The mirror., 1919-04-03
History of Baseball
[Continued from page II


$500.
This is one of the most famous teams
ever assembled. They played 81 games in
1869 winning Sc and tieing one. They con-
tinued to win in 1870, beating all corners in
the first twenty-three games, but finally
met defeat in an eleven inning game which
was won by the Atlantics of Brooklyn by
81.
The National Association of ball players
came to life in 1871 with Boston, Brooklyn,
New York, Philadelphia and Troy in the
east and Chicago, Clevland. Fort Wayne
and Rockford, ILL.,, in the west. The Ath-
letics won the first pennant and Boston took
the next four. This league lasted but FIVE
years but from it sprang the National
League of today.
The National League. formed in 1876,
started with Chicago, Boston, Hartford,
St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, the
Mutuals and Athletics. There has been
many changes in the league but Boston and
Chicago are the only teams that have con-
tinued to play every season since the league
started. The New York team and the
Athletics failed to complete their schedule
and were dropped, but re-entered in 1883
after being out of the league seven years.
The league had many competitors.
Gambling, drinking, liquor being sold in
the parks and crookedness was the rule OF
the day, not only among the spectators but
among the players as well. These became
so bad that the decent people stayed away
and the only patrons the game had were
those who came to bet their money. One
instance we have of game being the same
way that boxing, wrestling and harseracing
have gone, they still exist but that's about
all.
The first baseball war occurred in 1890
whea the Players or Brotherhood League
tried to compete with the National League.
This caused much contract jumping and
jumping from one league to the other, and
things looked dark for the parent league.
They drew up their schedule, never.the-
less for 1890. Then the Player league
magnates drew their schedule so the dates
would not conflict with the other league.
The Nationals then changed theirs so
there would be conflicting games and the
battle was fought out. While the National
I 1lx,r hoiv of
ness they we're nearly wrecked In doing so.
Another war took place shortly after this
when the American Association, classed as
second major league fought it out with
the Nationals but were beaten. The Nat
ional league had twelve clubs for eight
years but in 1900 decided to reduce to
eight.
1t was then that the old Western League
was changed into the American League to
play major baseball and after a three year
tussle with the Nationals, peace was de-
clared and both leagues continued.
The last war was with the Federal League
of which we all know and who found that
they could not compete with the two older
leagues by playing ten cent base ball..
The biggest changes have been in the
pitching department of the game, that is in
the distance of the pitchers box from the
home plate; the size of the box and the
box and the number of balls which allowed
the batter to pass to first base.
There were no balls called on the pitcher
before 1858 so he could pitch as long as he
wanted to trying to make the batter hit at
the poor ones. The ball at that time was
ten and quarter in. hes in circumference
and weighed six and one-quarter ounces.
The only restriction on the pitcher was that
he must not cross line that was fifty feet
from the plate and twelve feet long. He
could stand anywhere along the twelve foot
line and take short run in delivering the
ball.
The ball was reduced in size one quar-
ter of an inch and in weight one quarter of
an ounce in 1859. 1t was further reduced
in 1860 by a quarter of an ounce.
A big change came in 1868 when the
box was made twelve by three feet inside of
which the pitcher must stay which did
away with the short run. This was the
first year that balls were called on the pitch
er.
In 1868 the size of the box was reduced
to six by three feet, while two years later
the batter was allowed to call for high or
low ball; from the waist to the shoulders
was high and from the waist to the knees
was low.
Thus we have an outline of the Grand
Old Game that is making preparations to
make the season of 1919 the best and big
gest year the season has ever had, and may
they succeed.
Ignorant of Wars Ending
There will be no premature peace Gel
ebration at Fort Mcpherson, Can, 20
miles south of the Arctic ocean, for Fort
I'D -