The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-08-19
MAKING BASE-BALLS.
Their Manufacture Becoming One
of the Great Industries.
Mode of Turning Them Out of a Phila-
delphia Establishment-Early Base
Ball Days-Improvements Made
Cheap and Standard
"Spheres."

Cheap and Standard
"Spheres."
s'It is interesting to note," said
well-known baseball manufacturer,
"what great progress the game of base
ball has made during the last half CEN
tury, especially in popular favor. Less
than fifty years ago the game was crude
and comparatively unknown. while
such thing as baseball club was
entirely unthought Of Now we havea
National league, State leagues and anna
teur clubs by the legion, and there is,
perhaps, not 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 years
previous, the first regular base ball So
ciety formed IN this country was the
old Knickerbocker Club, founded in
New York in 1845. This society was
altogether unlike the professional club
of the present day. The sport was pur-
sued solely as, a pastime and the Or
ganization really bore more of social
character than otherwise, it being COM
posed mostly 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 1860, when marked
impetus was given to the pastime 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
rs it is at the present day, it each year
seems to be growing greater.
The manner of playing base ball in
1910 and thereabouts was somewhat
different from that of the game of to-
day and is as amusing as it is interest
ing. This is how it was played: In
those days, as now, three men out put
side out and both sides out consti-
tuted complete inning. but the num-
Der innings played varied from five to
nine and was 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
fho pIxr, ,.srrt, To hoH
for it was the way they used to play it
when they were boys-was to play un-
til one side made twenty-one runs, and
the, side making that number first won
the game.
The intield 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 some
heet-footed fellow who could dodge the
ball and get safely home, might be en-
]ooyed. 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 ball, except the rule of
honor, he would be despised and un-
mercifully guyed if he failed to strike
al fair ball. A ball thrown near
enough to the knoeker 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-
ialr. The strategic point Cf the throwel
was TO get the ball between the knock.
er club and his ear, or near his elbow.
when ball was struck at il was a
strlke. and if struck at three times and
missed the player was out, provided the
oail had been caught every time, either
on the fly or the first bound. If the
oall was struck at and it was moi
eaught by the catcher that strike did
hot count. If a ball was knocked any
Wlere between the lines of the frs,
ana fourth bases the player had to run
io9l nit was termed mo hit,n an6
ioai tlp ''tick." ANY one on The
'ne bases when such hits were made
mus, stay until the ball was back in
~ w. 1nrower's hands. If the knockel
!. nail anywhere he was out if it wa!
sausnt on the fly or on the first bound