The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-06-22

a match in progress upon each and every
one of these grounds, and the same is
true OF other large cities.
Decline of the Sport.
In view OF these facts il is remarkable
to find Mr.. William Ewing, captain OF the
New York league club. saying in a recent
newspaper article: "In this country hun
dreds OF games are played now for every
one ten years ago." do not think it
would be any eXaggeration to say that
twenty-five years ago at least two hundred
games were played for every one that is
played now. Base ball is unq uestionably
in its decadence, and has been ever since
professional base ball players were first
openly recognized and professional play
ing permitted. The sport received its
death-blow as pure, heslthful recreation.
an invigorating, muscular exercise and
welcome relief from the cares and tolls of
the daily avocations of men and boys OF all
classes when it ceased to be a gentleman's
game. Amateur games-the only kind
then known-such as twenty-five years
ago drew immense crowds OF the friends
scarcely ever played now. The only way
our young men participate in base ball
nowadays is to pay fifty cents or one dol
lar for the privilege of watching others
play. A quarter Of century ago base
ball club was an organization of gentle.
men for recreation and exercise simply.
Now it is a orporation-soulless like all
corporations-withn no object save to make
as much money as possible out of the
hired players who perform their parts like
a company Of actors
Base Bali Profsssion Now.
The encroachmsnt of the professional
base ball player was gradual. The riv-
airy between clubs soon became 80 great
that in order to strengthen itself and win
victory over some rival each would leave
nothing undone to secure the best players
Thus inducements" were held out to
men who had shown an unusual aptitude
for the game to influence them to play
only with particular club. A wealthy
gentleman, for instance, desiring to see
his club in the front rank would offer
some young man OF rare ball-playing
ability q position in his business or count
ing-house with private understanding
that his commercial duties were merely
nominal while his real ones were to play
base ball. Thus there were numerous
clubs in the country which were virtually
professional ones, long before professional
p aging was openly permitted and while
the stringent law against 1t was still in
force in the code of the American associs-
ton. This was notably the case with
those famous old-time opponents, the
Atlantic club of New York aud Athletic OF
Philade phia BY 1871 professional clubs
had attained such numbers and influence
that in New York on March IL OF that
year a convention OF delegates from those
organizations openly avowed themsel yes
professionals aud cut loose from the
National association of base ball players.
They adopted champiouship-game rules,
the most important being that the club
winning most games out of five with each
of the other professional clubs should be-
dec ared champion. Championship con-
tests had previously been wholly unregu-
lated.
Tho Fhst Championship Gsmss
The base ball championship originated
about 1853 when picked New York and
Brooklyn mines played the so-called "fash-
len course games" New York winning
the first and third by % to Is and 20 to
Is respectively. while Brooklyn took the
second by 20 to s. From that time til the
adoption OF the foregoing championship
rules by the professionals whatever club
won two games out Of three from the then
champion club became champion in turn.
From the organization of professional
clubs in 1871 amateur base ball playing
steadily declined Gentlemen no longer
seemed TO care to personally engage in a
sport which had been made a business
The game gradually came to be looked
upon n monev making scheme instead
OF an amusing recreation and healthful
exercise in which all should participate.
The National L~-En-.
The professional club association Of 1871
was succeeded Feb. 9. 1876. by the
National league formed in New York City
bv the following professional clubs;
National of New York, st. Louis Athletic
of Philadelphia, Chicago, Hartford, Bos
ton, Cincinnati and Louisville. During
its first year the league was the only
organization of the kind, but on Feb. 20
1877, in Pittsburg, Pa. the Tecumseh ciut
of London, Ont, Maple Leaf of Gulph
Ont. Allegheny OF Allegheny, Pa. Live
Oak of Lynn, Mass, Buckeye of Column
bus, o., Rochester, n. Y, and Manchester
n. H.. formed an international league. In
the same year thirteen professional and
semi-professionsl clubs formed the league
alliance, of which nothing has been
heard since 1882. The International asso
ciation was succeeded on Feb. 10, 1870. by
a new organization called the National
association, which expired peacefully two
years later.
Cincinnati, o.. was the birthplace of the
American association, and Nov. 2, 1881
was the birthday 1t comprised the AL
Ieghsny, Athletic of Philadelphia, Balti
more, cincinnati, Eclipse of Louisville anc
| St. Louis clubs. Beside the leagues named
there have been countless others formed a
various times in different parts of tn,
country, but many of them have had onl,
an ephemeral existence. The Nationa
league and the American association are
two great representative associations Of
1 - =. y. i Il