The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1916-08-16
Related by
JAMES WOOD,
Captain and Manager OF the
Famous Chicago White Stockings of
1901 TO
a.
FRANK G.. MFNKF.
IIIAPTFR TT

NllNII fk III.
And now my story shifts to base
ball club--thc Eckiords- which swept
through two seasons. achieving l44 vic
tories without suffering a single defeat
TO a man Joe Spraguc-who pitched
and won every one OF those games for
the Eckiord,
The records OF both arc without
parallel in baseball history; accom-
plishmcnts so remarkable that they
never can be surpassed nor closely ap-
preached
"The Eckfords. az | stated in pre-
vlous article. Represented Williamsburg
then a separate town but now part Of
BROOKLYN II was the first team |
PLAYED on and | held down second base
IN every one oi those games that We
won while establishing our record
mark
Lasts Two Years
Our winning streak began with the
opening ot the 1872 season and con.
tiuucd right throl8h 10 the ,H3fNVi 1905
During that time wc played-with one
exception every team of strength and
Importance in New York Brooklyn
Philadclphia Troy Syracuse. Albany
Washington and the SMALLER cities And
We heat them all not once but as Often
a. they cared 10 lry conclusions with
US
The single execution was the Excel
sinr tcarSoi BROOKLYN We wanted to
play them, ISSUING repeated challenges
Put their captain loe lcggett refused
for the sole reason that he had become
angered during the summer OF lS1l
VIXEN orr captain. who was captain OF
picked nine on which lcggett PLAYED
was presented with a souvenir ball
egget, Thought hc vas entitled 10 II
and vowed afterward that so long a'
ht was leader Of the ExcesiorS h,
never would permit them to play III,
Fckfords He kent his word
Sptague Great Pitcher.
Toe Sprapue in nv opinion was the
greatest pitcher Of all time When one
calls to mind the fact that he pitched
and won IA games in two season,
pitching three times a week il doesn't
leave much room for argument docs 1t
"Spraguc throwing an undcrhand
ball. had terrific Specd and wonderful
control. But most important OF all
Sprague threw a curve ball-that was
back in which means tho;
Sprague no, Arthur Cummings Of IN,
BROOKLYN Stars oi 'bl-64 or Bobh,
Mathews oi the Ha,imorcS ~ $1,000
was the original curve hall pitcher.
Curve Unknown.
''ID those 1nNs when Surarue nit chez
for our ECkfOrd team n curve ball M
such, was unknown, Rut we alwavs no
ticed that some OF Spraguc's deliverie,
took sharp twist. sometimes turnns
In and sometimes turning away from tn,
batter. All of us used TO remarktabou
the peculiar gyrntions OF the hall tha
he threw, II was not until some year.
later however, when curved balls h.
came an established fact, that we recog
nized the delivery, then called n curve
os the very same kind of hnll tha
eprague had thrown In 1852 and 1896
white pitching himself-and the Eek
fords--.to fame
"And vet the anna zing Accomplishment
OF both the Echfords and Sprpgue never
have found their way In the recort
books No mention Is made Of them any
where. There Ia one way that | car
account Tor this failure 10 chronicle
properly the grentest dual feat In the en-
tire history OF the game And that Il
that the record was made In the days he
FORE any records we're kept-in the ers
before tabuatlon began Il was not un
III along In 1864 ,and 1868 thnt Henr,
Chadwick put into operation his tnbu
hitting system and began preserving rec
ords
"The Cincinnati Red Stockings Of 1856
have gained undying fame for hRvinJ
won fifty-siS games, tieins one and los
ing none In that season, but their rec
ord In insignificant I'm comparison witt
ha at kfiptpriaa az JClf
fordp OF lSi2 80 TD'~ Rod Stockings
record for two >. ..-.-. tS7O tctHi
seventy nine victories. one tie. and thre,
defeats. and not one defeat as som'
records show
Lost Two In 1870
'rhe Red stockings were defeated TIVE
straight games In the fall Of 1870 by IN,
Chicago White stockings u team which
] organized, captalned and managed. Thn
team was recruited for the sole purpos,
OF beating the arrogant Red Stockings
and II accomplished Its object In the mos
sensational baseball series ever played
In later article [ shall deal with thos,
Two games. one which was Witnessed b,
IN" greatest crowd hO, ,OOO-thnt ever saw
professional ball game In America.
Historians differ ms 10 whom an,
whore the first game was played at whlcl
admission wns charged, The real fact Il
that the first game Of tho kind wal
PLAYED on June I 1884. between tw'
and the other from New York II wni
staged IN the enclosed Union hall parl
N Brooklyn. The admission price wal
10 cents
81, was W. II cnmmeyer, the owne
~ the Union ball grounds who con
ceived the iden " charging admission
What howl NJ protest went up fron
the populace' They termed II an out
rage to charge 10 see the 'nationn
sport But Cammever vSs deaf 10 N,
chmor and no one got lnlo the ground
unless he first produced the dime
TN our free games The crowds range,
between 5000 and 10000. In that flrs