The Press., 1904-05-25
OLD TIME BASEBALL.
IT WAS NOT SCIENTIFIC AND FEW
 RULES WE'RE OBSERVED.

RULES WERE OBSERVED.
 The Batter Was Known as the Pad-
 dleman, and the Pitcher's Object
 Was to Throw n Ball That Could Re
 Hit-"BriMsing In the Side."
 Time will not turn back in it's flight but the mind can travel back to the days before baseball or at least to the days before baseball was so well known and before it had become so scientific. There were ball games in those days i'll 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 docking by himself and re- maining independent. On Sunday aft ernoons the neighborhood boys met on some well crossed pasture, and, wheth- CT ten or forty, every one was to take part in the game. Self appointed lead CTS divided the boys into two compa- nies 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 1t, 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 dryT The paddle was then sent whirling up in the air. and when 1t came down which ever side won went to the bat, while the others scattered over the field.
 The ball was not what would be called National league ball' nowa- days, but 1t served every purpose. It was usually made on the spot by some boy offering up his woolen socks as an oblation, and these were raveled and wound round a bullet, a handful of strips cut from a rubber overshoe, a piece of cork or almost anything or nothing, when anything was not avail able. The winding of this ball was an art, and whoever could excel in this art was looked upon as superior be- ing. The ball must be perfect sphere and the threads as regularly laid as the wire on the helix of magnetic armature. When the winding was com plete the surface of the ball was thor Oughiy sewed with large needle and thread to prevent it from unwinding when thread was cut. The diamond was not arbitrarily marked off as now. Sometimes there were four bases and sometimes six or seven. They were not equidistant. 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 al- most sure to be selected as "the den." now called the home plate. There were no masks or mitts or protectors. There was no science or chicanery, now called ''headwork" The strapping young oafs. embryonic teachers. presi- dents and premierS were too honest for this. The pitcher was the one who could throw ball over the "den." and few could do this. His object 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 it the catcher, standing well back. tried to catch it after 1t had lost its momentum by striking the earth once and bounding in the air-'on the first bounce' it was called-and if he succeeded the paddleman was dead" and another took his place. If he struck 1t and it was not caught in the field or elsewhere in the air or lon the bOunce," he could strike twice more, but the third time he was compelled to run. There was no umpire and very little vrangling. There was no effort to bounce upon a base runner and touch him with the ball. Any one hay ling it could throw it at him, and if it hit him he was "dead"-almost literal ly sometimes. If he dodged the ball, he kept on running until the "den" was reached. Some of the players became proficient in "ducking, lodging and side stepping, and others learned to throw the ball with the accuracy of rifle bullet.
 No matter how many players were on side, each and every one had to be put out, and if the last one made three successive home runs he brought in the side," and the outfielders, pitchers
 
 over again. The boy who could bring in his side" was hero. No victorious general was ever prouder or more luuded. Horatius at the bridge was small potatoes in comparison. He was the uncrowned king There were no foul hits. Ii ball touched the paddle ever so lightly. it was tick, and three ticks made compulsory run. The score was kept by some one cutting notches in a stick. and the runs dur ing an afte noon ran into the hun dreds. 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 it was found.-Cin- cinnati Commercial Tribune.