The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-16
BLIND boys PLAY BALL.
a Kentucky Institute for Those AZ
nIcted by Loss of Sight Has Two
Mines

From the New York Journal
Should the Louisville Base Ball Club. at
the close Of the season, have succeeded
IN successfully defending twelfth place
In the pennant race. II may earn fresh
laurels by challenging and probably de-
feating the nine from the Kentucky In
sttute for the Blind, which is located
near the Falls city.
j has often been said OF New York's
Giants that "they played like blind
men," and the expression has been taken
simply on the ecstatic figure Of speech of
some frenzied "rOoter," and 10 mean that
they did not play ball at all. Now The
comparison may be graphic enough, and
truthful, perhaps, on Occasion, If the
idea to be conveyed Is simply that of
loose and ragged playing. for, as a matter
OF very strange fact, blind men can and
do play base ball, and derive a very con-
siderable amount OF pleasure, As well
physical benefit. out of the national game.
In the Kentucky institute there are two
regularly organized mines, between which
there is the tiercest 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.
Prof r. 3. Huntoon of the Kentucky
school, describing base ball 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 a fondness for ath-
letic 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 we'll patronized and
field sports are In high favor. notably
sprinung, longer races up TO a mile run
ming jump. jump and put
ting weights. Intense excitement pre-
walls during these contests tho results
Of which must be reported by word OF
mouth TO both contestants and "specta-
tors"
The base ball game differs, of course,
in many Of its details from the regular
games played by the youth of America.
The diamond Is not Of regulation size,
but is of regulation form. The distance
between bases is but forty feet, instead
of ninety. The inhelders are stationed
the same as in a National league game,
with the exception that there is right
short-stop, thus making ten men to a
side, an arrangement once seriously con-
sidered by professional ball managers. In
the outfeld, on public games, there is
an unlimited number of players, each
taking a turn at the bat. first moving up
one position whenever 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 sucn
that when the pitcher delivers n ball II
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 fiat bat, somewhat
like those used in cricket The umpire,
who must be a man Of unimpaired vision,
calls upon the pitcher 10 get ready. and
then clearly sings out 'One, two, three 70
At the word three the pitcher must 10y
ally deliver the ball. He pitches in the
slow. underhand way peculiar to the
game twenty-five or thirty years ago.
the idea being 10 deliver a ball that can
be hit by the batsman. who, standing
there in the darkness, with a sharpened
4 IA .arfra i Z a.v-F.
ton of the time that must elapse before
the bah reaches him, is prepared to
strike.
Base bali writers often refer to 1.-The
swish of the ball as, like an arrow, it
fairly split the space over the home
| plate" To the quickened sense of the
| blind this swish of the BALI is a reality,
| and IL is astonishing, guided by this re-
| fined development of the hearing faculty,
how often the ball is struck by the bats
/ man.
If the batsman should miss the ball
bOunces into the catcher's lap and Is at
| once returned TO the pitcher by a single
| toss with a precision that is wonderful
| When the ball is batted the umpire calls
out quickly to the fielder, in whose direc-
| tion it is travelling, and he guided by a
! sense of hearing, either catches the ball or
/ follows II in its course through the grass.
/ Six strikes are an out on fielding any
| number of bounds are permitted. If the
| batted ball is a "hot-liner" and travelling
| straight for an infelder's head, the UNI
! pire shouts a warning, and in such cases
/ the endangered player ducks or falls TO
! the turf.
| 1t is possible, in fact, the ban is fire.
! quently flelded TO first in time to put out
| the runner. When throwing to first the
| assisting player, who is guided by the
| voice of the baseman, calculates the dis
| lance with nicely and throws the bah so
| that it strikes the ground a few yards in
| front of the baseman. The latter hears
it coming and usually gets it without fur
! Their assistance. Running bases was for
| merly a difficult thing. There We're then
| three trees on the diamond, toward which
/ the runner ran with outstretched hands.
| Bags have since been substituted for
1 bases and the runner is guided by the
/ voice OF the baseman. who is required to
/ shout First, first first" In like manner
/ the othere bags are won. Once on a base
/ the runner is pretty sure to get home. un-
/ less his side dies al the home-plate. Six
outs put a side out.
! Naturally there is no approach to scfen-
1 thc bal-playing, but under all circum-
/ stances it is astonishing to note the fre-
1 quency of clean hits" while the base
running and fielding are at times almost
marvellous and present a most wonderful
I exhibition Of the refinement of the develon-
ment of the sense of hearing in an effort 10
compensate for the loss Of sight