The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-19

seem 10 realize that. owing TO the circum-
stances, ! had to forgive them.
One Of the most enthusiastic members of
the new American Association is George
Tebeau. who has been lowering over In
dianapolis for several days. white
Wings" as he has been known for many
years "a score or two). has a playful way
Of showing his approval OF anything by
saying, "Oh. well. / guess there is nothing
in that. eh?" He pictures thousands OF
people seeing his team playing every day
this year and earnestly believes that base
ball records in all OF the American Asso-
citation cities will be smashed into a million
pieces. We have everything our way I'm
Kansas City. and ! guess that will be bad
began White Wings at the social meet
ing Friday night. We will give Kansas
City the best article Of ball they ever had.
Then In Minneapolis we will play 10 big
crowds, and think of what we will do in
s.. PAUL With grounds in the center OF
the city the spectators will food the field
on Saturdays and other big days. In Mil
waukee Quin and HavenOr will provide a
new plant that will seat several thousand
people. and their capacity will be taxed
many times during the summer. Ihen come
down 10 Watty's borough and think OF the
attendance here the coming summer. 1t
makes me feel like spending money already.
In Toledo Strobel will have a good team,
and the enthusiasts in that city Will give
US the biggest crowds ever known there.
Columbus will also turn out we'll. and every
club I'm the association will be wealthy at
the end Of the season. Well, l guess there 5
nothing in il. eh?' and White Wings
lighted another cigar.
It IS believed the Western League dele
cation that visited Manager Watkins last
week left indianapolis hopeless of placing
a team in this city. Whether or not they
conferred with any one in this city before
L.
not known. but President Pat Powers. or
the Association of Minor Leagues, was
evidently not properly coached by the
Western people for he made several dec
larations in the city during the afternoon
of their visit to the effect that the West
ern League was determined to place a
! club in indianapolis. Powers was later
coached by his friends and he qualified his
statements with the other by saying the
Western League would be represented In
Indianapolis if Watkins would join that
organization. But Watkins will not do
that. He realizes indianapolis VIII not
support minor league ball and for that
reason he will have nothing more TO do
with small organizations.
Henry Chadwick, father of baseball, dates
the birth of baseball as March 10. 1858. 1t
was from this date that the game was i'm
proved in its rules year after year. and it
was in 1860 that baseball began its career
Of expansion, and then 1t was that it be-
came the national field game Of ball Of the
United States. Regarding the changes in
the rules, Mr.. Chadwick has written:
'The history Of our national game in its
evolution from the crude rules of the de-
cade of the fifties TO the almost finished
game of 1901, presents a series OF note
worthy changes not only in the rules OF
play themselves, but in the practical work
ing of them on the field in active play.
There has been a principle involved in con-
i st NJ mo Tho. code # nj OnUnrninO nom
tests on the field, the main feature of which
has been the equalizing of the respective
powers of the forces of the attack and de-
tense IN the game. Each season $ expert
ence has, of course. pointed out the neces-
sity for making various amendments to the
code in accordance with the demands Of
this equalizing process. Thus, 1t was found
in the decade of the seventies that the in
crease made in the balls elasticity led to
so great a prepOnderance of the batting
over the pitching, as to introduce contests
in which the score of the games ran up
into the hundreds. For instance, in a game
played in May, 1870. at Cleveland. o., be
tween the Forest City and Atlantic clubs
of that city, the former clubs nine scored
no less than a total of 1872 runs in a five
inning game, no less than fifty-three runs
being made In one inning. On the other
hand, another change in the rules intro
duced a more elastic ball, known as the
dead" ball, games were played in which
not a single run was scored IN a twenty-
tOur-inning contest, the game In question
being played between the Harvard and
Manchester clubs in 1877. These, of course,
were extreme and exceptional events. Since
then the regulation ball of the period has
been so perfected that no change in the
size, description or material has been made
for the past decade. One might readily
imagine that the excessively large scores
made in the former record We're the result
of great skill in batting and the small
scores in the latter were consequent Of
great skill in fielding. But to neither case
was one or the other attributable, inasmuch
as any novice can hit a lively ball for a
home run, and it requires but little skill
TO handle a dead ball readily in fielding.
Since the times of the above two eX-
tremes in the scoring of runs in a game,
great and advantageous changes have been
made both in the batting and fielding de-
partments, but not so much so i'm batting as
in fielding. The reason of this is that. while
but little attention has been paid by the
fraternity at large TO the study of the
theory of strategic skill in batting, i'm
provement in fielding has been forced on
the majority of players by the fact that
the great mass of the patrons of the game,
knowing little or nothing about scientific
batting, can fully appreciate the beauty Of
skillful exhibitions of fielding, and. con-
sequently. an impetus was given to train
ing in fielding which batting was deprived
of until with the past few years