St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-22
BUT THEY DIDN'T SCORE.
Score of the Most Wonderful Con.
test Ever Played.
larles ]. Foley IN Sporting Life.

Charles J. Foley III Sporting Life.
As Tying has signed Philadelphia
contract for next season, | thought an
account of the Harvard Manchester con-
test might prove interesting to your
army of readers. The Harvard Man.
chester game was the greatest on rec
ord, lasting through twenty-four inn
ingS, in which neither side scored run.
The game was played on the Boston
grounds May II. 1877. | was playing in
Lowell at this time. and when the news
flashed through that town in the even
ing people were incredulOuS and would
not believe that two clubs could play so
long without scoring run. 1t proved
TO be fact, and was the talk of the
country for long time. Just previous
to the twenty-fOur-inning contest the
Stars, of Syracuse, and the st. Louis
Browns played fifteen innings without
scoring, and this was considered a re-
markable game.
With the exception of Say and Tying,
none of the Manchester or Harvard
players are before the public as play
ers. Tying was the best college catcher
that ever stood behind the bat, and very
few of the professionals of his time
were his equal. Tying was a great
thfOwer. having a record of throwing
the bail 127 yards at Jarvis Field, Cam
bridge, Mass. Tying was also the first
catcher that ever wore a mask. Harold
Ernst, who pitched for Harvard, was
one of the finest college pitchers | have
ever seen. Ernst, at last accounts was
practicing surgery in Providence, r. 1.
Wright, who played first base, was a
big, strapping fellow and good bats
man. Wright lives in the vicinity of
Philadelphia. OF the other Harvard
players who participated in this
memorable game, one is dead dow;
Sawyer and Tower played with the
Beacons for a number Of years after
leaving college, but they have seldom
Leeds, short stop, spent num-
Der of years in China and
Japan, but is now living in BOs-
ton. Leeds was the most muscular man
that ever stripped on ball field. Any
body who ever met Leeds would not be
likely to forget him. He had tremen-
dous arms, legs, body and neck but one
side of his face was hideouS to look at,
as it was all eaten away by cancer. In
his day Leeds was the best boxer, wrest-
Ter and foot ball kicker in college. Fred
Thayer was the third baseman and cap
tain of the HarvardS, and the best cap
tain and trainer that any college ever
produced. Thayer was the inventor of
the catcher's mask. and few words
about this great protection for catcherS
may not be out of place. Several wears
ago George Wright threatened to sue
Spaulding for an infringement on the
Thayer patent, of which Wright had
the agency. The question then arose.
"When did Thayer bring the mask be-
fore the public?" Old players were
asked when the mask came into general
use, and the diversity of opinion ex-
pressed was ludicrous in the extreme.
Some old-timers thought they saw a
fellow catch with a mask about 1873 /:
others SAID that they saw one used in
Us, and still others ran it up several
years more. L was asked WAen
saw mask first, and / said 1877.
by Tying. | think / am right be-
cause Sullivan, who caught me in Low
ell, was one of the first to wear mask,
and he did not wear one until lS7S-one
year after Tying. Tyng'S success in
catching with mask caused other
catchers to wear them. and they came
into general use in 1873. Thayer, the
inventor of the mask, was a handsome
and -gentlemanly fellow. At last &C
counts Thayer was in Omaha and ell
gagged i'm raiIroading. The other player
that l have not mentioned is Latham.
Latham was the greatest runner of the
day and could make the circuit of the
bases faster than his illustrious name
sake of the st. Louis club. Latham
now resides near Taunton, Of The
Manchester players, Carl. Biogg, Say
and Mincher live in or near Baltimore
Mike Snigg, the pitcher. retired after
the season of 1878. Sngg resides il
New Haven and is said to be quite /;
ward politician. Cogswell lives in Fitch