Evening journal., 1918-03-18

Curiosities that ought TO be- preserved
i'm camphor are some or The National
League box scores or 1872 which was
about the year the demon siatisticians
commenced 20 infest the national pas
time. Tho Empire state then had three
clubs i'm the National the Bunalos- the
Troys and the syrscuses-and there
were more columns In some Of the box
scores than there were teams on the
circuit of the present Tcner organiz6-
zion ANALYSTS and expert accountants
o. would be needed 20 Ind out just Wnal
the real score OF a game was from some
OF the old box scores, which contained
nine columns.
The box scores Of almost forty years
aqo devoted three columns TO batting,
three 70 base running and three 70
fielding. The runs were not m tne bst- -,a
ting they were In The base running. me
hattinc came first being at bats base
hits and total bases. Ihen came ule
base runnine reached base LEFT on base
and runs. and then the familiar neidine'
nut outs. assists and errors. scorers
aid not all use the same blanks. nor oiu
thev all have the same IDEAS as TO now
hox score should be made up.
In Buffalo. for example one or lhe
scribes slapped his LETT on bases down
in the summary. giving the men S names
and the times they were left and sunsti-
tuied for the left on bases column
touched base column. Earned runs were
renorted the names 0f the players wh'
were struck out and who walked an,
sdditionally the experts kept track o'
fbe number OF balls called on The pltcn
ers and the number of strikes called on
the pitchers. Papers generally IN tl'
summaries showed the Wild throws any
fhe fies muffed. etc, just as one pape
IN phiIadelphia stnl continues 10 DO.
The National League averages OF ior
carried only four columns-the naltln'
rsnk the 0elding rank, the percentag
in hating and the percentage in fielding
The international averages were DIVIDE
INTO two porfions-batting and nelolnk-
Inc offensive figures giving the game
nlaved the percentage of nrst base hll
and the percentage OF total base nlts an
fhe defensive data comprising the game
PLAYED and the average. A
In order 10 set into the league Gnu
AVERAGES. as they were called, one ne
,pl- m nastine in six contests. Henc
fbe etunf OF p 3. Johnsons ouci'
sfsiistician last year In slipping
smonr the 300 hitters a man VINO pla!
"a onlv In fourteen games doesnt 100
rn in buffalo a fortnight after N
season started. the averages OF inc non
club began 90 appear weekly ''ne
Mo public prints Of The city pui !,
runs where they now are penlnu u
things at bat and another paper c,u'
10 Ne scheme Of announcing the iall'
after the Jeff on bases.
Tho early dopesters kept track OF :.
fimel, hiitor-. for one Buffalo scrll
,vs in his column of Nav A.. 1879 m
clam has shown he Is the safest NIT
IN me nine. and on no less than SIX occ
-ions has brought men home on goo
npporlune hits Richardson anQ or
have also done good work in ihis
spect"
An the star pitchers of Nev NO
states three National League ciun7
1879 are now dead, Jim McCormich' W
died "a week ago, and who was inc II
~ the syracuse stars, being ihe l'-'
pass away. Bufrslo's best het Was j
calvin Troy City's George Nashlns'
Bradley.
syracuse had not been shut out
Two YEARS until May 20. when CAN
mastered an 20 defeat on tne 0t'
FOR whom Jim Mccormick, later an
sociaic Of his IN Pittsburgh. hurled
Club batting records commenced
appear in 1879 and they are Just ao'
ms they are now. though of course tn'
were no stolen bases or sacrifice hits
In some box scores Of two years ia
the sacrifice hit appears in The summa
When the Buffalo team went on
road foreign correspondents were 81
piied with the home score sheets app
entity. FOR they wired 10 an the nine
tmns and an the long summaries.
The Associated Press, reporting
National League and the National As
citation games. gave the scores by
nincs. the base hits and the errors,
did not give The names Of the batter
nor the name Of The umpire.
Tho scribes OF 1879 certainly kr
how 10 pan their teams when they w
not prospecting The young man y
So Abe Cfntsivroff ~