The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-01-28

;ATtiRpAss VA fsllARs %, 1895
~
E0 I1I.I D I'M B j B IiIi.,
llTsss MAS NOT sclg I'D ID MD Few
RuLEs WE'RE q BsERg gp. "a
\ The nattcrSyyasgI ar the Pad
dieman. i and 4 the r iteher,s object
Was 10 Throw a nan That Could ne,
Hit-aBringinE In tho side Y I: N
Time will not turn back In its ilight,
but the mind can travel buck to the
days before baseball or at least to the
days before baseball was SO well
known and before 1t had become SO
scientific. There were ball games In
those days In 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 flocking by himself aud re.
manning independent! On Sunday aft.
ernoons the !nelghborhood boys met On
some well crossed pasture, md. wheth.
or ten or forty, every one was to take
part In the game. Self appointed lead.
era divided the boys Into two compa-l
MES by alternately picking one unit;
the supply was exhausted. Tho bat.
which was no round stick. such as 10
now used, but a stout paddle with a
blade two inches thick and four inches
wide with convenient handle dressed
on TO 1t, was the chosen nrbitcr. Ono
OF the leaders spnt on tho side OF this
bat, which was honestly called ''the
paddle,v and asked tho leader OF the
opposition forces, !s..yYe ct or dry y The
paddle was then sent whlrllng up In
the air, and when 1t came down which.
ever side won went to the bat, while
the others scattered over the field. "a Z
The ball was not what would be
called n National league bnll''Snown..
days, but 1t served every purpose. 1t
was usually made on the spot by some
boy offering up his .woolen socks rs an
oblaton, and these were ravclcd and
\ wound round "a bullet, n handful aof
strips cut from n rubber overshoc, q
piece of cork or almost anything OF
nothing, when anything was not avail.
able. The winding of this ball was mn
art, and whoever could excel In this
art was looked upon MS n superior be.
ing. The ball must be n perfect sphere
and the threads MS regularly laid as
the wire OH the helix Of n magnetic
armature. When the winding was com
plete the surface of the bnll was thor
oughly scwcd with n large needle and
thread to prevent 1t. from unwlnding
when a thread was cut. The diamond
was not arbitrarily marked on rs now.
4 Sometimes there were four bases mud
sometimes six or seven. They were not
4 equldistant, but were marked by any
fortiitous rock or shrub or depression
in tho ground where the steers were
wont to below and paw up the earth.
4 One Of these tcllurial cavities was al
most sure to be selected MS s"the 3den,"'
now called the home plate There were
! no masks or m!tts OF! protectors. There
was Ito science or chicanery, now
4 called ''headwork. The stripping
young OATS, embryonic teachers, 3presl.
| dents and premlcrs were too honcst!for
I this. The pitcher was the one who
! could throw a ball over the ..'dcn, anu
few could do this. His object was to
Il throw a ball that could be hit. VI
\ The pnddleman's object was to hit
4 the ball, and IL he struck at it-which
he need not do unless he chose and
: missed 1t the catcher, standing well
back, tried! to catch It after It had lost
Its momentum by striking tho earth
once aud bounding in the, air--.a.on the
first bounce it was called--and IL he
succeeded the paddlemnn was "dead,'
and another took his place. II he
Z struck 1t and 1t was not caught In the
field or elsewhere in the mir or Con the
bounce" he could strike twice more,
{ but the third time he wns compelled to
run. There was no umpire and very
little ;rvrangling. There was no effort
to pounce upon base runner and
touch him with the ball. Any. one lav.
Ing 1t could throw 1t mt him, and tif5It
hit him Le2was "dend"-nlmost literal.
. ~ sometimes. If he lodged the ball, he
kept on running until the dem was
reached. Some Of the players became
proficient In "ducklng, lodging and
\ side stepping, and others learned ia
throw the ball with the accuracy OF Il
rifle bullet. & 3
No matter how many players were
!. on n side, each and every one had to be
put out, and II the last one made three
{ successive home runs he brought In
the slde," and the outfielders, pitchers