The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-26

baseball fans, whose mem tories carry them back to the early days of the National Game, are discussing the re- cent report from Pittsburgh that the
 oldest baseball in existence had been insured for $1,OOOl against loss by fire or burglary. This sphere, which is covered by one piece of horsehide sewed in the center, is said to be fifty three years old. having made its in 1ttal appearance in a game played
 between the Eclipse club of Kingston, N. r., and the Hudson team of New
 burgh, N. r., on June 20, 1882, which was won by Kingston players 4e to
 IS.
 While this ball is undoubtedly eaae of the old time spheres it is not the oldest by some years if the records regarding this department of base ball can be relied upon. A baseball
 which ante-dates the Pittsburgh one by i've years is, or was, until recent ly, in the possession of F. M Wilhfte of Ernporia, Kansas. This sphere was used in what is claimed to be
 the first champt onship game ever
 played in this country. It figured in
 the contest between the Tri-Mountain club of Boston and the Portland, Me, team in a game played September g, l 1857.
 Like the Pittsburgh ball it has g.
 one-piece cover and measures ten in ches in circumference. The contest in which this ball, now preserved by
 a, coating of gold leaf and suitably inscribed, was used, was played on Boston Commons and was won by Portland, 47 to AZ. The match was memorable in other respects since
 it was the first played under the nine inning rule and the first in which the pitcher was permitted to pitch in stead of being forced to use the toss
 or underhand throw.
 The Speedway Association ofsArner- ica recently formed to control auto
 racing on the speedways of seven cities throughout the country marks a new era in automobile racing. The
 association, which is broadly defined
 as a gent1ernans agreement among the promoters to avoid conflict of
 dates, excess bidding for entries and other features where cooperation is
 more effective than strife, includes speedways at Indianapolis. Chicago,
 neapolis and Tacoma with Detroit as a possible member of the near fu- ture.
 %The organization as composed at
 present represents seven speedways with a. total seating capacity Of close to 100000 and Is miles of track. More than one-fogrth of a million dol
 lars is to be offered in purses during the year and the list of events ar
 ranged upon non-conficting basis so far as possible. Indianapolis and
 Minneapolis have the largest courses
 both being two and 8 half miles to
 the lap. The other cities in the as-
 sociation have two-nni1e tracks. Three tracks are wood, three of asphalt and one brick. More than ten million
 dollars worth of property and build ings are represented in the organize ton.
 
 Early calls for practice are to be the rule in eastern university football circles this autumn. Both Harvard and Pennsylvania will assemble a large portion of their squads some | days before the opening of the uni versailles in order that the players may
 be coached in the fundamentally of
 the game before the serious work of I the season begins. The Quakers will
 report at Mt. Gretna, Pa., on Aug. 28,. for. two weeks work before the 1 training at Franklin Field and liar ward candidates will begin to get ac- quainted with the pigsktn on Sept. | two weeks before the Cambridge uni 1 versity opens it's scholastic doors for \ another year.
 The al1-eastern tennis team consist 1 ing of Williams, Churcf1, WashbHrn
 
 east in matches against the Pacific coast stars, makes its first official ap-
 pearance at Pittsburg to-day in the clay court championships. The form 1 shown by this quartet will be watched I closely since it is expected to give a
 line on the probable outcome of the West vs. East matches to be played
 at San Francisco about the middle of
 July. The personnel of the western
 team has not been made public as yet but it is known that the Pacific coast has 8 number of racquet stars to se- 1ect from including Mclaughlin. Bundy, Murray, Johnston, Fottren, l Griffin and Strachan. The first five of these are ranked in the leading ten
 players of the United States singles and doubles considered and it will be no easy task to defeat the western
 team especially since the play will be
 in all probability asphalt courts 1 Last season Williams defeated John son twice, winning five out of seven sets only one of which went to duece.
 Murray, Fottren and Mclaughlin all
 fell before Williams while his only de-
 feat administered by an American was
 that by Mclaughlin at Longwood. washburn won from F'ottren and i Johnston but lost to Murray. Church i defeated Murray but also lost to the
 same player as we'll as to Griffin.
 Mathey who is c1assed in the third
 division, 21-30 players; is primarily 8 double star but Mclaughlin and Bun-
 dy made short work of Mathey and
 his partner Church in the challenge
 round at Newport last August. The
 preponderance of past performances
 points to victory for the West In the
 play at the Golden Gate next month.
 That the war has not deprived Eng
 fish sporting events of interest is in
 dicated by the controversy regarding 1 the BOmbardier WellS-Sergeant Dick
 Smith heavyweight battle. recently 1 fought in London. Public points have devoted considerable space to l the question as to whether Wells was not knocked out by Smith previously
 to the round in which Wells was