Evening star., 1944-03-26
BY John Clagett Proctor.

BY John Clagett Proctor.
Now that preparations are we'll under
way for the opening of the professional
base ball season, no doubt many an old
timer will soon be recalling the part he
once played in this great national pas
time, when the game was still relatively
young. For after all nearly every man
and boy once thought himself good
player, and INDUCED in the sport When
ever he could, though he may have
famed every time he came to bat.
Professional baseball in Washington
was not a paying business from its be-
ginning up to at least tho middle of the
COS. But though it is probably true, as
has been said, that Washington was not
a 50-cent city during the early days of
the game, it has long since outgrown
that stigma. Leaving aside the money
end of the sport, however, the ball
players of the early days were always
enthusiastically interested in the game,
and many lad of years ago, now in
the winter of life we'll spent, can sit
back in his armchair, smoke his pipe,
read the sports page and muse over his
baseball days, when he could line 'em
out over the left-f1elders head for
maybe-a three-sacker or home run.
Back in the 1830s
Baseball, we are told, had its begin
ming sometime in the 1830sa 1t was then
called town ball." or round ball." and
was generally played throughout New
York, the New England States and
Philadelphia, later working its ways
westward. But there can be very little
comparison between the game as played
In those days and as it is played now.
Abner Doubleday, a West Point grad
uate, and Civil War general of rare
ability is credited with having drawn
the first diamond-shaped field while he
was at the Military Academy.
Prior to 1859 amateur baseball was
evidently popular in Washington, and
indeed, The Star, as early as November
q, of that year, gives an account of the
organizing of club, in which it says:
"a baseball club has just been formed
In this city and promises to prove an
efficient organization. 1t is called the
Potomac has 81 members, with Nc
Lane Tilton as president, Leonard c.
Gunnell as vice president and Richard
B. Irwin as secretary. 1t is a good sign
to see health-promoting exercises TAX
ing the place of insipid enervating
amusements.'
National Clubs Beginning
The National Club could not have
been far behind the Potomacs, for in
The Star of May T. 1860, we find re-
corded contest between these teams,
and the reporter was good enough to
tell us what part of the city the clubs
hailed from-the National Club from
Capitol Hill and the Potomac Club from
the first ward, which subsequent to 1920
street to Rock Creek.
In the early days of the sport the
team that made 20 runs first won the
game, but this particular game was al
lowed to go to the score of 35 to Is, as
the following account states:
"Baseball-A game of baseball was
played on Saturday last on the Mall
between the Potomac Club of the first
ward and the National Club of Capitol
Hill, in which the latter club was
Worsted, 35 to Is, in seven innings. The
Potomac Club has challenged club in
10 fn ro1o otpL
on the 9Th of June next, and it was
understood that the National Club ac-
cepted the challenge, which gave only
48 hours notice to prepare in, more to
get the flrst-warders in good play for
the coming match with Baltimore than
Hill club has only been organized lately,
and is composed of novices, while the
Potomac Club has in It's ranks several
first-rate performers who understand
the game perfectly and have had much
practice"
An Early Ball Game
The writer, anxious, of course, to find
how the game made out, and knowing
The Stars Sunday audience would be
equally interested, turned over the
p1ges until he came to June 7, 1860, and
there he found the result, 40 to "a, the
Nationals being on the short end and
the Excelsiors of Baltimore the victors.
Here Is The Stars report of the game:
The friendly match between the
Potomac Baseball Club of this city and
the Excelsior Club of Baltimore came
OF on the grounds south of the Presi-
dents Mansion yesterday afternoon.
Quite a number of visitors were present
and witnessed the sport and were
highly pleased with the game through
out, the opposing clubs bearing their de-
feats with the most perfect equanimity.
"The Excelsiors came out winners at
the close of the game. At night they
partook of a rich entertainment pre-
pared for them by Gunther at the order
of the Potomac club. We understand
the Baltimore club made 40 runs to "a
by the Washington club" CThe city
directory gives Gunther as the bar
keeper at the Ebbftt, so one might
imagine the nature OF the refresh
mentsD
A :