Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-19
BIRTH OF BASEBALL.
To-Day Is the Forty-Fifth AnniVer'
sary of the First Match Game.
A SPORT FOR GENTLEMEN ONLY.
1t Grew Into the Professional Class
Through Intense Rivalry.
ATTENDANCE AT OLD-TIME CONTESTS
WRITTEN FOR THE pIsPArcH.I

ATTENDANCE AT 0LD-TlME CONrEsIS
twKIrrEy FOR THE DIsPArcH.1
To-day is the forty-fifth anniversary Of
the first match game of baseball ever played.
The contest took place at Hoboken, N. j.,
June 10, 1916. The game had originated
nearly nine months before. 1t had grad
ually grown out of the old English school
boy game of FOUNDERS Founders gradually
"evoluted" into "townball." In the latter
sport, instead of bases, there were ''cor-
ners." These were unattended. and run
ners were put out by being hit with tho
ball, which was thrown by the ielders.
The ball used was necessarily, therefore,
much softer and smaller than the baseball
of to-day and made entirely of rubber.
In the days of which 1 write, number
of New York gentlemen were in the habit
of assembling on vacant lot, then long
way out of town, and now covered by the
Madison Square Garden, every Wednesday
and Saturday afternoon to play townball.
At length some of them began to think that
certain notifications would greatly improve
the sport Numerous informal discussions
took place, and it was finally decided to
adopt the changes proposed. Among these
was the substitution of bases for ''cor-
ners," the adoption of hard ball with a
rubber center wound with yarn and covered
with leather, the placing of men to guard
the bases and having the ball thrown to
them instead of directly at the base runners.
1t was also decided to change the name of
the sport from townball to baseball on ac-
count of the bases forming so important .
feature of it
The First Baseball Club.
On September %, 1S45, the gentlemen
who had decided upon these changes formed
themselves into an association to which they
gave the ma me of the Knickerbocker Base
ball clnh. There our national game was
born, and on the 23rd of next September it
will be 46 years OF age. Soon there were .
number of these organizations in and around
New York, and the first match game was on
June 19, 1916, between the Knickerbocker
and New York clubs. It consisted of only
four innings, the rule then being that the
club first making 21 runs in even innings
was the winner.
1t is remarkable that baseball was not in
troduced in Philadelphia, only 80 miles
from New York, until 1850, Is years after
its birth. In that year the Olympic Club,
of the Quaker City, which had been organ
lied in 1888 to play townball and had done
so ever since, decided thereafter to play
baseball. The first match game of baseball
in Philadelphia did not take place till June
II, 1860, and was between the Equity and
winena clubs. The first match game of the
national sport in San Francisco took place
February %, 1860, three months prior to the
match in Philadelphia
Partly a Gentlemen's Game.
As clubs multiplied throughout the coun-
try 1t became necessary to establish some
general organization having authority to
control and regulate the interests of the
sport To meet this necessity there was
formed National Association of Baseball
Players, in which any club was entitled to
membership, The playing rules were
adopted by this organization. Almost the
first rule adopted was one most positively
debarring from membership and rendering
liable to expulsion anv club in which there
was a man who played baseball for hire or
emolument of any kind. The result of this
was that baseball hourished betweea the
years of 1866 and 1871 to an extent the
has never been known since. The number
of the clubs was literally legion, and in
every large city great number OF matches
were PLAYED daily. The grounds were free
these contests were enormous, from 10, 900 to
Is, 900 people being by no means an unusual
attendance In the city of Allegheny there
were five different baseball grounds within
a stones throw of each other, and scarcelys
day passed during the baseball season that
there was not q match in progress upon
each and every one.
Captain Ewing Is Mistaken.
In view of these facts it is remarkable to
find Mr.. William Ewing, Captain Of the
New York League Club, saying, in a recent
newspaper article: SIN this country hum
dreds of games are played now for every one
ten wears ago." I do not think that it
would be an exaggeration to say that rs
years ago at least 200 games were played
for every one that is played now. Baseball
is unquestionably in its decadence and has
been ever since professional baseball play
ers were first openly recognized and pro-
fessional playing permitted. The only way
our Young men participate in baseball now
adays is to pay so cents or 81 for the privi-
lege of watching others play.
The encroachment OF the professional
baseball player was gradual. The rivalry
between clubs soon became so 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 q
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 a position in his
business or counting-house, with private
understanding that his commercial duties
were merely nominal, while his real ones
were to plav baseball. Thus there were
numerous clubs in the country which were
virtually professional ones long before pro-
This was notably the case with those famous
old-time opponents, the Atlantic Club. Of
New York, and Athletic, of Philadelphia.
Tho Rise of the Professionals.
BY 1871 professional clubs had attained
such numbers and influence that in New
York, on March II of that year, a convention
of delegates from those organizations open.
loose from the National Association of Base
ball Players. They adopted champion ship
game rules, the most important being that
the club winning the most games out OF nye
with each of the other professional clubs
should be, declared champion. Champion
ship contests had previously been VIII oily
The baseball championship originated
about 1858. when picked Now York and
Brooklyn mines played the so-called Fashion
Course Games" New York winning the nrse
ana tn1rQ, Dy q TO 10 anu u 10 10 Respectively,
while Brooklyn took the second by 20 to 8.
From that time till the adoption Of the
above named championship rules by the
professionals. whatever club won two games
out OF three from the then champion club
became champion in turn.
The professional club association Of ISL
was succeeded February ., 1875. by the
National League, formed in New York City
by the following professional clubs: Mutual,
of New York; st. Louis; Athletic, Of Phila-
delphia: Chicago, Hardford, Boston, Cinctn-
N Il and I.0uisvilIa. During ita first wear tho