Evening star., 1909-04-11
AN oLD-TIME OPENING.
Cincinnati Started Season Of 1859
Here, Beating the Nationals.


Cincinnati Started Season Of 1885
Here, Beating the Nationals.
The opening of the championship season
here tomorrow between our local pride
the Nationals-and the New Yorks recalls
similar event some forty years ago
when the celebrated RED Stockings" OF
Cincinnati came here to open the season
of 1869 with the then Nationals, the
strongest aggregation in the south.
1t will be recalled by the old fellows
and those posted in the games history
that the visit of the Nationals to the
cities of the west in 1866 had opened UP
that section of the country and had made
it literally base ball crazy, and the Red
Stockings was the most notable product
of the National missionary base ball work
in the west.
The Red Stockings were then sweep
ing the country-in fact, during that year
did not meet with a defeat, notwithstand-
ing they met clubs in every important
city from Maine to California and Mich
igan to Texas, so their visit to open the
real season of 1869 was in the nature of a
public Holiday for our people. and espe-
cially the clerks in the government offices
just the same way things promise to be
1t is very interesting and amusing to &c
over the stories of the contests in those
days and to note the style used by the
sporting editors of that period, SO the
following. clipped from the files of The
Star of Saturday, June 26 1860, WILL we
are sure, be good STUFF for the fans
special attention being called to the sum-
mary:
Never in the annals of base ball in this
city was there such crowd to witness q
Tot nyo1Hy no 70 ont u
provided were occupied. but every avail
able space was taken. The sodded banks
which in winter convert the field into
skating park, were alive with people
while the housetops in the vicinity were
taken advantage of by hundreds of swelt-
ering spectators to witness the battle
from afar off. On the State Department
building two squares away were soldiers
and spectators, who with umbrellas to
protect them from the burning effects OF
the sun. brought opera glasses to bear to
counteract the distance. There was fully
1000 people present, and among them a
great many ladies'
"Od citizens remarked in returning
home that it reminded them of the old
times when Boston and Fashion used to
draw such immense crowds out to ESlln $
National race course. beyond the northern
terminus of 14th street. Newspaper men,
representing local as well as Leading
northern journals, abounded, and had to
commodations were meager and the place
intended for their exclusive use was, as
usual on such occasions, occupied and sur
rounded by bogus reporters and otner
dead beats usurping the privileges OF
the press.
'The Red Stockings arrived on the
grounds at 3:2O, and after various gym
nastic amusements, MI Robert M.
Drinkard of the Union Base Ball clup
was chosen umpire, and the Nationals,
fhn fncC
to the bat. :,
"By reference to the score below 1t will
be seen that up to the fifth inning the
Nationals had not scored run, While
the Red Legs had put In thirteen. None
of the Nationals had reached second base
and the impression seemed then to be
noised around quite freely that the boys
would be goose egged' all the way
through. But matters here changed. The
fifth inning saw the Red Stockings go
out with blank, and when the Nationals
went in to close the inning two men were
put out succsssively. Then Cough!in
went to the bat and by lucky stroke
succeeded in getting to first base. Tnen
old Nationals strokes sent the ball down
to right field. both he. and Coughlln
scoring. A tremendous reception was
given Fox for his brilliant piece Of work.
I'm the next inning the Nationals were
BANKED, while the Red Stockings added
six more to their score. During the
eighth and ninth the Nationals made six,
by wild plays on the part of their oppo-
nents, the score at the close Of the
game standing Cincinnatis, "a; Nationals.
s. Brainard's swift pitching seemed to
bother the Nationals. as also did Jones
slows worry the Cincinnati boys. The
fie ding of either side could not be ex-
celled, but the Cincinnatis won the game
entirely with the bat. Allison. their
catcher, was certainly wonderful, taking
three lightning foul tips direct from the
bat In the sixth inning he received an
injury in the hand from the ball, and
thereafter during the game his place was
suppl. ed by George Wright, the men ex-
changing places. Studley sustained his
reputation by taking six long flies. There
was not passed ball in the game and
hardly mistake in the plays. The fol-
lowing is the score: