Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-21
FAILED
To TAKE THE GAME

81 never witness one Of these modern
games of scientific base ball that l do not
recall those grand old times on the White
Lot when the game was just making Its
presence knoWn-and, with apologies to the
much-praised style of today it is me for the
old days" This from one of the old-timers as
he sat last Monday at the New Iork-N ash
ington game and saw Joe CantlllonS ere"
put the lid down on Griffith Sure WIN
ners of the Pennant.
Pressed by the guying fans in the near
vicinity to state his views on the game OF
the present and the past. the Old leioW
saw that he was up against 1t. ana SAID
he had very few remarks to make to such
an audience except that IN the good days
of 1866 it was game OF scoring, not Oh
''skunking, and every player deemed 1t MS
duty to thump the leather. And another
thing" he said. "a man was rated by the
fewer outs credited against him, While to-
day the man who lays down one and gets
out on purpose Is the star hero of the team.
why in those days George Fox, who
was the premier planet with the willow,
never failed to hit for keeps. while today
Wee Willie Keller with all these Won
derful sacrifices and flies to the outield Is
considered the peach We old fellows are
game though, and come to every contest on
account of the love of 1t that came In the
old days. | could point out right around
here a dozen of the players who away back
In 1866 played on the old White Lot. Cast
a look at the score in last Sundays Star
no shut tout for the home product in those
days. Not much, but lO6 runs for ours.
when we ran up against those western out
fits that were putting our boys over the
fence. Just gaze at those lne-ups and
scores if you want to hear about real base
bali.
the walk but many venturesome youths.
not afraid of any Ban Johnson with his
organized base ball. formed themselves
Into teams with the sole purpose OF de-
Arth
Among the rash ones' of that epoch was
a crowd called the Jeffersons, d team made
up from the best youngsters In the city
who knew the game. and could play It to
perfection but they lacked the age and
steadiness that was necessary to outpOint
that sage old bunch on the old Mats
The Nationals, of course, looked down
on the Jeffersons as a junior organization
one of those oh, go make q maine for your
SELF before you try to beat us attitudes
that was not at all comforting to the young
sters on the Jeffersons. 1t naturally made
them all the more anxious to beat the old
boys and make them crawfsh.
In those days the White Lot WAS one net
work of diamonds. the Nationals Jeffer-
sons and Unions having fields facing the
monument. while the JefYerSOns. PotomacS
and Contiuentals batted out north. toward
the White House There was always plenty
OF room. and a game on one diamond in no
way affected the other
The first meeting Of the Nationals and
the Jeffersons took place May II the
latters grounds This contest attracted
vast gathering. for the followers of the
fortunes of both teams had advertised 1t
in every part of the city. in those days
none OF the great sporting papers ever
thought of printing any advance notices of
the games
Tie uniforms of those two teams IL
resurrected and brought out by the players
of today. would remind one OF an opera
boufYe. The Nationals wore white shirts,
white caps, red belts and long blue trOu-
sers. tied close around the ankles with
either straps cord. The Jeffersons had
blue shirts. trimmed with white, red caps
and belts and long trousers. similar to
those of the Nationals. At the time the
papers referred to such uniforms always as
Extremely neat and natty in appearance"
ing clipping about the game from the Ma
tional Intelllgencer the day after the con-
test:
AT 4:15 pm. the game was called with
that fine gentleman and umpire. Mr.. Bob
Drinkard. officiating; the Nationals at the
bat. Parker Williams and Studley secur-
ing runs. Wright and BerthrOng out on
the first by good fielding of Anderson,
Yeatman and Daniels: while Hodges was
neatly taken on a foul bound by Shield
Yeatman of the Jeffersons by good hit
reached second. and on a wild throw by
Parker got home. Page out foul
bound to Williams. Daniels struck out and
Anderson out on foul fly to Wright.
Second inning-Through safe batting
the Nationals secured six runs, all scoring
but Williams and Wright Goth out on
Doyle opened for the Jeffersons by sending
| a hot one over the centerflelder's head. Sc
curing his second. J. Finney also got a