New Britain herald., 1928-07-21
OLD AMATEUR NINE MADE STATE GASP
PlainYille Team Of 1889 Boasted
 Pitcher With Curves
Special to the 1lerald)


 Plainville. July 2l - The famous Plainville baseball team of 1889. which was perhaps the best amateur nine i'll Connecticut at the time and which met the Hartford Atlantic league team, Yale university, and all the leading outfits in the state, has been recalled to the players and showing of the undefeated 1928 town team and by the recent death of Frank Cox. who defeated the old timers in one of the best played games.
 The 1889 team. like that of the present year. was composed entire- ly of boys who lived in Plainville, and 1t was rated by all as one of the best amateur hines in the state, while many considered it as the very best. The fastest teams in Connecti- cut came to Plainville, and. while the locals did not always win. they had the satisfaction of scoring at least one win over every one of their strictly amateur opponents and fin- ishing the season with record of IT games won and 9 lost. The plainville team was also great at- traction about the state. and on one occasion it played g. double header in New Britain with the Yale Scien- life school team.
 Prior Could Curve
 The team had three pitchers, Jay" Prior, Charles w. Hird, and "Eph" Day. all of whom were justly famous. Jay Prior was one of the first curve ball pitchers in the Unit cd States. and he was among the players selected by the late A. G. Spalding for trip to England in the sos. On this trip, Prior helped to introduce baseball into the British Isles. He is now Dr. James Prior of Boston. Hird is still alive and liv- ing here, but Day is dead.
 Four catchers also fortified the team. They were Ed North. Elwood Belden. Barrett. and Jake Day. Day and Belden are still alive.
 The right half of the infield pre- sented one of the greatest possible contrasts. Cowles, at first base, stood six feet, five inches in his stocking feet, while the late Jimmy Chest nut. at second, was barely five feet in height. Despite his small size, he handled everything that came his way, being exceptionally agile and able 10 make prodigious leaps fol wild throws. Other players includ' ed Bob" Hird. Tommy" Cafferty Jerome Moody, Bolivar" Harris, Os. car Belden. and George Rocky Goodrich. All of these except Good. rich are still living.
 Plays Season Without Error
 Belden made a phenomenal record which probably has never beer equalled and can never be surpassed Playing regularly in every game, h' went one entire season without com
 hitting an error.
 Bob" Tyler of New Britain wa
 the regular umpire for the hom
 games, and the old timers declar'
 that an umpire's job was no easie
 in those days than 1t is today. ant
 possibly not SO easy. The late Will
 liam J. Blakesley was official score
 for the Plainville team for a mum
 Der of years.
 The team travelled from one toWi i to another by bus, just as teams ar
 likely to do today, but then the bu was horse drawn instead of moto driven. The bat boy was the luck jest boy in town and was envied b, . all the other youngsters in Plainvill when he entered the bus and drov off with the team on its road trips The rules were different than a !, present For one thing, the pitche was allowed seven balls before tn , batter could take his base. Again. , caught foul tip on any strike wa
 out, and many were the argument , over whether or not the ball ha . tipped the bat. Catchers playe , well behind the plate. and did no . come up behind the batter until tw . strikes had been called. There wa , a very good reason for this, for unt some years after this practice c moving up lnlo lile udhSel HohS pe gan, catchers had no protectlo whatever. not even mask.
 The passing of Frank Cox has re l called to John F. Lamb famou game played with New Britain. whe <, the Hardware City team won out b 1-s in the tenth inning. Cox score <: the winning run when Cafferty thre . the ball over Cowles' head in tn last frame. This is considered { l the most renowned encounter \ el X gagged in by the locals. with the DO:
 sble exception of one contest wit S the Mount Nebos of Mancheste n Plainville also lost this game. and . great deal of Plainville money wei l to Manchester that night
 The other famous amateur tean | in the state at that time were 1vor! f town, the Mount Nebos of Manche
 ter, the Athletics of New Britai 5. Cnionville, the Light Guards of Ne 5. Haven, the Charter Oaks of liar - ford Southington. and the Acmes 5, Waterbury.
 The Wesleyan university nine usf
 to come to Plainville in the sprir
 for practice game. as did the C' HIIWy WyN