
played TO some extent for many wears
previous, the first regular baseball So
ciety formed in this country was the
old Knickerbocllar Club. founded in
New York in 1915. This society was
altogether unlike the professional club
of the present day. The sport was pur-
sued solely as Il pastime and the or
ganization really bore more of social
character than otherwise, ii being COM
posed mostl y OF members of the leading
families of New York society. While
the influence of this club did much to
bring the game into popular favor and
give it caste, the sphere of play was
very limited until 1863, when a marked
impetus was given to the passime by
the amateur element and the inaugu-
ration OF several clubs, chiefly among
which was the Excelsior Club, of
BROOKLYN. From this time forward the
Interest has been increasing and, great
as it is at the present day, it each year
seems to be growing greater.
The manner of playing base ball in
1910 and thcreaboutS was somewhat
different from that of the game of to-
day and is rs amusing as it is interest
ing. This is how it was played: In
those days, Us now, three men out put
Il side out and both sides ont consti-
1uted a complete inning. but the num-
Der of innings played varied from five to
nine and was a matter of option with
the competing clubs. Seven innings,
however, was the number most popu-
lar and most frequently played. The
score was kept in the Old-fashion way
of tallying, by cutting notches on the
edge of a stick when the base runner
came in. and the club scoring the high
est number ofruns of course won. There
were often exceptions taken to this
method by the older men, who claimed
that the only right way to play ball
for ii WAS the way they used to play it
when they were boys-was to play I'M
til one side made twenty-one runs, and
the side making that number first won
the game.
The infield was square. There were
four bases and the distance between
each, except that Of six yards between
the home stone and the first, was
twenty-one yards. The object in hav-
ing the distance TO first base so short
was that the runners might easily reach
the base lines, and the fun of putting
them out, or the sharp antics of sons
fleet-footed fellow who could dodge the
ball and get safely home, might be en-
Joyed. The number of players on each
side was matter of agreement There
was no set number Generally there
were from seven to twelve, the only re-
quirement being that the number on
each side should be equal. Of these
players all were fielders. except the
+'thrower' and the catcher
There were but two kinds of balls
thrown, fair and unfair, and while
there was no rule to compel man to
strike at a ball, except the rule of
honor. he would be deSp:sed and un-
mercifully guyed if ne failed to strike
at 4 fair ball. A ball thrown near
enough to the knocker to be fairly in
reach and at any height between the
bend of the knees and top of the head
WAS considered fair and all others un-
fair. The strategic point of the thrower
was TO get The bail between the knock
cr S club and his ear, or near his elbow.
When a ball was struck at il was
strike. and if struck at three times and
missed the player was out, provided the
ball had been caught every time, either
on the fly or the first bound. If the
ball was struck at and it was not
caught by the catcher that strike did
not count. If ball was knocked any,
where between the lines of the first
and fourth bases the player had to run.
A foul hit was termed a mo hit" and
& foul tip tick" ANY one on the
the bases when such hits were made
must stay until the ball was back in
the thrower's hands. If the knocker
hit Il ball anywhere he was out if it was
caught on the fly or on the first bound.
Our bases were called "byes,n and the
bases were really the lines between the
~'byes." A base runner was out if hit
by the ball when he was off his "bye."
In the long ago the balls used were
made by the players themselves. of
double and twisted woolen yarn. They
were not quite as large as the regula-
tion ball of to-day. The cover was
made of calfskin and the requisite skill |
for putting it on was generally sup
piled by some accommodating shoe |
maker, who sewed it very effectually |
with waxed ends. There were no finely |
turned bats in those days. Bats were |
never used but in cricket playing, and |
a wagon-spoke or club made of the best |
cedar, blocked out with an axe and |
finished on shaving horse with a |
drawing knife, took the place of the |
finely turned bats of these DAYS.
A contrast of the baseball world of |
long ago with that of to-day is very
and some real idea of the |
strong hold this exciting sport has