Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-25
EARLY BASE BALL.

springfeld's Great Team Of l867-68 and
Its Eminent Personnel of
Players,
"RepubIics''- The Infancy OF our Ma
tional Pastime in this city ty-ENolu-
tiOn in Base Bail, a. Well as in
other Things Ne~terdaN'-
Games. championship
Records. Notes. Etc.
iRecoguizing that wclI-ordered base
ball column i of profound interest at pres
ent. the GLOBE RErl RIIc has arranged
for thorough. comprehensive department
devoted to the national game, which will
hereafter be- a regular feature of the sun
day paper 1t will be continued regularly.
the standing Of the clubs in the league and
ASSOCIATION mp to Saturday night, all the
Saturday games by wire. and full digest
of general notes and news of the national
game For the next few isSues We shall
give some interesting "reminiscences ON
early base ball in Springfield, which will
be found to be of profound interest. Ed.
GLuBE-REPUBLIC.
The theory of evolution is Strikingly
shown by the history oI base ball during
the past twenty years The game as
played back in the sixties no more resem-
blcd the game OF today, than the babOon
resembles human being. Year by year
changes have occurred the weaker points
being dropped and the stronger substituted.
The first amateur club of any prominence
/ in Springfield was organized in 1867, when
! the fever struck in 50 hard that our citizens
became as crazy over the game As they ever
were in the widest days of the Dayton.
| Springfield contests of 1854. They had
base ball for breakfast, dinner and supper,
and i'll the evening excited crowds would
gather around the old Willis house, now
the St. James. filling all the chairs, to tht
detriment of the travelling public, and dis
cuSS the all-ahSoTbing topic until far int
the night. Professional base ball was un
/ known then. the teams being composed OF
| the best young men in the city. VIII" played
simply for the fun there was in il. In fact
they frequently had to 90 down into theii
own pockets to help defray expenses. Th'
first team organized III Springfield wa,
called the Lone Stars" They were i'm
mediately followed by the " Republics,
and these two were hot rivals tor the cham
pionship of the town. In the Lone Stars wcrt
John Dawson and WaNtenbe. catcherS; Ike
Bishop, Harry KeiSrr aud Bob Toadk house
pitchers: Lutte Sprecher and Clay Nelson
short stops: Aug. McCOrd, lb.; Ol. Nc
Intyre, I'd; Sam Mcintyre. 3b.; Charley
Wallace, |. T.; Lou Sebert, c. f.; JOIN
| Harshman, |. f.: Pete Whitticomb, !. f.
Lon johnson, 'Ras Thomas, Ben LGtz
Dave Trimmer. JnO. DriScOl, substitutes
The Republics We're George BearnS
catcher; Goo. Hayward, pitcher; Charlie!
Dunlap, 5. :; Jas. Philips, lb.; - Hay
ward 2b: Rhiney DOtey. 3b.; Cal. Boyle, |
t.: Bob King, 7. t.; David King, substitute
ThSe two clubs played in large number o
cities throughout the state. and were Yer!
succeSsul. winning a majority of thei
games Probably the most noted of thes,
games were those played ON the Fourth o
July, 1878. at Gallon, by the Lone Stars
and at London by the Republics. Tn,
Lone Stars had to tackle
team of strapping big railroaders, whC
would knock the balls 50 high that our boy!
would get tired waiting for them To com,
down. But when they did come down
they were invariably scoOped in. Charlie!
| Wallace distinguished himself by making
! two wonderful catches with one hand
| Wonder If he could do it now. Spring
| field cOlOrs were triumphant by a ScOr,
something like forty 10 twenty-five. and a
a trophy of victory. the boys brought bacl
a beautiful guli mounted bat which i.
now in the possession of Og. McCord
The Republics also won by large score a
London. and when the two teams got bacl
to Springfield they were the lions of III,
town.
The Unions of Urbana, the Anti
ochS of Yellow Springs, and tn,
Buckeyes of Cincinnati frequently
crossed bats with Springhelds crack teams
and were frequently worSted. The rivalr!
between the two local clubs WAS great
neither being able to get the advantage o
the other. Both organizations were main
tanned throughout the year 1865, but in 1856!
they We're consolidated under the name o
| 'MutualS." All die members were retained
and formed into first and second mines.
any member of the first nine could not plal
his place was taken by the correspondent!
member of the second nine. The Mutual
| lasted only one year. and after this, the in
terest died out in Springfield for severs
wears, only few clubs among the younl
boys of the city being in existence. q
these and future clubs. as well as a clul
known As the "QuickStep>," cOtempOrarie
! of the Mutuals, next Sundays GLOBE Re
PUBLIC will have something interesting.
Association.