Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-14
Fifty Years Ago
In. The Star

Fifty years ago this month Washing
ton base ball fans witnessed for the
first time a game
A Women's played by women. The
Rail- Game, following account OF
the game, printed IA
The Star Of July 10, 1879. contains no
tribute to the courage or compliment
to the ability Of the fair players:
"The first land. it IS to be hoped.
the last) game of ball played by women
in this city was that yesterday after
noon at Eagle Park. The, two mines
are called the Red Stockings Of New
York and the Blue Stockings OF
Philadelphia. Every car going out 70
the park In the afternoon was eroWoee
least 5000 people present at the game
Some women were on the ground, nut
not many. Very few Of the baldheads
were absent. The crowd not only &C
cupied every seat in the park, put
formed q dense ring around the ola-
nond only a few feet from the bases.
The crowd did not keep quiet by any
means, but commented very freeE On
the: game and on the players. Ihe
acted as II they had got used to It.
The game began shortly after o'clock
"The women of both mines wore suits
of the same cut, the only difference
being the color-one side being dressed
in red and the other In blue. There
was one exception to this rule, now
ever: There were not blue suits enough
to go around. and one OF tnat nins'
had to wear red. The dresses consisted
of a blouse extending little below the
knee, gathered at the waist by belt;
stockings, base ball shoes and high
CAPS completed the costume.
7'As soon as the first ball was pitched
It became evident TO the audience. that
they had come out to witness a. farce.
The efforts Of the pitchers were simply
excruciating; the catchers cou!ont
catch, and the batters either made q
feeble punch at the ball or struck
downward at it. Whenever ball was
touched, no matter how lightly, the
batter was sure Of her run. Not
player could pick cup the ball until she
had made six or seven hysterical grabs
at it; and when It was picked up she
was no better OF than before, because
to throw It over q few yards or any
where near the spot desired was
physical impossioility The running
was another amusing feature OF the
game. The players all waddled; some
waddled more and some less, according
| to size, but they all waddled..
I'm catching they placed the wrists
! together and opened the hands like an
| alligator does his mouth. Sometimes
the ball struck the hands, sometimes 1t
struck elsewhere on the body, but
more frequently 1t never came within
| half dozen feet OF the alligator-trap.
The size of the diamond had been con-
siderably reduced. Nevertheless there
were not more than four balls knocked
outside its boundaries into the crowd,
q few feet beyond. This feat always
insured a home run. Some fingers
were injured, and once the whole field
went over to condole with the catcher
Of the Blue nine, who caught bail
in the side. But one Of the players
wore short hair. The others had theirs
done up in the high caps on the top
Of the head. Frequently the cap would
come of and the hair fall down. It
was soon fixed again by q hairpin
and one or two Undesirable rolls OF
the finger. -. +.S - f~
"The captains yelled at their mines,
and sometimes pretended to kick
against the umpire The fact that the
gate money was all that was being
played for was too patent. however, for
such little receptions. None Of the
players were pretty, most Of them were
honely and Some Of them were some
what aged. Probably for this reason
the crowd got tired, and after witness
| ing the very feeble attempt at ball.
playing for four or I'VE innings began
| to leave. But seven innings were
played: When the game closed there
were not one-sixth as many spectators
as it began with. II another game
should be played by the same mines In
this city there would not be over 100
people present. The scere was Sf u
- IN favor Of the Bed Stockings, =