Evening star., 1924-10-05

won a pennant emDlelnatlc Oh
the championship of leading Ameri-
can base ball league. The diamond
athletes of the National Capital fin
ished at the top Of the heap in the
Eastern League title race in 1885.
At present there is but one playing
member of the famous old base ball
champions of 1855 still living in
Washington. He is Robert Barr,
trusted employe of the District, who
four decades ago ranked as one of
the best pitchers in base ball. Barr
won a sempiternal place in the hall
of base ball fame in Washington
when. September so and october /,
1855, he twrled for the Washington
Nationals in two epochal games
Il gainst the New York Giants. On
each occasion Washington won by the
close score of to l.
That year the Chicago and New
York mines were in a deadlock for
the titular honorS at the end of the
orthodox season. To settle the draw
Il special three game post season Sc
ries was played. Chicago captured
two of these games by close scores
and was awarded the pennant. I'm
mediately after losing the title TO
Chicago the New York Giants came
here TO play two exhibition games
with the Washington Nationals, who
had won the championship of the
Eastern League, an organization COM
posed of mines representing Newark:
Jersey City; Springfield and Holyoke,
Mass; Albany and Utica, n. Y;
Washington and Richmond.
Washington won the first game of
the engagement as a result of the
mastery twirling of Bob" Barr, who
was accorded sterling support by his
teammates.
In those days the base ball pitcher
who received salary of 5000 to 5000
a month was expected to earn every
golden eagle in his pay check. The
average professional pitcher
scheduled TO twirl a regulation game
every second day. AS Barr was an
extraordinary moundsman, the peer
of the National staff, he was given
the assignment of hurting both games
against New York.
When the ball was tossed to him
at the beginning of the second game
Barr noticed that the seams of the
ball We're red instead of white. He
signaled to Center Fielder Baker cap
tain of the Nationals, to examine the
ball. Baker bounced the ball against
the fence. On the rebound it shot
away like golf ball, hit cleanly.
Baker protested the sphere as a
ringer" ball. and the umpire prohib-
tied its use in the game, as it was
about one-half rubber. The regula-
ton ball which Washington had pro-
vided was finally found in the shirt
of one of the New York players.
The Giants We're out to reverse the
defeat of the previous day. They did
not care particularly how they won
the verdict, just 50 they Won it.
Right however. triumphed over
trickery. For the second time in two
days the Nationals nosed out the New
York Giants in q twoto-one contest.
:: :: ::
IF there is anything in history re-
l. peating itself" Washington fans
may see the men of McGraw bow in |
defeat before Clark Grifiths Sena-
tors in the world series games of the |
current season. There will be at |
least two of the 1855 champions on
hand to congratulate Walter Johnson
and his mates after the last game of
the year is played. They are Bob
Barr, pitcher, and NJ. h. Scanlon.
manager and owner of the famous
old Nationals of 80 years ago.
If you will but take the trouble to
browse through some of the base ball
literature down in the archives of the
great Congressional Library you viii
find there a diminutive brochure.
"Regulations of the National Base
, Ball Association of Washington" 1t
is the chart Of the diamond sport in
the District of Colum bia-the tiny
tree from which the most popular
recreation in this latitude has sprung.
1t was away back in 1859 that the
crack of the wooden baj and the thud
of the falling ball first began to re-
sound here. The National Base Ball
Association was club of gentlemen
players who were ardentIy interested
in base ball. The organization boasted
over 100 members. each Of whom paid
an annual fee of So. Col. Frank Jones
was president: Col. W. g. Moore. vice
president. and A. 3. Benner. treas
urer of Washington'S pioneer ball
club.
When the club members assembled
FOR field exercise two captains were |
initially selected. They in turn Sc
]ected the players. An umpire was |
picked The game was on. And fast |
and furious was he sport from the !
minute the first ball was pitched-at |
least that is the verdict of the Off |
cial scorekeeper for the pest thing |
the ball players of those days did was |
to make runs. A score of 212 to 1877 |
was not at all unusual. so that the |
services of a statistician were often !
requfed to proclaim the winner al |
the termination of the game. The |
custom was to play at least one game |
r week.
If you have delved into the his !
tory of American base ball you prob /
ably have heard of the Olympic Club |
of Philadelphia. which was playing |
what was known as town BALI as |
early as 1888. OF course, if you want |
TO investigate the records of anti !
ouity you will ascertain that the |
Roman emperors and gladators, the !
Greek philosophers and even the |
Norman courtiers were adept ball |
players. They, however, played a |
kind of modified hand ball or else |
juggled balls to increase their dex-
terity.
The English fathered a game known |
as FOUNDERS"
Rase ball as played today is a typ |
ically American game, without any |
throwbacks to the sports of the an |
clients. The game was first played
in New York City in 1912 by gen.
tlcmen's club, the knick erbockers, |
who played on the present site of |
Madison Square Garden.
In the early days of the diamond ,
pastime in Washington the nine
which first scored 20 runs was crown
side in this curious contest Later
the number of tallies was decreased
to 21 Visualize, if you can, what
kind of a game would result today
if the Griffmen and Giants had to
continue playing until one team
scored 20 counters. That was the
style of play which prevailed years
ago and which was the parent of
the base ball now played by millions
of schoolhsys. sandlot mines. semi
professional, intercollegiate and pro-
fessional players
Harvard University had one of the
first ORGANIZED and uniformed teams