The Indianapolis journal., 1903-07-19
EARLY BASEBALL.
Ii Was Not Scientific and Few Rules
Were Observed.

Time will not turn back IN his flight, but
the mind can travel back to the days be-
fore baseball, or at least to the days before
baseball was so we'll known and before it
had become so scientific. There were ball
games in those days In town and country,
and the country ball game was an event.
There We're no clubs-the country boy OF
those days was not gregarious. He pre-
ferred focking by himself and remaining
independent. On Sunday afternoons the
neighborhood boys met on some we'll
cropped pasture, and whether ten or forty,
every one was to take part in the game.
Self-appointed leaders divided the boys into
two companies by alternately picking one,
until the supply was exhausted. The bat,
which was no round stick, such as is now
used. but stout paddle with blade two
inches thick and four inches wide, with a
convenient handle dressed on to il, was the
chosen arbiter. One of the leaders spat on
the side of this bat, which was honestly
called the paddle" and asked the leader
OF the opposition forces, Wet or dry?"
Inc saddle was then sent whirling up in
the air, and when IL came down whichever
side won went TO the bat while the others
scattered over the field.
The ball was not what would be called
National League ball nowadays, but 1t
on the spot by some boy Offering up his
woolen socks as an oblation, and these
were raveled and wound round bullet, a
handful of strips cut from a rubber over
shoe, 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 superior being. The ball must be
perfect sphere, and the threads regu-
larly laid as the wire on the helix of a mag
netic armature. When the winding was
It,
oughiy sewed with a large needle and
thread 10 prevent ii from unwinding when
thread was cut. The dimand was not
arbitrarily marked off as now. Sometimes
there were four bases, and sometimes six
or seven. They were not equdistant, but
were marked by any fortuitouS rock or
shrub or depression in the ground where
the steers were wont to below and paw up
the earth. One of these tellurial cavities
was almost sure to be selected as the
den," now called the home plate. There
were no masks or mits or protectors. There
was no science or chicanery, now called
"headwork." The strappng young OATS,
embryonic preachers. presidents and premi-
ers were too honest for this. The pitcher
was the one who could throw a ball over
the den" and few could do this. His OBJ
ject was to throw a ball that could be hit.
The paddlemans object was to hit the
ball. and If he struck at it-which he need
not do unless he chose-and missed 1T, the
Gather, standing well back, tried to catch
| IL after it had lost its momentum by strik-
ing the earth once and bounding in the air
ION the first bounce it was called-and
| IL he succeeded the paddemarf was dead
and another took his place. If he struck it,
and 1t was not caught in the field or else
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 pounce upon a baserunner
| and touch him with the ball. Any one
! having ii could throw IL at him, and if ii
| hit him he was '.dead'-almost literally
sometimes. If he lodged the ball ne kept
| on running until the den was reached
| Some of the players became proficient in
| ''ducking. lodging and side-stepping. and
| others learned 10 throw the ball with the
accuracy of rifle bullet. No matter how
many players were on a SIDE each and
every one had TO be put out. And If the
last one made three successive home runs
he brought I'm the side and the outfield-
work over again. The boy who could
bring in his side was a hero. No victo-
rious general was ever prouder more
! lauded. Horatius at the bridge was small
potatoes in comparison. He was the un-
| crowned king. There were no foul hits
| IL ball touched the paddle ever SO lightly
ii was tick, and three ticks made com
| pulsory run. The score was kept by some
| one cutting notches in a stick and the runs
| during an afternoon ran into the hundreds
| If the ball was lost in the grass or rolled
| under a Scotch thistle, the cry lost ball
was raised and the game stopped until il
| was found.
| Only the older country ball players car
| remember those days and games. They die
| not last long. When the change came il
! came suddenly. Technicalities and rules be
| gan TO creep in. Tricks between the pitcher
/ and the catcher designed to fool the batter
| began. The argot or slang of the game in
| truded. The country boys who went to col
| lege found more than their new homespur
! suits of which they were so proud on leav.
| ing home, out of date. The ball game was
| all changed. They had to use round clut
| instead of paddle TO hit the ball. They
| had to change their tactics AL through the
| on throwing ball that could be hit, bu
| bases were laid off with mathematical ac
| curacy. They could be put In so many un
| known and surprising ways. They could
4 not throw a ball at a base runner. They
| could not wander all over the field, bu
| must occupy certain position. All Wa!
| changed. All has been changing since. Th,
| expert OF even twenty years ago would b,
| lost to-day. The game Of ball. has beer
| growing. more scientific, and when 1t be
| comes wholly scientific, and when the ele
| ments of sport and speculation are elm
| mated, it will diminish in public favor-die
| perhaps The change is not only rapid
| but universal. The homespun-clad boy,
| who returned home on vacation expecting
| to .show off, and teach their former com
| panions the game of ball up to date discoy
cred that the innovation had preceded them
| and that those who had not left the ole
| haunts knew all about the game, excepting
| the very newest wrinkles. And they knew
| something which the college boys had no
learned.