The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-09-03
! PLAYING BALL I'M
I ANCIENT AMERICA

~
"Pla-a-a-a-y Baw-aw-aw-l!" is not
as new an expression Of popular i'm
patience to have some one start some-
thing" as some people m a think. Mel
Their is playing ball for a living a strict
ly modern invention In fact. thou
sands OF year sago, way down in Yu-
catan. impatient crowds sat around in
ball parks, yelled themselves hoarse,
beat one another in the back, and threw
their feather head-gear into the arena
in the enthusiasm OF the moment, Just
as we are doing today. Also there
doubtless We're Ty Cobbs. whose skill
that they could afford to hold UP the
management occasionally for a few
more hundred jaguar skins a year, by
threats to quit professional ball and
go to farming.
OF course, the game was not exactly
baseball. But the point is that it was
a ball game. that there were regular
ball parks for courts and tina there
We're professionals who played the game
for hat there was lin it" to them.
the form Of jaguar skins, pounds OF
cacao. fancy feathers. or what not, but
1t was money all the anne. and they
could buy with 1t at the club. or in the
market place. as the case might be.
They had their peculiar systems of
slang" too, at least in some parts Of
the Americas. which. translated into
English. means about as much to us as
ours would to them: all OF which is
brought out by FRANKLIN Adams in his
story indigenous Games in Latin
America" in the July number of the
monthly bulletin of the Pan American
Union, Washington, D. C.. That the ball
game is an ancient institution in the
Americas may be gathered from the
"The ball game Is indigenous to the
Americas. Perhaps the first Similar
inhabitants found true sport in catch
Ing the ~cocoanuts tossed from the tall
palms-certain it is that several thou
reached a high state of development in
the 70 cities scattered throughout Yu-
catain. On clearing away the matted
forests e%nveloping these marvellous
ruins, ball courts were disclosed near
the most sacred temples and. from the
elaborate hieroglyphlcs and photographs
ornamenting the walls. much was
learned of the complicated character of
the sport. Centuries after the passing
OF these ancient Mayans. came the first
younger race in contiguous territory,
the Aztecs. had revived the old pastime
into a national anne, with q stone
God OF Sport" beaming on every court.
The popularity Of these early games
was that the ball, when In play, was
not thrown with the hand but struck
by the hip. around which the player
wore a protecting pad Of leather. At
each END OF the court was a great stone
DISK with a hole in the center, and
before a point was scored. Very natur-
ally a lively ball was used. since
rubber trees dominated the forests.
Old ~chroniclers marvel at the skill
and ENDURANCE Of the players. for a
game was seldom won under four hours
OF consistent play. Such exhausting
contests, with a dozen participants in
almost constant action, were not for
amateurs but professionals. Thus,
iron. IRON ! the . AZTEC word, "olli," signifying
one who plays ball for a living"
Another form of ball game is played
by the Indian tribes of the Cuduiary
river region in the wilds of Brazil. A
carefully leveled field lies in front of
the maiokas. or large communal houses
n daily, at s O'Clock, the men return
Ing from the days fishing or hunting,
lndulge In the sport-not a complicated
game like that Of the early Mexicaps,
but one calling for a high degree OF
skill, as w balls are used BY the
players, who drive them with their
hands toward their opponents. Yellow
tail feathers of the Yapoo btrd are af-
liked to the rubber balls for accuracy.
Chile play an ancient game with wood
en- balls driven by wooden clubs. In a
clearing, 800 by rs yards, nclosed by
cut branches of trees. these Indians
play ~"chueca." which greatly resembles
lacrosse or field hockey. The game is
played from childhood and the PLAYERS
acquire great skill and he matches
draw large crowds. The game calls
for great endurance and while general
~ played in two or three hour periods.
several days have been known to nass
before a decision was reached During
the play 1t is not unusual to hear q
player cry. Am I not a real oat tree?"
or Us he not a lions leg? after a
nrllllant stroke Such Is A~raucaniau
slang.