The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-23
3. VIM. WE|NSTE|N & CO. =

and that interest in the game would be
heightened if runners were held more
closely to first base. The catcher was then
compelled to come up to the plate and take
his medicine. The ball was not so hard as
the one now in use, and the pitching being
straight, foul tips were infrequent. Curved
pitching came into use before the discov-
cry of the mask, and then it was that the
trials and tribulations of the catcher began
IN eornest. With the introduction of shoots
and drops, the foul tips kept the catcher in
a state of siege. 1t was a common thing to
see a man walking down the street carry
ing two black eyes and a nose out of joint.
"Goodness!' some one would exclaim;
look at that prize-tghter."
Not at ALL" a crank would explain.
That's our catcher. In yesterdays game
he got a foul tip on each eye and one on his
nose. He's a great back stop"
This state of affairs continued until the
deadly foul tip began to knock out sets of
teeth. and then the catchers called a halt.
Some genius conceived a scheme of relief.
1t was for the catcher, while behind the
bat, to hold in his teeth a large piece of
solid rubber for the purpose of protecting
them. The catcher's happiness continued
for a brief season. From a round-arm de-
livery the pitchers gradually changed to an
overland throw, and with the greatly in
creased speed the catchers were unable to
withstand the terrible commandment. Then
dll w tnSlI fSSCuS Will lIo
mask, which was followed by other useful
Inventions. When the catcher of to-day
gets up behind the bat he resembles a bell
diver. On his face is the stout wired mask.
The upper part of his body is protected by
a thick pad, and on his hands he wears
gloves that a rifle bullet would not pene-
trate. Despite this thick and heavy armor,
the catcher has a sad time with the cata-
pultio delivery of the modern pitcher.
A striking incident occurred in a game
between old-time clubs in 1870. The con-
testants were the EXcelsiors, of Chicago,
and the Detroits. The game took place in
Detroit. Both teams. with the exception
OF one or two professionals, were made up
of representative business men of Chicago
and Detroit. Ives, the short stop of the
Detroits, a ~well-known banker of that
city. was quite an acrobat. and usually
took occasion to display his gymnastic
ability during a game. On this occasion
he made an intield hit, and started for first
base. When fifteen feet from the base he
suddenly turned u handspring with the OBJ
lect of disconcerting the first baseman.
he was entirely successful. Ives heel
struck the C~hioagoan between the eyes and
Knocked him twenty feet away. Ives
abandoned acrobnts afterward.
While the game of base ball has changed
IN almost every respect there are some
mossbnck customs that still cling to it.
Away back in the DAYS when Joe Start and
Jim White wore dresses some writer
on the gnme. in announcing a contest that
was to occur between the two teams, put it
in this way: "To-mortow afternoon, ut the
ball grounds, those strong mines, the
Githars and Neverquits, will cross bats"
From that day to this that expression has
been III common use. If two teams are to
play a game it il made to appear that they
are to "cross bats" All those familiar with
the game are perfectly aware that there is
no crossing of bats before, during or after
the game. 1t was thought that ''etossing
bats would sink into oblivion with the
''ont of bound" rule. but scores of modern
writer's still cherish tho expression as a
valued friend.