Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-02-03 | Page 33 | Baseball Rules of Half Century Ago

! BASEBALL RULES OF 1 I HALF CENTURY ISO I What Would Happen if the First Code Were in Ef- ;-:;y-eight year? aao a numer oi men . -v . i--'?sel In professional baseball held a I 5 in New York to consider rules to ?overiiie game. The diamond pastime i us a business proposition was then in its infancy. 1 " In IS til ti-.e Cincinnati Red Stocking's v ere the only all-professional club in the ;:e;d. although the Philadelphia Athletics and a few oilier clubs had some paid men. In 1S70 there were a score or more clubs which paid players regular salaries, or permiued them to share in irate receipts. Among the rules adopted at the New York meeting for governing the professional profes-sional game was one which gave the batter bat-ter ihe privilege o: calling lor a high or a low ball. This was nothing new, for from the dim beginning of the game the baismt-n had enjoyed tha t advantage. The amateur piayn- of the 'fu's could (hrect the itchr to deliver the pellet knee, waist or shoulder high, as suited t his fancy, and tho twiner was bound to ; -;.' iu's best to follow instructions. It 3'revaiied in both, amateur and professional profes-sional circles as late as and was not finally abolished until 1SS7. Since ihrrn it has been tiie business of the l-'It-iir to baffle the batter. For purposes c' . comparison the old re orus of baseball are weil-nitm useless, 'or ihe changes in the code of baseball .i'.ir-r.ted at a nif-ouni; in Cleveland in 1 were vo "ohuir.nary in their nature. : Ti,e battin hnro of the early days would ! ilrnos t certainly be m a d e to i oo k like a i mnr-kfev by a bush league twirler of the I indent ra. j Tt woukl be a higldy interesting experi- i me tit. and one that would doubtless he welcomed by fans, if two clubs of major league tars should play a game under the old rules in the "Tn's. The pitching would have to be underhand, and curves j would be taboo. The batter could use i any tyie. size tr weight of bat be miuhl choose, it could be ipn feet lomr and 1 wui.rh p".i pounds if desired. No strikes I wf;ii be called unless the batter swung and missed. 1,1 S'cne .'f the old cames a twirler put f yjT'r than forty ir fifty balls before a sL?Iwa.s called on the batsman.