The Dickinson press., 1905-08-12
THE GAME Of ROUND BALL

Three Catchers and There wns Some
~scienriHc Batting Done.
Entil. about 1860 the bal. game pla.
ed III Massachusetts, was cal.ed .s-a..s.
sachusetts round bali. No game a..,a
.town ball' was known in Mdssaeha.s
sets.
We did not know that In England a
game called FOUNDERS was played. We
believed that rouna ball was distinctive
" al American game. Four old cat
and three old cat we regarded as de-
rivatives OF round ball, They were the
resource when there we're not enough
players on the field for round ball.
In a match game of round ball there
were fourteen players on a side. The
game was quite as active as baseball
Is and exciting. Bases were called
goals. There were four goals set In a
square, not in a diamond. At each
goal a stout stake four feet high and
about two inches In diameter was driv-
en- into the ground. The unner going
at full speed would seize this stake.
frequently swinging around 1t two or
three times before he could stop HIM
self. There was no running beyond
drst ON a hit Unless some part Of the
runners body touched the goal be
could be put out by being hit by q.
thrown ball. "Pttchcds out we called
II
The batter stood In a circle four feet
In diameter. midway between first goal
and home. The thrower stood In the
center of the square made by the goals.
thirty feet from the batter. Many
teams. had what was called a dip
th~rower"-that Is. one who could throw
q swift ball, starting low and shooting
up. There were no fouls. Everything
went. Backhanded batting was COM
mon. The batter swinging round. with
the ball as it came to him would drive
it sideways or backward fol-, a long hit.
A few were skillful at what was called
side batting. Grasping the bat near
the middle with the thumb and fingers
OF n hand and being careful that the
finger ends were below the surface.
they held it horizontally, the end point
ed toward the thrower. In. this posi-
ton the batter would catch the ball on
the top of the bat and, in a sfrac-
ton of. a second, as 1t slid along the
surface and by a quick detection of
the bat shoot the ball backward to the
right or to the left.
Hundreds Of men low living in cen
trail Massachusetts, have seen it done.
There were three catchers in line be-
hind the batter. The first catcher play
ed close. He usually crouched and
took only the low throws The second
and third catchers stood, erect, alert
for the high and wild throws. There
were W back felders, one at the right
and n at the left Of the third catcher.
They were there for the backhand and
slide hits. There was a player at each
goal. a player between second goal and
home and two outfelders. The ball
was made of wooden yarn, firmly
wound, with a few shot in the center
It was covered with leather and was
somewhat smaller than the regulation
baseball. 1t was not mushy. A ticl
and a catch was out. One out, the
side was out. To avoid. being put on
by a ball thrown at him and properly
coached, a runner would now jumr
In the air, now fall fiat on the ground
and up and away again in a twinkling
Runs were called tallies. The big
matches were generally decided by the
priority in getting 100 tallies. Eacl
team chose its own referee" and the
two referees" chose a Judge" who
was a solemn and important person
silent except when the referees could
not agree. His decision was final
Exchange.