ro . 4 Above is shown baseball as it was in the old days—ths second championship game between the Atlantics of Brooklyn and the Athletics of Philadelphia in 1866. The score was 33 to 33— game called at the end of the seventh inning on account of darkness. Notice the underhand pitch. er, the gloveless catcher keeping a respectful distance behind the bat, the wide swing of the batsman, and basemen playing frozen to the bags. (From “The Annals of American Sport” in “The Pageant of America” courtesy Yale University Press.) > ? By ELMO SCOTT WATSON. A BNER DOUBLEDAY was a native of | Jallston Spa, N. Y., who was grad- nated from the United States Mili- tary academy at West Point in 1842, served in the Seminole, Mexican and Civil wars, was breveted a major-general of volunteers, became a colonel of infantry In the United States army in 1567, retired In 1873 and died in 1803. Cooperstown is a quaint old village at the foot of Otsego lake in Otsego county, New York. famed as the home of James Fenimore Cooper who made his bid for immortality with his ‘Leatherstocking Tules.” 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 remalns that throug the association of the names of Abner Double- day and Cooperstown, N. Y. there came about the chain of events which makes it possible for him to reach the high point of his feverish In- terest im the national game along about the first week In October. It's world series time. Need any more be said? Early in the Nineteenth century the youth of America was playing a game with a bat and ball, which resembled and yet differed from the an- cleat English game of “rounders.” This game was generally known as town ball, although the New Englanders called it round ball or Massa- chusetts baseball. Played on a square field, whose sides were 80 feet long. there was no re- striction on the number of players who took part and the rules of the game varied In differ end localities. This crowding of players within a limited space of play and confusion as to rules suggested to one young man that it was time to formulate #8 new set of regniations and speed up the play by making the field diamond-shaped instead of square. He was Abner Doubleday, a student at Green's school In Cooperstown, N. Y. who began working on the idea in 1879. But it was not un- til the next year that he took active steps to im- prove the game. fn 1840 a great crowd gathered in Coopers- town for a picnic and political meeting during the famous Harrison log-cabin, hard cider cam- paign, When the boys assembled that afternoon Dou- bleday gathered them around and explained as well as be could, the points of the new game. He decided that there must be four bases 90 feet apart, and the boys immediately began to refer to the game as “baseball.” The name stuck. ®t provided for eleven men on a side, using four outlielders, five infielders, pitcher and catcher. Doubleday ruled a 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. It must weigh about five ounces and must not be more than nine inches fo 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 sev- eral experiments it was found that a man would have to hustle to run 42 (walking) paces or about 80 feet before a ball of those dimensions could be returned after having been driven to the outfield. Thus it was that 90 feet was fixed as the distance between the bases, Of the development of the new game the vol ume, “Annals of American Sport.” in the Yale University Press series, “Chronicles of Amer fea,” Is the authority for the following: “The changes introduced by Doubleday fnapg- 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 field 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, the first association of baseball play. ers in the country. Under the leadership of Al exander J. Cartwright they drafted a code of rules based upon the Doubleday system of play with a team of nine men as constituted at the present time. As a result of the publication of their rules and regulations, the Knickerbockers soon had eompetition In the New York district” During the decade after 1850 numerous base ball clubs were formed '~ New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Baltimore and other smaller towns Eerneis. w sy “Two STRIKES, THREE BALLS! and the sport which had once been a “gentle- man's game,” as exemplified by the Knicker bockers, soon became the sport of the common man as well. In March, 1858, a National! Asso ciation of Baseball Players was formed and one of its first actions was to appoint a rules com mittee which Introduced the nine-lnning game, But it remained for the Civil war to national ize baseball. In 1805 a convention of the Na- tional Association of Baseball Players was held at which representatives from nearly 100 clubs took part. Most of them were from the East but there were Indications that teams were being formed all over the country. Two years later the national meeting brought together represen. tatives from scores of teams west of the Al leghanles and south of the Mason and Dison line, The East however still lald claim to leader ship in the sport with the Atlantics of Brook- lyn asserting their right to the title of national champions after they had defeated the New York Mutuals In 1865 had strong rivals for the title in the Athletics of Philadelphia (No, not Connie Mack's outfit he doesn't date back quite that far!) and the Unlons of Morrisania. In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional team and two years Inter was organized the National Association of Pro fessional Baseball Players. In 1878 the present National league was organized. composed of teams representing four eastern and four west. ern cities: New York, Philadelphia, Hartford, Boston, Chicago, St Louls, Louisville and Cin- cinnati, In i852 a new