Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-07-23
UNIQUE BASEBALL.
TITS PLAYED BY BOYS WHO ARE EN-
TiRELY BLIND.


How the inmates OF the kentucky lnstitu.
ton for the Blind Enjoy the Game.
Novel Features Of the Sport.
Should the Louisville Baseball Club
at the close of the season have succeed
ed in successfully defending twelfth
place in the pennant race, they may
earn fresh laurels by challenging and
probably defeating the nine from the
Kentucky Institute for the Blind, which
is located near the Falls City.
In the Kentucky Institute there are
two regularly organized mines, between
which there is the fiercest rivalry, and
the institute pennant is as highly priced
and will be as bitterly contested for, as
that gaudy strip of bunting which,
whatever else happens, viii not wave
next year over the Polo Grounds.
Professor r.. b. Huntoon, Of the Ken
lucky school, describing baseball
among the blind, makes the astonishing
statement by way Of preface, that
among the boys and young men, who
must go through life in darkness there
is fondness for athletic exercises, and
an ambition to excel In feats Of physical
power almost as deep founded as among
the students of the universities.
The gymnasium Is well patronized, and
field sports are In high favor, notably
sprinting, longer races up to mile, run
ming jump, hop, skip and jump, and put
ting weights. Intense excitement pre-
walls during these contests, the results
of which must be reported by word Of
mouth to both contef tants and "specta-
tors"
The baseball game differs, Of course,
in many of its details from the regular
games played by the youth Of America.
The diamond is not of regular size, but
is Of regulation form. The distance be-
tween bases is but forty feet, instead of
ninety. The infielders are stationed
the same as in a National League game,
with the exception that there Is a right
shortstop, thus making ten men to a
side, an arrangement once seriously
considered by professional ball mana
gers. In the outfield, on public games,
there is an unlimited number of play
ers, each taking turn at the bat, first
moving up one position whenever q
batsman is put out.
The catcher sits on the ground, well
back from the home plate, and, to
guard against injury, he wears mask
and a chest protector. His position Is
such that when the pitcher delivers a
ball it strikes the ground just between
his knees and Is taken on the short
bound.
The batsman takes his position at the
plate, with a heavy fat bat, somewhat
like those used in cricket. The umpire,
who must be a man Of unimpaired
vision, calls upon the pitcher to get
ready, and then clearly sings out, Zone,
two, threev' At the word three the
pitcher must Loyalty deliver ball that
can be hit by the batsman, who, stand
ing there in the darkness, with a
sharpened sense Of hearing and Won
derful conception Of the time that must
elapse before the ball reaches him, is
prepared to strike.
Baseball writer's often refer to "the
whish of the ball, as like an arrow, it
fairly split the space over the home
plate" To the quickened sense Of the
blind this "whish of the BALI is a real
ity, and it is astonishing. guided by this
refined development of the hearing fac
ulty, how often the ball is struck by the
batsman.
If the batsman should miss, the ball
bounces into the catcher's lap, and is at
once returned to the pitcher by single
toss with precision that is wonderful.
When the ball is batted. the umpire
calls out quickly to the fielder in whose
direction it is travelling, and he, guided
by sense of hearing, either catches the
ball or follows it in its course through
the grass Six strikes are an out. In
fielding any number of bounds are per-
mitted. If the batted ball is "hot
liner and travelling straight for an in
fielder's head, the umpire shouts a
. warning. and in such cases the endan-
gered player ducks or falls to the turf.
1t is possible, in fact the ball is fire.
quently fielded to first in time to put
out the runner. When throwing to first
the assisting player, who is guided by
thevoice Of the baseman, calculates the
distance with nicely and throws the
ball so that it strikes the ground a few
yards in front of the baseman. The
latter hears it coming. and usually gets
it without further assistance. Running
bases was formerly a difficult thing.
There were then three trees on the dia-
mond, toward which the runner ran
with outstretched hands. Bags have
since been substituted for bases, and
therunner Is guided by the voice Of the
baseman, who is required to shout
First, first, first" In like manner the
other bags are won. Once on a base
the runner is guided by the voice of the
unless his side dies at the home plate.
Six outs put a side out.
Naturally there Is no approach to
scientific ball playing, but under all
circumstances it is astonishing to note
the frequency of "clean hits" while
the base running and fielding are Mt
times almost marvellous and present a
most wonderful exhibition of the refine
ment of the development of the sense
of hearing in an effort to compensate
for the loss of sight.