New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-17
BASEBALL SLANG
IS HERE TO STAY
DESPITE CRITICS
Odd Terms Used Handel
Down from Generation
TO Generation

The triten.ss Of IN. baseball -.
nacular has been the source Of eo,,.
cradle comment between SPORT.
writer's. university professors. mint
ters Of the Gospel, mothers club, a.,
other institutions and indiyjss,,.
whose foremost aim in M. is n.
lift Of mankind, spiritually A..
mentally.
Columns have been psnn.d 4,
learned men eondemning the conn.,
use Of what is generally termed sian,
additional columns have been sri,,~
condonlng IT, A universal sgr..n.,,
on the subject has apparently la,
since become hopelsssly out o. u,
question and more than "a per cen, .,
the newspapers Of the country cor.,uu.
10 servo out 70 readers reports Of "A.
American national psstim. and o.sr
stories pertaining thereto which falrr
bristle with the popular code Of bss,.
ball writer's.
A movement was insugursted d1r!ns
1908 By one OF the foremost Of u,
| Northern universities % ascertain u.
| justification tor resorting 70 slrf
phrases, or a wholesale slsugherins q
the Kings English, In reporting base.
ball. This investigation vas not prompt
ed By any specis. prejudice sgsin,, IL,
use Of slang IN writing baseball, b.,
u.s du. rather 10 desire 70 arrive a.
son,s Standardization OF reporting "a.
gam. which would not offend and graf,
unon the finer sensibilities OF thos
who had condemned the use o. slsas
yet were sufficiently interested ia III
game 70 peruse the dsl,y press Tor re-
suits.
Slang Suits Fans
Alter an exhaustive investigation tis
university announced that there va
nothine discovered In the baseball
v,rnacular which persons frequen,irs
! tho stands and bleachers during "a,
ssason did not understand fully and
mat IN. popular demand for the use o.
baseball slang in published reports vr
unauestionsbly SO great as to preelas'
! its elimination. -,
And so from that day 20 this "a,
nuhlic has not beea called upon 70
read any further condemnation o.
baseball reports as written oy u.
overwhelming majority OK sporting
writers throughout the GOOD OLD u g
I Some o, the most familiar term,
used in baseball reports nave bees
handed down from generation 70 geh'
Grafton, and used so generally as 70 %
practically indispensable, yet the on
gin OF such terms Is TO many Sri~n
absolutely unknown.
TIE most commonly used OF seet
nhrases Is one which almost invariably
nuts in an appearance az least once u
every baseball story and has spsea
signIfcance for Texas baseball fans
Reference Is made TO the term Tens
Lacquer" There Is perhaps not
twelye-year-old schoolboy IN The Unitsi
states who has ever attended oaseoal
games who does not recognize me
meaning implied by that trite, phrase.
He understands immediatsly tnH
some batsman has connected VITA zoe
Offering OF pitcher and IN dong sc
ha. popped up q little shor. ny osll
which falls too far back 20 be eap'
ured BIZ the inield and too far IN 70 |.
handled BY the outfelders. To ASK any
snortine writer OF the major leagse
circuits II he understood the pay
would constitute nothing short o.
downright insult, yet II IS more 'n.I
probable that not one OF every yen '.
these experts on the game cou'o ~.
an accurate explanation OF tne oIsw
OF the phrase or even satisfy h''H''"
as 10 it's real fitness.
For the benefit Of any such Wnvsn'
ikowis. interested baseball fans' wv
explanation is herein set forth:
I Origin Of Texas Lacquer
After the close OF the Texas Leag1s
season of 1888. Bill Joyce, Emms',,
Rogers and Arthur Sunday : uiI :,
Houston club swingers who ~.
wrought havoc and devastation 20 w
hopes OF every pitcher IN the eiteon.
were sod 20 the Toledo CLUB OF vi.
American Association. Il was NV.
wander that the three Houstonlsn'
took good care Of their bsseoslI Isgi
tations after going up 70 me ~
show" because they we're OF 'he ".
tyne OF aggressive ball players ~
scarce in this day and time ss 70 ~.
become practically extinct IAel ia,
10 with their regulations as nr'.,'
/ siuegers preceding them. and then
rivsi in Toledo WAS acclaimed oy Wv
n.wsnapers of that city under gsa"
ou.lv LARGE and black headlines;
tn. T.xss recruits were hersldea
a trio OF terrible tapping glaai,''.',
and the pitchers OF the otner CIV.
the American Association w,re ~ -,
less apprehensive as 20 !ust Th ,lm,
youngsters would do against os ~
hurler.. They felt them ou' .s,l
cautiously, and the advisaoillty Of w.
a course was soon apparent 4, ~.
None OF the three hit the osll M
the great Honus Wagner CT me s.l
Larry Lajoie, or the renowned IT,,
Baker OF later years. They Sen ~.
hitters Of that sort. But they az.
on the bases. and they did !; oy hl.'.~.
safely. Their blows, however we's ~.
OF the "fence-busting," screaming ,,Sy
variety. They were the sor o.
little bingles. Labelled "One base T T.y.,
such as are now known /"
lesguers. .,,rtly
Il was in a game a. Syracuse, Ito To.
after the Texas combination loihsDs 60.
ledo, that Pitcher 0'Brien, ei'ei 80,
day. joyce y and Roger. drCpptsd All All
hits over the in6eld. roarei for's; az -.
them durn ehumps can do IS 70 by -
them little old dinky Texas isss. Gag. Is.
A general laugh went up itSm y.
bench. and the remark soon reSen'. h
press box. The reporters hopp.. las
with a vengeance. and the ghf.s' ri,
Joyce, Rogers and Sunday Continues so. y
service for many years and were ~. a,
among their baseball seqlalnurr.
the originstors Of Texas league"
Cincinnati Base Hi
Another similar phrase vhien - -,
ened TO make itself indispea,n.TM;s 49,,