The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-07
REDS OF 1859 AN
UNBEATABLE CREW
Famous Cincinnatis of Fifty
Years Ago Were First Real
Professional Club.
TOOK ON ALL COMERS
p,oved 81 Games in 1869
without Defeat, but Fell Be-
fore Atlantics in 1870.
Cartwright 1919, oil riOhts reserved.
n FREDERICK G.. LIEB.

hrought the great NlhSioti
,nrs. the unbeatable team OF 1862 10 inc
front r,,,h,o taatrraz
"a me Redland success OF 1913 Is that
S,nc,nnatl should win its first National
is,rue pennant on the fiftieth ami
rsrsary Of the unequalled performance
- the original Reds, who went thronsh
SEASON without defeat and won the
s,ht 10 the championship by licking
~ hest clubs in the nation, north.
sopth, east and west The Reds OF 1859
Mai everything in sight. from the
INITIALS, Atlantics and Eckfords OF
p,coklyn 10 the Eagles, Pacific and At
i,ntics Of San Francisco. and from the
rcrest Citys Of Rockford to the South
.rns Lone Stars and Robert e. Lees Oh
New Orleans.
N the year 1869 the Reds played
sny-eeyen games. Of which hfty-six
we're victories Ono game played with
me old Unions Of Lansingburg. n. T..
rfherwise the Haymakers. resulted IN
All to II de.
N, Reds continued their famous VIM
sAnr streak in 1870 and won twenty
Eree more games before they were
souped IN an eleven inning game by
~ Atlantics OF Brooklyn. The game
ms played in Brooklyn on the old
ohpstoiine grounds, the Atlantics win
bine By o score Of s to z. The defeat
esarly broke the hearts Of the Reds,
Cincinnati scored two runs In the nrst
ksN of the eleventh, only to have the
Lrantics come back with three.
Veteran. Recall Old Reds.
rbere are many fans still alive to-
NV who recall this famous old team
spd the respect il created whenever IT
vent on tour. Men still are living in
Brooklyn who recall the joy that was
occasioned in the then Long Island City
when the Atlaptics stopped the well
nigh invincible Redlegs.
However, to actually understand the
reasons for the great success of the
Reds baseball conditions following the
,ivil war must be taken into considera-
ton The Red Stockings of 1869 were
The first out and out professional team
Before the civil war baseball was al
most entirely a gentleman's sport, and
our baseball players Of that era corre-
rponded to the cricket players OF Eng
land In fact, most of the ball players
also played cricket or toxic up baseball
after first bt coming adept at the English
game. Baseball was played by business
men on week ends. as they now visit
country clubs for their golf While II
was a barehand game in those days,
folders could give the real hot ones "the
Old howdy do without causing any ad-
verse comment The ball fields usually
were located on the outskirts OF the
larger cities. New Workers. used to cross
over TO Hoboken and to Brooklyn 10 play
their baseball matches.
Amateur Sport Before War.
/le game up to the time OF the Civil
Nr was entirely amateur. and the Ma
til1al Association of Baseball Players
III, governing body OF the sport, did its
best to preserve It's amateur standing.
But with the growth of the sport, the
establishment Of bigger clubs and with
greater incentive to win, professional
Ism began to make inroads into baseball.
BY many Of the old time gentlemen
players this introduction OF the camou-
naged professional was strongly re-
sented, but other wealthy men did much
70 promote the practice. In their efforts
TO produce winning teams they resorted
70 methods in vogue in many of the
american colleges some years back
Wnen no expense was saved to develop
crack football and baseball teams.
Players who made regulations in the
smaller cities and towns were brought
10 the larger cities and given jobs by
men prominent on the teams. A part OF
ue salary by mutual understanding
vas for the promising baseball players
baseball services, though he still pre-
served his amateur standing. The prac-
uoe continued to grow SO fast after the
civil war that many OF the touchier
amateurs stopped playing ball entirely
snu resigned from the National Associa-
ton.
Became Out and Out Pros.
refusing to be a party to this camou.
,t11sed system of professionalism any
,sVheer' the Red Stockings OF Cincinnati
e leading team of that city, broke
ssy from the National Associa ton and
sedred IT would henceforth have Q
cam OF paid players. The move caused
great deal OF adverse comment at the
nue' there was talk of blacklisting the
teus and the argument was advanced
et with professionalism the integrity
inc game would depart and tina
~, americans wanted no paid hire
es IN their sport Under such advers,
'uons was the great institution OF
United States ''''
a.. d, champion, a prominent lawyer
=, .uoihhati, was president and backel
a ue cluo and he deserves much o
oreult for the success OF the team
o. rather an appropriate name, too
~ Tue ooss Of those old Reds Champion
nio was The first man to offer a bal
ktaser signed contract, which give
"'i,l novel place in baseball annals.
rat n view OF the salary OF $4,000 nov
p pa,u 70 Ty Cobb, the $4,000 stipent
I a,S IT'S Speaker and the $4,000 Job
,1u oy Walter Johnson and Grove
ci"-ue the salaries OF the old Gin
>"'i'au Reds are very amusing.
george Wright Teams Star.
5eorge Wright, shortstop, was tn
Ia OF the old Reds and drew the to
VII salary-sl,400 a year. Yet &
80 .. TIC saei that The Reds play
81 o. game schedule that yea
~. net normal 154 game schedule o
80 present era and making due allow
~" lot the difference in cost of livinf
h.iOO Of 1869 was not to b
sneezed at.
n, george Wright was given the privileg
.'eting any men he wanted for tn
bes, ana he got together some OF III
H." rn m the country. His brother
csr',y wright, centre fielder, acted a
IN IAN I'm OF the Reds. The feld capital
mau u.ose early days correspondent to tn
ss,esr OF to-day, and Harry locke
va Ie attack Of the club. His salar
brainard, the whiskered pitche
nnI next IN line with SLIGO. He had
crop OF whiSkers after the faslio