The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1933-10-05

and died In 1893
Cooperstown Is quaint old village at the foot
of Otsego lake In Otsego county, New York.
famed as the home OF James Fenmore Cooper
who made his bid for Immortality with his
Misunderstanding Tales"
The facts contained In the two foregoing para
graphs probably wouldn't add up to a single
item Of interest to the average dyed-In-the-wool
baseball fan but the fact remains that through
the association Of the names OF Abner Double
day and Cooperstown, N T. there came about
the chain of events which makes 1t possible for
him to reach the high point OF his feverish In
terest In the national game along about the first
week in October. It's world series time. Need
any more be said7
Early In the Nineteenth century the youth OF
America was playing game with a bat and ball,
which resembled and yet differed from the an
Client English game of -ronndersr This game
was generally known as town ball. although the
New Enganders called 1t round ball or Massa-
chusetts baseball. Played on a square field.
whose sides 60 feet long there was no re-
striction on the number of players who took
part and the rules of the game varied In differ
ent localities.
This crowdlng OF players within a limited
space OF play and confusion as to rules suggested
to one young man that 1t was time to formulate
by making the field damond-shaped instead OF
square He was Abner Doubleday, student at
Green's school In Cooperstown N. Y who began
working on the Idea In 1899. But 1t was not un-
til the next year that he took active steps to Inn
prove the game.
In 1870 great crowd gathered In Coopers-
town for a picnic and political meeting during
the famous Harrison log-cahin. hard-cider CAM
pagn.
When the boys assembled that afternoon Dou-
bleday gathered them around and explained as
well as he could. the points OF the new game.
He decided that there must be four bases 30
feet apart, and the boys Immediately began to
refer to the game as baseball" The name stuck.
1t provided for eleven men side, using four
outhelders five infielders pitcher and catcher
Doubleday ruled runner not on base might be
put out BY touching him with the ball This
system of one player throwing to another devel-
oped into fast double plays
The rules made by Doubleday specified that
the ball should be made of rubber and yarn and
covered with leather. Ii must weigh about five
ounces and must not be more than nine inches
in circumference The weight of the ball and the
size OF the hand were taken into consideration
In determining these measurements The bat
was to be OF round wood, and to be used with
both hands In town ball the bat was frequently
used with one hand
The next thing for the inventor was to deter
mine the distance between the bases After sew
eral experiments 1t was found that man would
have to hustle to run AZ (walking) PAGES or
about 90 feet before ball of those dimensions
could be returned after having been driven to
the ontield. Thus II WAS that 80 feet was fixed
AZ the distance between the bases
OF the development OF the new game the vol
nme, Annals Of American Sport" In the Yale
University Press series, CHRONICLES of Amer
lea" is the authority for the following:
THE changes introduced by Doubleday tnaug-
urated a new era for those interested In town
ball and round ball Although there were no or
ganized teams playing regular schedules to pop
ularize the new rules. the diamond began to su-
persede the square held In the eastern states.
In 1845, a group OF New York gentlemen, who
had been enjoying practice games together for
several years, organized the KnIckerbocker Base
ball club, tho nrst association Of baseball play.
err in the country. Under the leadership Of AL
e1ander j. Cartwright they drafted code of
rules based upon the Doubleday system of play
with q team OF nine men as constituted al the
present time. AS result OF The publication OF
their rules and regulations the Knickerbockers
soon had competition In the New York district
During the decade after 1850 numerous base
bakTclubs were formed - New York, Brooklyn
Philadelphia. Baltimore and other smaller towns