The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-01

might catch his biceps muscles and
paralyze IL. IL might hit his wind and
send him doubled up in agony to the
~ground-it might do injury to the man
i'm half a dozen ways. Men were known
To lose eyes through II. to suffer Ions
spells Of unconsciousness and two or
three cases of cancer developed from
IL.
The practice was a survival of the
old yarn-ball days. when a man might
throw the ball at another from a dis
lance of but five PAGES and 40 no harm.
But the yarn wad had passed from
the scene and In it's place was a hard
rubber ball or one made of leather or
rubber. after the general fashion Of to-
day. Plugging" full Of possibilities
of harm and accident under the old
team arrangements. became more dan
gerous when the basemen were intro
duced 10 the game. They were nearer
to the runners and their throws were
more accurate and their missiles struck
with greater force. Gradually. spread
ing by leaps and limps. alternately
from New York as "A center. "A rule pro-
hibiting plugging" was adopted over
the country.
IL was I'm the free and easy days of
the Dos and '40s that the clubs playing
townball began to acquire more than
local regulations. The fame of one
~ VI lApAiiti WIN EbAko'
to the next county and soon nothing
would do but the two teams should
play for ~intercounty honors. Usually
the games were the novelty OF the un-
developed county fairs Of the times. II
soon became necessary that rules es-
tablished throughout the country be
adopted and so "A certain code was
slowly adopted throughout the states
and baseball became a name. IL had
brokpn out from lis cocoon.
To play these match games 1t vas
requisite that the long periods Of field
ing and equally lon periods of loafing
while on the batting side should be
done away with. They were the most
tiresome features of the game. The
"three-out-side-out' principle was
adopted. probably because about this
period IL had been found that "A team
was most conveniently formed OF nine
men and that nine innings made a good
game. The quick changes OF innings
added zest to the sport. gave IL more
variety and there came a tremendous
Increase in its popularity. The mines
that made themselves known in u
ties became famous throughout states
and state and interstate championships
began to be played.
Visiting mines OF fame were the re-
~cipients on the city streets of such wild
demonstrations as one sometimes sees
! nside the bleacher lines of a modern
ball park on a vital day. Frequently
the visitors would be received with
brass bands. speeches and hoWers.
Baseball was a glorious exercise then.
Even in that early time before the
war Chicago Was pre-eminent. She
had a nine the equal Of which existed
nowhere but in Cincinnati. In the Ohio
river city an amateur club organized "A
baseball nine. OF which the league club
of to-day I'm hat town is the legitimate
! descendant. even To the red stockings.
That club swept the country almost
I and its battles with the Chicago nine
were the talk OF the continent. Both
mines were strictly amateur-the game
was on the basis then that football Is
to-day. except that IL did not involve
the colleges TO so great an extent. The
+ of to-day for the great
matches OF the gridiron are compar
able to the great crowds that Witnessed
the notable baseball contests of 10
years <
The war destroyed all this. sport
had no place during its sway. Most Of
the men who could play hardy ball
were fighting in the armies. When the
wars Immediate effects had passed
away there was a vigorous revival of
baseball. The professional nine made
It's appearance. n again the red
stockings of Cincinnati were 10 the
fore. A salaried nine from the hill
town Travelled throughout the country,
from Newfoundland to Frisco. and
from the wolverine woods to the staked
| plain. For 10 months IL played prac-