The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1905-08-17

after the scheduled time, not
through the fault of Cooperstown
but because Binford refused to
play with the outside umpire we
had suggested, claiming they
wanted q local man instead. The
game was played fast and BIN
ford never had a "look into WIN
until it became too dark to see 9
batted BAH. No one knows this
better than the Binford sPecta.
tors themselves. At the end OF
seven innings the score stood z
to 2 in favor Of Cooperstown when
the game should have been called
on account of darkness, and
woula have been had there been
any other than local man um.
piring. Binford, of course, did
not want to stop. They had
everything to win andnothlng to
lose by continuing the game.
Under protest Cooperstown com.
menced the eighth inning in
which Binford scored three times
without registering a base MT.
the runs all being made on field
ing errors due to the darkness.
At any other time every hit in
this inning would have been an
easy out. as they we're all infield
grounders. It was impossible.
to see even throws across the
diamond that were below the
horizon line. according to the:
Times every Binford batsman
was transformed into a hercu-
lean giant about this time, ready
to slaughter Dretchko.) Cooper
town went out quickly in their
half of the eighth and took the
field for the ninth. The umpire
at this point decided to call the
game as he couldn't see the ball
when it left the pitchers hand,
but being importunedb by Binford
let the game go on. Binfordk kept
up her wonderful fusilad9 ofhits,
sometimes rolling the ball even
past the pitcher and losing it in
the grass. Our boys were very
diligent in their search of the
ball and found it nearly every
time.
!. Of course it was farcical to at
tempt to play ball without Ian
terms at this time. and finally af-
ter three balls were lost the um-
pire was obliged to call ''game. "
Then Binford did roar. They
knew that according to Rule Is,
which is as follows: eff the um-
pire call game onaccount ofdark-
ness or other cause after five in.
nings have been completed the
score shall be that of the last
equal innings played" the game
was lost by them. The rag chew
ing that ensued was loud and
wearisome. The umpire of their |
own selecting was heaped with
indignities and ridicule for doing
his plain duty. But in order to
be fair Cooperstown then and
there offered to pay their ex-
penses to stop over and finish
the game next day or play new
game. Both PROPOSITIONS were
refused by Binford, thoughnoth-
ing could be more fair. The
Times claim number two for the
cup vanishes in air. Spaulding's
rules were designed to cover
similar cases and Bin
ford hasn't a shadow of ground
for kick. These are the undis-
putable facts concerning this
game. Was there anything in
I to warrant a newspaper in de-
Voting the major portion of it's
columns in roasting the citizens
If Cooperstown who have always
,reated the Times editor fairly
md courteously? Ought any sane
nan use such eplthets as ''little
oiggies. !" ''rotten aggregation"
etc, with reference to our base
oall management, as did the
Times last week. The arbitration
BOARD, to whom all disputed ques-
lions concerning cup games are
referred, is comprised Of old and
nonored citizens. No one doubts
but that they acted in this case
and fairly and the citi-
zens of Cooperstown unanimously
endorse them. We havn't spent
so much Filthy lucre" to win or
retain this cup. We had our hired
battery, it is true, but did not
Binford have more hired players?
The cup was donated by Coopers-
town citizens and we won itfairly
according to the rules of the
game. AS to our Offering to give