organization arose to challenge the National league and to attack its financial policy. This was the American association and fts promoters, claiming that the admission charge of 50 cents made baseball a rich man's game, announced that It would give the public good baseball at a cost of only 25 cents. The National league stood its ground but instead of Ignoring its rival recognized it by later entering into a national agreement with it in order to establish aniformity In players’ contracts, disciplinary methods and the buying and selling of players’ services, That year also saw the real beginning of the world series idea, post-season games for the title of “world champions” Two years before. the Cincinnati club of the National league had been expelled from the National league, whereupon it Joined the American association and won the champlonship of that circuit in 1882. In October of that year Captain Anson of the Chicago Na- tional league champlons arranged games with the Cincinnatis for a national championship. After Cincinnati had won the first game at home by a score of 4 to 0 and had lost the game in Chicago by & score of 2 to 0, it was notified by the president of the American association that further contests would end In expulsion. So the abortive “world series” ended. The growth of the world series idea from that point on is traced by Charles Pike Sawyer, for many years sporting editor of the New York Evening Post as follows: “In the winter of 1882 the magnates of that day decided there was room for two major or ganizations to live in harmony and forwed a trl partite national agreement, taking in the North western Minor league and agreeing to keep “hands off” the players of friendly clubs. The agreement having worked well in 1883 and 1884 and peace being fully established, the magnates decided that the plan tried out in 1882 by Chi cago and Cincinnati looked like a lot of ready money, so It was decided to hold the first official world series In New York between the two win. ning clubs—Providence and the Metropolitans, “On October 23, 24 and 20, 1884, the Provl dence nine, winner of the National league cham- plonship, took the Metropolitans of New Y into eamp at the old Polo Grounds, at One H dred Teuth street and Fifth avenue, In the of three games, by respective scores of 6 to Q 8 to 1 in seven innings and 11 to 2 In six innings, the last two games being called on account of darkness, winners of the National league and the American association continued until 1 mark In receipts being in 1887 when $42.000 was received In 15 games on & barnstorming tour to Chicago, the Detroit Nationals beating the St four, four games being played In New York highest gate being the f6fth game, in New York, in 1880, beating Brooklyn by six games to three, was at the second game, in Brooklyn, Nationals with three games each and one tle, son, the winner of the first half playing the win. one tle. There was no series In 1803 and then came the Temple Cup series, but it was entirely a National league affair. Baltimore, National league champlons in 1804, 1805 and 1808, lost to New York in four straight games In 1804, lost to Cleveland four games to one In 1805 and beat Cleveland four straight in 1808. Boston won the championship in 1897 but lost the Temple Cup to Baltimore by four games to one. These series began with $18000 receipts In four games and then dwindled so rapldiy that the games were abandoned in 1808." In 1900 the National league dropped four of former baseball player and a baseball writer, his chance to form a new league with these four clubs gs a nucleus to which were added four oth. ers, forming the present American league. With in three years the American league was recog: nized as a major circuit and in 1008 the new league established its superiority over the old when the Boston Red Sox defeated the Pitts burgh Pirates five games to three. The present era of world series games began (n 10058 and that time the American league has contin to demonstrate its superiority by winning out of 27 world series. (© by Western Newspaper Union.) ift Mei Humor STUDY AHEAD A New York lawyer tells of a con- versation that occurred in his pres ence between a bank president and his son who was absut to leave for the West to engage In business on his own account, Banker Father—Son, on this, the threshold of your business life, 1 de sire to impress ons thought upon your mind. Honesty, ever and al ways, is the polley that is best. Bon—Yes, father. Banker Father—And, by the way. 1 would advise you to read up a it tle on corporation law. It will amaze you to discover how many things you can do In a business way and still be honest.— Border Cities Star. Observing the Courtesies dull?” “Very.” answered Senator Sorghum. “But the courtesies have to be con- sidered. to walk out of a conference before it started 80 as to avold going to sleep.” Fortunszte who fell asleep in the bathtub the other day, with the water running.” “No! Did the tub overflow “No, It didn’t. Luckily with his mouth open.” WAS HIS FACE RED! The reporter had just submitted his manuscript to the editor. Leay- ing the editorial room, he began to reflect upon what he had written, and decided to go back and change something in It “I bave a few changes to make in that copy I submitted.” he sald. The editor reached into the waste. paper basket and fished out the great work. “All right, but make It snappy : the waste-paper baskets will be emptied in five minute." —Kansas City Star. i — e— Guessed It “They tell me you have been buy- ing stocks?” “Yes,” wus the response of the sad hearted, “I made a purchase on a margin a few weeks ago” “Was It a good buy?” “Yes, That's exactly what It was ~‘a good-by.'! 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers