Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-26
TOOK CLUBS LONG
TOCATCH POINT
Home Teams in the Old Days
Invariably Took the First
Turn at Bat.

ut takes long time to set old and con-
servative ideas out of the heads of ball
players. Even the most progressive mag
mates are the most firmly rooted in some
OF their Anticipated theories. and they
don't wake up to the march of time till
some other fellow pulls bunch of new
stuff upon them"
Uncle Arson. who certainly lasted
longer in managerial berth than any
one before or since his day. thus theo-
rized between shots of billiard game
'One of the oldest of the theories, con-
tinued the Grand Old Man. land one that
stuck the longest. was this: That it was
best for the home team, having the choice
of innings, to take first bat. That idea
lasted for twenty years or more. 1t last
ed, firmly rooted. till some fellow woke
up. and now the habit of taking the last
bat is as solfdly established as il It
were SO much base ball law. When the
gong rings for the battle now you inva-
riably see the bone team streaking for
the field. while the visitors turn to the
pile OF bats exactly as IL the laws Of the
game compelled such doings Do you
ever see the captain of one team hesitate,
pause as he passes the other captain and
engage him in debate as to whether he
wants outs or ms?
And yet. under base ball law, he could
do so, and the home captain has the say
For twenty seasons however. 1t has be-
come the immutable custom for the home
team to take the field, and no visiting
captain would even think of asking about
it, Should visiting leader, on his way
to the bats. be stopped by the home cap
tain with a Stout of You fellows take
the neld-we are going to bat first he
would proba bly, have a fit Of apoplexy
Taking the last innings. SO as to have
the advantage of the chance for a final
rally, is he understood custom And
yet. for many seasons. it was the other
way. The home team always took first
bat. and simply for an utterly absurd
survival OF the traditions that surrounded
backlots ball.
When our laddies played on the vacant
lots and had only one ball to pound
around-as was the case in the village or
town lot sames-the first crack at the
new ball was considered the greatest
thing imaginable. It was figured as
vast advantage. because several runs
could be whaled off the shining leather
and by the time the other team got to
work the sphere would be black and hard
to hit.
When the game grew into professional
proportions and Enclosed arenas this idea
still stuck. For. years and years the
home club took first bat as a matter of
course. and not one Of the mossbacks
ever seemed to figure it out that where
the ball was continually going over the
fence 1t made little or no difference who
had first crack at the first GiobuIe. New
balls. OF course were always coming into
play, and the second team at bat would
get just as many of them as the frst
team. Therefore. the Iflomrntarv al.
of the whaek at the first balI
could in no way compensate for the ad-
of last innings. And yet, wear
AFTER year. home teams took first bat, and
they kept up the custom till within the
memory of men now In the game. Yes.
was Inossback, too. 1 always took
The first bat when we played on the lake1
front. and for several years at the Con.
gress street grounds as well.
Zone day somebody woke up. And from
that time on the home team has alwavsl
taken last at. and. think always WIFI. /"