Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-16
THIS "GOOD THING"
ALSO WENT WRONG
Unexpected Defeat of the Ma
tionaIs by the Athletics
in 1867.

The great game Of base ball as played
nowadays, although perhaps reduced more
TO science or system. is not different at
all In dts uncertainties from the contests of
long ago" Thus spoke old Forty miner"
as he crunched peanuts In the grand stand
at National Park and waxed warm over
the defeats by Detroit last week How
well do / recall the old boys of our Ma
tional team as they congregated down on
~ street near the corner of c, where the
Metropolitan Church stands, to discuss the
game of the next day and it's probable re-
suit. 1t was in this neighborhood that Ar
thur P. German, Billy Williams, Henry
Berthrong, Ned Parker, Ed Smith. George
Fox. Harry Mclean. Billy Hodges, Ran
dali. Studley, Munson, the scorer, and a lot
of the fans use to meet and map out the
style of game they would put up in the ap-
preaching contests. They did not have the
signals, like our modern teams but they
went into the contests with well-define
plan Of action. But the uncertainties of
the noble sport clustered around it just as
they do now. and they broke UP the fans
then just as they do the loyal army OF
rooters now. 1t was indeed wet blanket
gathering after defeat. and the why's and
Wherefores were as numerous as Tim
Hurst's erratic decisions of the past week
Il can clearly recall the celebrated visits
to Washington In 1867 of the Atlantics of
Brooklyn and the Athletics OF Philadelphia,
then undoubtedly the two leading clubs of
the north. The Atlantics had the previous
week signally defeated the Athletics by a
score of 81 to q, and, as the two teams
were to play the Nationals the same week,
the events were watched with considerable
interest and anxiety by the local hackers
and fans Well say, 1t took the Atlantics,
who were champions, to do their best, and
they defeated the Nationals only by a score
of 81 to q. and the adherents OF the local
team went wild in their delirium tremen OF
delight. and all sorts of pipe dreams were
made as to the fate of the poor Athletics
Every one argued that the Atlantics had
made 81 to q against the Athletics and
only 80 to q against the Nationals 1t was
dead easy hand-ball game for the Ma
tionais to defeat the Athletics. Little did
the folks reckon then on the glorious uncer-
families of the game, nor did the Spartan
band of athletes who gathered to discuss
the game take them into consideration. The
game was theirs already, and so confident
were they that no plan of action was ar
ranged at their Az street meeting. Every
body was in high fettle, and every one OF
and fat pocketbookS to wager.
THE willy and unsuspecting team came on
from Philadelphia, and with them came
quite a delegation OF 'Quakers,' who came
only to be company for their already de-
feated team. These sober-minded gentry
didn't do thing but gobble up all the bets
in sight, and did 1t, too, as II they were
frightened to death. The greatest crowd in
the history Of the White Lot assembled to
witness the sport, there being fully 1900
persons surrounding the field, while the will
lows skirting the outer field were filled with
people, so anxious were all TO see the game.
1.-The game was runaway match" the
forty-niner remarked dolefully, the Ath-
letics winning by So to II, and German and
his nets sneaked out of their club house on
the grounds and reached their homes oy
back Streets, humillated over The unthought-
of and most crushing defeat In the history
nP tba club IT goes without saving that
the statd Ouakers who came down just for.
sake returned home in close
with the long green Of the Wash
ington fast set. 1t was a calamity for the
game hereabouts and for quite a period peo-
pie lost faith in the purity of the sport but
they soon came to understand 1t was an
something that since that time
has tended to keep the game in touch with
the people, and / say, Notwithstanding the
modern scientific system of the game, the
same uncertainty hangs around. just as II
did In 1867, when Philadelphia made such
killing of our sports