, 1934-12-30
The
Sports
Spade

Glenn Cherry established a ten
pin bowling record for the Arcadia
Alleys here last week when he roll
ed n 299-iust one pin short OF a
perfect game lie posted eleven
consecutive strikes and on his final
throw one pin. the No. Six. stood I'D
after shaking.
The local record I'D TO that time
was held by Bill Schole OF San
Benito who had a $50 to his cred
il on the local alleys.
Cherry rolled a 100 just prior to
the near-perfect game.
American sport fans glory IN
their two national games. football
and baseball. holding that they arc
distinctly American In conception
and execution. There iS no denying
the fact that the games are tvpi-
cRlly American. but they owe their
TO English games Football
was developed from soccer and rug
by and baseball got It's beginning
from the English game Of round
erS" and cricket.
The sport paga soon will be fill
ed with baseball stories from the
hot stove leagues. SO perhaps a lit
tie review Of the sports origin would
not be amiSs at this time.
Cricket was played in the USA
before the idea OF baseball was con-
ceived. Some Britons who settled
in New York state brought along
their regalia. but play was only
spaSmodic and regular games did
not happen. apparently for the reTG
son that there were never enough
cricket players dwelling In one To-
cality 10 make up a definite match.
II there had been a plethora OF
players in New York to form
teams and play games on a fairly
baseball gained its impetus. there
would have been no baseball. BOYS
are more inclined TO play estab-
lished games than 60 originate new
and Tx there had been stand
ardized cricket In that era then
would have been the Am-
erican game and baseball would
have been unborn.
Baseball Is popularity supposed TO
originated in Cooperstown. N.
Y, in 1889. with Abner Doubleday,
then a boy. as its father. That
vas the year wnen a base was first
used. A game without bases was
played some years earlier. the bows
taking their turns az hitting the
ball. the boy Cor team hitting II
oftenest In so many tries being the
winner.
In 1899 Doubleday decided that
the game would be- "a bit snortier Tx
some running was injected into
the procedure. So he took n flat
stone. placed II about SO feet from
home plate and called II a base"
Thus. base ball"
The boys made up a team-a
pitcher and a catcher. The teams
took turns at bat. A player was
out. and thus. the side was out,
when either Of the opposition pitch
erS touched a runner or hit him
the ball while he was between
home and first. or vice versa.
When other boys. beyond Double
days original quartette wanted 20
play. Doubleday added another base
the third base OF today. The
playing field thus was practically
in shape. Two players
were added 10 a team. the new
men guarding the bases. Whek
still other youngsters sought 70 geN
into the combat. Doubleday added
the final base Second base Of to-
day. and added two more players
second baseman and n rover.
who covered short stop and chased
outfieid drives. Eventually Double
day added some outfielders.
"A team for some years was noe
standardized as 20 the number of
players. IL scaled anywhere from
eight TO rs. But the boys. finding 10
difficult 10 hit safely with an army
Of players ready to trap their drives.
settled on nine men al a
team, allowing for a
catcher, three baSemen,
three outfielders and one rover.
who. in the beginning. was allowed
10 play anywhere, but finally was
anchored between and and Bird and
became the shortstop Of today.
Doubleday introduced the bases
but he was not the creator OF the
diamond. That honor belongs to
y. Cartwright. one on
Doubleday's teammates. who wa
studying craftsmanship. Cartwright
never was satisfied with the hap
hazard placing OF the bases. some
being so. some rs and others 100
feet from the next station.
So he drew up a sketch OF a play
ing field and made all bases 30
feet from each other - the exact
distance today.
But baseball was still a Far cry
from the game II s today AS S
shown by the introduction OK the
following rules.
The first team 20 score 2l runs
Eas the winner III the early games.
and the nine inning game wa no.
until 1857.
Fly balls caught on the first
bounce went for "outs." This rule
in the game as late as 1864.
The catchir< glove was not intro
duced until 1875. In 1879 a batteE
had TO draw nine balls before be-A
.nE allowed a walk. This was grad
reduced until the present four
balls for a walk was introduced In
1889. The game developed fast A.
Ter that time and soon was tine