The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-26
THE NATIONAL GAME.
Memories of Base Ball Before 1t Be-
 came Scientific.


 days before base ball. or at least to the days before base ball was so well known and before 1t had become so scientific. There were ball games in those days in town and country, and the country ball game was an event. There were no clubs the country boy of those days was not gregarious. He preferred flocking by him. self and remaining independent On Sun day afternoons the neghborhood boys met on some well-cropped pasture, and whether ten or forty, every one was to take part in the game Self-appointed leaders divided the boys into two com panies by alternately picking one, until the supply was exhausted. The bat, which was no round stick, such as is now used, but a stout paddle with blade two inches thick and four inches wide, with a convenient handle dressed on to it. was the chosen arbiter. One of the leaders spat on one side of this bat. which was honestly called "the paddle" and asked the leader of the opposition forces, Wet or dry?" The paddle was then sent whirl- ing up in the air, and when 1t came down whichever side won went to the bat, while the others scattered over the field. The ball was not what would be called a National League ball' nowadays, but it served every purpose. It was usually made on the spot by some boy offering up hls Woolen socks as an oblation, and these were travelled and wound round a bull let, handful of strips cut fro a rub Der overshoe, q piece of cork, or almost anything, or nothing when anything was not available. The winding of this ball was an art and whoever could excel in this art was looked upon as a superior being. The ball must be perfect sphere and the threads as regularly laid as the wire on the helix of a magnetic arma- ture. When the winding was complete the surface of the ball was thoroughly sewed with a large needle ard thread to prevent it from unwindng when a thread was cut The diamond was not arbitrar- fly marked off as now. Sometimes there were four bases, and sometimes six or seven. They were not equi-distant, but were marked by any fortultous rock or shrub or depression in the ground where l the steers were wont to below and paw up the earth. One of these telural cav l ities was almost sure to be selected as ''the den," now called the home plate There were no masks, mits or pro- tectors. There was no science or chican- cry, now called ''head work" The strap ping young oafs. embrionic preachers, presidents and premers. were too honest for this. The pitcher was the one who could throw a ball over the "den," and few could do this. His object was to throw ball that could be hit
 The paddleman's object was to hit the ball. and if he struck at it-which he need not do unless he chose-and missed it. the catcher, standing well back tried to catch it after 1t had lost it's moment- um by striking the earth once and bounding in the air-"on the first bounce" 1t was called-and if he succeed ed the paddleman was dead" and an- ba ufr and it was not caught in the field or elsewhere, in the air or Ion the bounce" he could strike twice more. but the third time he was compelled to run. There was no umpire and very little wrangling. There was no effort to bounce upon the baserunner and touch him with the ball. Anyone having it could throw 1t at him. and if 1t hit him he was "dead" almost literally sometimes, If he dodged the ball, he kept on running until the "den" was reached. Some of the players be- came proficient in ducklng. lodging and sidestepping, and others learned to throw the ball with the accu. acy of a ri- fle bullet. No matter how many players were on side, each and every one had | to be put out. And if the last one made 1 three successive home runA he Drought in his side" and the outfielders, pitcher and catcher had to do all their work over
 
 side" was hero No victorious general was ever prouder or more lauded Hor- atus at the bridge was small potatoes in comparison He was the uncrowned king. There were no foul hits. If ball touched the paddle ever so lightly it was a tick, and three ticks meant a cum pulsory run. The score was kept by some one cutting notches in a stick, and the runs during an afternoon ran up into the hundreds If the ball was lost in the grass or rolled under a Scotch thistle the cry Host ball" was raised and the game stopped until 1t was found.
 Only the older country ball players can remember those days and games They did not last long. When the change came 1t came suddenly Technicalities and rules began to creep in. Tricks be- tween the pitcher and catcher. designed to fool the batter began. The argot or slang of the game intruded. The coun- l try boys who went to college found more than their new homespun suits. of which of which they were so proud. on leaving home. out of eate. The ball game was all changed. They had to use round 1 club, instead of a paddle. to hit the ball. 1 They had to change their tactics all 1 through the game The found the pitch l CT not intent on throwing a ball that could 1 be hit but so that 1t would be hit at and missed The bases were laid off with mathematical accuracy. They could be 1 put out in so many unknown and surprls- 1 ing ways. They could not throw hall at | baserunner. They could not wander at will over the field but must occupy a cer- l tain position. All was changed. All has been changing since The expert of even l twenty years ago would be lost today. The | game of "ball' has been growing more l scientific, and when it becomes wholly | scientific, and when the clements of sport | and speculation are eliminated 1t will | diminish in public favor-die perhaps. The change Is not only rapid, but universal. | The homespun-clad boys who returned | home on vacation expecting to show off l and teach their former companions the | game of ball up-to-date discovered that l the innovation had preceded them. and | that those who had not left the old haunts knew all about the game. ex- 1 cepting the very newest wrinkles. And. they knew something which the college | boys had not learned
 -s.-. III kinds of cuts. The
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