Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-06-29
OLD TIME BASEBALL.
NJ WAS NOT SCIENTIFIC AND FEW
RULES WERE OBSERVED.

The Batter Was Known AS the pad-
dlcnan, aad the sitci,er's object
Was to Throw /, Hall That Could De
Hit-"BrinEing In the Side"
Time will not turn back in its flight,
but the mind can travel back to the
days before baseball or ut least to the
days before baseball was so well
known and before it had become so
scientific. There We're 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 Srsyarious. lie
preferred tlocking by himself and re-
manning independent. On Sunday aft
ernoons the neighborhood boys met on
some well crossed pasture. and. whcth-
er ten or forty, every one was to take
part in the game. Self appointed lead
ers divided the boys into two compa-
nies5by alternately picking one until
the supply was exhausted. The bat.
which was no round stick, such rs is
now used, but n stout paddle with IL
blade two inches thick.and four inches
wide with n 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 IA the leader of the
opposition forces. "Wet or dry?" The
paddle. was then sent whirling up in
the air, and when it came down which
ever side won went to the bat, while
the others scattered over the field.
The bali was not what would be
called National league balr' nova
days, but it served every purpose. 1t
was usually made on the spot by some
boy offering up his woolen socks as an
oblation, and these were raveled and
wound round IL bullet, handful of
strips cut from Il rubber overshoe, Il
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 a superior be-
ing. The ball must be perfect sphere
and the threads as regularly laid as
the wire on the helix of magnetic
.,.s -, % ~, Iii ,,,s.: 49,
..,,,'. -, LIZ, ,,.aa ,,oo,,1o 49,,
.,,,aa;, - nna,.ont II fro,n ,,r,r;,1;n,,
when thread was cut. The diamond
Ss.,a.;,as ~" s - .,,ama ,.an" % row. Cow u h,sas m 80 nnI
-, n,,,a,. .,',t =
-. sS..,,,...,,,. ~. ,,.ora ,,.,.,.o, ~, on,,
s1!......S..'.N,,. -, ~. ,,.,,...,,,,e',
*, a., ,,,ho,o tI,o .t,or., ,,.,,,.e,
!, e ,,o,,e,,,, nj -. -, ti,o o,,.t,,
= q, :. ,,,t,ao ,,os
onss " l.iese !,
Ause s1s 2. wv
''o '',ie'i .ie ilole. ~
nv ii''eAs =. in'e.s VI p.o.ee.o's inett' .'
was "o seisle VI In.,''''ets' noW
@ ea.'s.l nenuMp.A n ~ . su'lplns
you.s oa's' enip.s one ..aeiiets' plesi.
u'' - NV NV. =. ...n, We. ~ Aos. ~
enis' ne p.. ~, ""s .ns une "no
sou'u tn,o" " .r, Da,i oYE. ,. 'ne uen, anu
leW cou,A uo .nis ms opJec' was ~
'nnW" ~, q oa,, 'A". ,o"'u w IT.
"e ~ p"u" i, -. D' "aS q. " ,s
.ne Da.' an.. w =. o. ue q. nv,
ne ieeu ~. w ui,ess hc c.ose-iiu
,iisseu ~ tne ee ~ s'ai,.'ns We.
uucA' .lieu " sule' .., :. n.ter :. ii"u lbs, iose
l.s tnoluea.un " s.i.hins Tue eu1.n
once anu poun.l'is ", ~ lue III oa ~ 'hc
'irs' pou,ies mas eilieu-'ihu - nv :,
sueeeesleu .ne pu,..'slnan ., was 4eau'
"hu uno'ne, .ooA MS pA"ee ho
s'rueA ~ ailu II was noe c,'usi. III .,ie
,iell Ut : eise"neit ~ .,e aiI vi oli .he
bounce ne eo'io sl1iAe TWICE h'ofe'
out 'ns tnllu .iliic ne was coilipe,'eu "
run, run incle mas ,,o ~, umpire anu very
n.'ie siahsiins in.ie was no eloi,
~ pounce upon puse runiier anu
to"ci nun WIN 'he p"ii. ANY one nsv.
iis IL couiu throw II Ut h.lh' anu II II
hit MN ne was uelu -"inose iiterai'
" sonetithes' II ne uoosea tue paii' ne
kept on running untli the ueil was
reached. Some OF the players became