Show BASE BILL History of the Formation oC the First Professional Club Although basebll began in 1815 popular pop-ular interest throughout the United States was not awakened until the Red Stockings of Cincinnati in the season of 1369 went the length and width of the Union and scored an nnbrofeen chain of victories The growth of this cub was singularly rapid In 1866 nine men principally lawyers met in a lawyers office and formed an organization organiza-tion which was limited to forty members mem-bers so as to make sure of having sufficient suf-ficient men to mike up sides on the two play days ofthe week The grounds chosen were in the malarial Mill Creek bottoms where no rent was charged Cholera was epidemic that year and each of the enthusiasts carried a bottle of brandy charged with Jamaica ginger and capsicum The death rate at that time was from fifty to eighty a day and whenever a funeral rolled by on the highground toward the cemetery each man took a pull at his HisS At the second meeting of the club a member reported that he had spent 28 for a chest with padlock in which to keep the bats bags and balls and that free storage had been secured for it in a foundry near the bottoms No protest was made but there was much comment made on the extravagance The next year found the club with a membership of 200 with a lease of the Union Cricket grounds at 2500 per annum and here acquaintance was first madelwith HarryHVright Who was inthe pay of the cricketers as instructor and man of all work He had to repair fences roll the grounds do odd jobs for the members and as a means of increasing his slender income kept a little sandwich and sarsaparilla stand in the alleged club house The Harry of those days in laboringmans clothes and the refinedlooking Harry of today were widely differentlooking men As talent developed the base ball club became ambitious and the ensuing winter membership was recruited up to 500 and with the increased funds splendid grounds were secured oy lease a handsomegrand stand and pavilions erected and a 20000 nine was put in the field that in the same year went out and swept the country Thus in three years a little club that objected to an outlay of 23 found itself I with a phenomenally large membership member-ship roll and in the possession grounds and a nine that represented a cash outlay out-lay of 10000 |