Show p t 1 R 1 rt i Z 1 T T I 0 Base Ball in the ti I guess you fellows would be mighty am amused sed to see the game as we played it along in the A Ar r Cleveland fan one of the old boys i was was expounding to an admiring bunch I of youngsters the game as it was first played The first set of rules as printed in 1859 under the title The Baseball Players' Players Pocket Companion contain contain- containIng ing rules and regulations for forming y I clubs directions for playing the theMas Massachusetts Mas Massachusetts Massachusetts game i The essentials of playing the game then were a ball bat and four wooden f stakes for fox bases The ball was composed composed com com- t pos posed d of woolen yard and strips of or India rubber wound tightly and the whole covered with calf skin or buck buck- skin j The game gace was commenced by staking staking stal ing oft off a square of sixty feet for the bases and measuring thirty feet from the throwers' throwers the strikers' strikers stand The four corners of the square A t- t B D C D were the bases The square squareS f. f S f four ur feet wide was the strikers striker's stand tand In the center of the square T L. L s. s the thrower was st stationed If the ther r player struck the ball he had to run the bases just the same as to D Dk D D' k was home and arriving there safely the man was given one tally One Onehundred Onehundred hundred tallies were game The Olympic c club of Boston established established r In 1854 was the first regular organized club The first match game was between the Olympics and the Elm Tree club in 1855 After that many clubs were organized and played 1 In Boston common In 1858 the Olympic club adopted a set of rules which all C the Massachusetts clubs later latet took up j Some of the rules were as f follows The ball must not weigh less than thaI 1 two nor more than two and thre three three- fourths ounces avoirdupois It must rt r measure not less than six and one- one half nor more than eight and one half Inches In circumference Four bases or bounds shall constitute constitute con con- iJ a round the distance from from kY each base shall be sixty f feet et I v The bases shall be wooden stakes projecting four feet from the grou ground d. d r The ball must be thrown not I t pitched or tossed I IJ J Players must take their knocks i c go to bat In rotation In playing match games tallies r i shall shall c constitute the game the making rf of which by either club that club L k shall be judged the winner l 2 Not less than ten nor more than fourteen players from each club shall r constitute a match in all games t The referee shall be chosen as follows follows follows fol fol- lows One from each club who shall shaU agree upon a third man from some club in the association Their Their- deciSion decision dedsion deci ded- sion shall shall be final In 1859 the National National National Na Na- Association of Baseball Players v met in New York and adopted new rules Like all new ideas this Innovation innovation inno inno- 1 upon the old style of ot playing 7 baseball met with decided opposition but club after club adopted them them The Ther r game had begun to be talked d about as the national game and everyone took a profound interest in It The bases were decreed to be can can- canvas canvas vas bags filled with sand and painted white The thrower was renamed pitcher and nd an iron plate placed at athis athis his stand which should be fifteen yards from from the home base The ball baU must be pitched not jerked or thrown f to the bat nine players constituted a i full full- field the referee became an j J umpire nine innings constituted ted a game three men out put the side out but if two hands are already out no player running home at the time a ball ballIs Is struck can make an ace if the striker er is put out The later set of rules are arc quite i tt 1 j. j Ii j. J r. r r I Th r t. t 00 J fr j i similar to those used to today The Tha present weight of the ball Is less five I and one fourth ounces the field arranged arranged ar ranged differently and the distance between the bases ninety feet In place of sixty feet The custom for the time old-time ball baU ballplayer ballplayer player was t to wear burnsides and long pants Nicol Has Done Good Work Hugh Nicol who piloted the Rockford Rock Rock- ford team In the Illinois Indiana and Iowa league to pennant honors In 1902 is- is isan an old baseball player player- whose name was familiar In diamond doings in the SOs He began his professional professional professional career In Rockford In the old Northwestern league In 1879 He was placed in right field where he did so sowell sowell sowell well that Topeka signed him for the following year and In 1881 and 1882 1882 he held the same position in the tho Chicago Chi cago National league team The next four years found him with the St. St Louis Browns and for a like peri period d following he was was with Cincinnati In 1891 and 1892 he managed the Rockford team in the Iowa Illinois league In 1894 he managed the St. St Joe team in the Western league He returned to Rockford in 1895 and 1896 During the following season season he managed managed managed man man- aged the St. St Louis Browns in the National National National Na Na- League for a part of the sea sea- son During the past three years he has been manager of the Rockford team In his National league days Nicol was regarded as one of the fastest of base runners in a single season having having having hav hav- ing stolen bases to his credit As Asa a manager Nicol has the reputation of ot HUGH V L picking out a growing player and developing developing de de- all there there- is in him A score of his graduates are playing in the major leagues league Veterans of the Diamond The two oldest men in fast compan company company com com- pan pany pany are Jimmy Ryan of Washington and Jimmy McGuire of Detroit Ryan w went nt to Chicago in the fall of 1883 as asa asa asa a left-hand left pitcher pitcher- and McGuire caught Tony in Toledo in Zimmer made his appearance in 1886 and so did Jack OConnor Van came came East In 1887 1881 to pitch for Chicago Jim played first ease case for the In Inthe inthe inthe the and is really the vet veteran ran of all vete veterans ans wl while Doggie Miller caught in Harrisburg as a's early as 1882 going to Pittsburg in Diamond Scintillations Out in Kansas City they say that Charley Nichols is pitching as good ball ris as as he ever did Al Maul the once famous Baltimore pitcher will seek fame on the gridiron gridiron gridiron grid grid- iron this year as coach for the Lehigh Lehigh Le- Le high Pa university team Sandow Mertes and Roger Bresnahan Bresnahan Bres Bres- nahan of the New York Giants start off well in batting Each of f them at present has an average an-average average in the neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood neigh neigh- of One secret of the he success of the New York Nationals to ir their fine baser base- base r running nning They had no less than 39 stolen bases bases' to their heir credit for the first two weeks weeks of the season George Davis is still anxious to geton get geton geton on with New York Ban Johnson president of the Ameri American an League and Harry Pulliam head of the National National Na Na- League both declare chat Davis will play with the Chicago Americans or rr not at all I Ii i |