Milford chronicle., 1907-06-28
BASEBALL.
Disputed Origin of the Game and an
Unfinished Inning Abroad.


Unfinished Inning Abroad.
Real baseball Is over sixty-one
wears old But The origin of the ina
tIonal game" IS more IN dispute than
the etymology of the term fan" The
veteran journalist Henry Chadwick.
popularity known as the father Of
baseball" who is English born, con-
tends that baseball. while an Ameri-
can sport. had its origin In the game
played by the English schOOlboy called
'.rounle The basic principle OF
both games" Mr. Chadwick argues, rs
the use Of bat. ball and bases.
But II IS a short bat and a soft ball.
and the player on hitting the ball en-
deavors to make a circuit-a round-oT
all the bases-in our vocabulary d
home run. As a clincher Mr.. Chad
wick says that when debating the
question with Albert G. Spalding
there entered the room a deyotee or
sport. Andrew Peck. whose name, cou-
pied with that of his partner, Snyder,
was known to most American boys or
twenty years ago in connection Win d
popular style of ice skates.
when did you begin to play base
ball?" inquired Mr.. Spalding.
In the latter part Of the fortles'
replied Mr.. Peck; about 1S47 or lS4S.'
"What was the game called them
"Why. 'rounders,' said Mr.. Peck.
But to this day Mr.. Spalding, proud
Yankee to the core, is unconyinced.
Undoubtedly the foreign taint in base
ball bothered him not little for a
time. but he disposed OF it to his salts
faction in the spring Of 1899 when he
visited Liverpool after a tour OF the
British colonies with the Chicago and
All American baseball teams. Through
out the trip English subjects had child
ed him with the antecedent OF the
American national game, so he issued
a challenge to the champion rounder
club of Great Britain, which was
promptly accepted. By the terms OF
the agreement the British champions
were to play one inning rounder
match two innings make a full game)
with team Of eleven men picked
from the American "baseballers," as
the Engllshmen called them, and then
there was to be a FIVE inning game OF
baseball.
As feeder pitcher) for his "eleven"
Mr.. Spalding was given leather Gov
cred sphere about the size Of a golf
ball and rather soft The rOunder bats
man faced him with miniature crick-
ct bat-a cross between potato mash
er and a penhOlder. A high ball was
"fouled." as the Yankees called 1t, but
the referee declared it a fair hit, and
as the batter made a circuit of the four
boundary posts before the ball was
recovered he scored four runs. The
next batsman repeated the trick, and
there was a total of eight runs TO the
credit of the Englishmen. Then feed
er" Spalding resorted to low balls close
TO the batsman's body, and only three
more runs were made before the elev-
en- British champions were put out ana
the inning was over. These last runs
resulted from the failure of an Ameri-
can to hit one of the champions with
the ball, as the rules permit.
In their half of the inning the Yam
KEGS were inclined at first to try to
Zine out" the ball, and the results
were disastrous. But soon they got
the hang of batting with one hand
and scored eight runs before the elev-
en- men were retired. This left them
three runs behind.
The baseball game was an entirely
different story. Three Englishmen
struck out, and then the Americans
went to bat. Thirty-fve men crossed
the plate, and still the side had not
been retired. Because Of physical eX-
haustion both teams were content that
the match be declared off. Thus the
first inning in the baseball game was
never finished, yet the score stood 81
to 0 in favor of the Americans.-Henry
Beach Needham in Success.