Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-03
When Base Ball Was Young
BY JOHN B. FOSTER
for Accepting Salary

In these days, when there is so
much debate as to whether Babe Ruth
should get $4,000, $4,000 or 500. 900
for playing few ball games in 1927.
and perhaps thereafter, It is timely to
bring to the attention of the young
mind, and the old mind, too. the fact.
that in 1865 member of one of the
most prominent base ball clubs in the
city of New York was expelled because
he accepted pay for playing.
II there are any agitators for purity
in sports who are wearied and nearly
worn out, let them take heart for,
after all. they are following along in
the course which was set by their dads
and great grandads years ago.
There was a time when it was con-
sidered to be the lowest and ''mucker
est" thing on earth to play base ball
for money. That mucker phrase is
introduced from college sport, where
they have conducted for years a cease
less fight to put an end to some things
which SAVIOR of playing for cash. even
il there is no mingling of intent or
slipping of coin.
Was a Gentleman's Game.
Base ball was strictly a gentleman s
game in the early Cos and before.
A man who would sell his athletic
birthright for a mess of silver pot
tage was not wanted on any of the
leading clubs of the United States, and
especially was this true in New York
City, where there has since been a
long descent toward Avernus as re-
CARDS the professional and the anna
teur: Instead of being reared with an
idea that it is unworthy of the COM
frsSx hi
ices, the small boys are brought up
now with keen, acquisitive minds and
wonder how soon they will get it and
how much of ii they will get.
A game was about to be played
many years ago on one OF those fields
of Jersey City which fairly run riot
with base ball history of the earliest
dates. All Of them as fields are gone
now. The modern generation barely
knows they existed. Now and then an
old fellow is found in the metropolitan
district who will sit in the corner and
with shaking voice tell of the days
when the population of New York
City, Brooklyn and the towns of Long
Island took the ferries across the Hud-
son River to see the wonderful games
which Ito his mind We're of far more
interest than the world series of today.
The turf of New Jersey was national
turf, made so by the fame OF its base
ball contests.
RumOrs Were Current.
There were r7Imors on the way to
the field to see this particular game
that some of the players had been
shown the sign OF the mad chase fol
spoils and were TO get the quite hand
some sum of $40 or so if they played
to their best skill. They were not
being paid to throw" the game-not
a bit Of it, They were TO be paid
which was then quite as bad. merely
to play a game. This was repulsive
No athlete of fair repute would bt
guilty of such a thing.
The gossip increased to such an ex
tent that before the game began al
the crowd was buzzing with the talk
The players had been called to one
side by some of their friends and
anxiOusly asked If everything was al
right. They assured their friends thai
no fear need be felt as to their fair
n@@M
But before the game began the man
ayers 1.-The teams finally Caxn9 - III