1864.47

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"Union" Games Started 1864 Season

Salience Noteworthy
Tags Business of Baseball, Post-Knickerbocker Rule Changes
Location Greater New York City
City/State/Country: Brooklyn, NY, United States
Game Base Ball
Immediacy of Report Contemporary
Age of Players Adult
Text

[A] "...These practice games are simply nothing more or less than substitutes for the useless and uninteresting ordinarily played on practice days by our first-class clubs. It has been suggested, time and again...that they devote one day in a week...to practicing their men together as a whole against the field; but as yet, not a solitary club has ever practiced their best players together in this way...It is this neglect on the part of or clubs, to improve the character of the practice games on their club grounds, that has led to the arrangement of these Union Practice Games.”

[B] “THE GRAND PRIZE-MATCH IN BROOKLYN. The prize-game of the series of Union practice-games inaugurated by Mr. Chadwick, which took place on Saturday, May 21st...proved to be a complete success in every respect, and one of the best-played and most interesting games seen for several seasons past...(it) afforded those present proof of the advantage of such a class of games...”

[C] “THE SECOND PRIZE-GAME IN BROOKLYN.—...the Atlantics refused to play according to the rules of these series of games...They also seemed to regard the match as one on which their standing as a playing-club was concerned, rather than...one of a series of games designed to test the merits of the flygame.”

[D] "The Eckford was defeated by the field at the so-called prize game, and the Atlantic won the game with the field. The prize game, so far as it interferes with the rules of the Convention, should be frowned down by all clubs, as it was repudiated by the Atlantic and Enterprise clubs.”

 

Sources

[A] Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 21, 1864

[B] Wilkes' Spirit of the Times, May 28, 1864

[C] New York Sunday Mercury, June 5, 1864

[D] New York Evening Express, June 13, 1864

Comment

See Supplemental Text for further newspaper coverage.

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Submitted by Bob Tholkes
Submission Note 5/13/2014
Has Supplemental Text Yes



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Supplemental Text

Union/Prize games

4/22 Brooklyn Daily Eagle (BDE)—notice of practice game on Star grounds, opinion expressed that such games should be played properly (full rules) or not at all. First game April 23.

4/25 BDE—description of rules for “The Saturday Games on the Star Grounds”, notably 10 per side and the fly game played. Any member of a first nine was eligible to play; sides chosen before the game.

5/1 New York Sunday Mercury (NYSM)—“FIRST-CLASS PRACTICE GAMES.--...The series of matches alluded to are termed ”Union Games”, from the fact...that players of any regular club are eligible to take part in them...The first regular match of the series took place on April 23, in the presence of quite a numerous assemblage of spectators, the proceedings being marked by a display of fielding and batting rarely excelled in our first-class matches...(it) only occupied two hours and a quarter...less than any bound game occupied throughout the whole of last season.” (15 Stars & 5 from other clubs played; Waddell’s side 30, Lennon’s side 16)

5/2 BDE—“THE QUICKEST GAME ON RECORD.—The Union game played on the Star grounds on Saturday (April 30) last proved to be the shortest game of ball known...the playing of the full nine innings occupying but one hour and a half. It was a fly game, and the new (pitching) rules were enforced throughout...” (15 Stars & 5 from other clubs played; Lennon’s side 14, Norton’s side 5 )

5/2 BDE—“A PRIZE MATCH. On Saturday, May 14, a very interesting match will take place on the Star grounds, on which occasion four prizes will be contended for, the same being presented for the purpose by the EAGLE.” (Same rules as the Union games)

5/8 NYSM—“THE PRIZE GAME ON THE STAR GROUND, BROOKLYN.—Should the weather be fine on Saturday, the 14th inst., there will be a large crowd of spectators on the Star grounds to witness the match in which the Eagle prizes are to be contended for...The Stars will play on one side, and the first nines of the State on the other...The prizes are two handsome bats and a gilt and plain ball—the former for the best scores at the bat, and the latter for the best display in fielding.”

5/9 BDE—“A NEW SERIES OF UNION GAMES.—The worthy Superintendent of the Coney Island Railroad Company, Frank Quevedo, Esq., formerly of the Pastime club, has made arrangements to prepare an excellent ground at Coney Island, and...has authorized us to arrange a prize game on the plan of the Union games played on the Star grounds, the same to take place on Thursday, May 26th.”

5/16 BDE—“THE PRIZE GAME ON THE STAR GROUNDS.—At about 3 P.M. on Saturday, just as we were going down to the Star grounds to report this game, a heavy shower of rain began to fall, and seeing there was but little chance of a fine afternoon, it was decided to postpone the match until Saturday next.”

5/21 BDE—“THE UNION PRACTICE GAMES.—Although we have endeavored to make the object of arranging these Union Practice Games as plain as possible, it appears that by some they are regarded with jealous eyes, as only adapted to benefit one or two clubs in particular at the expense of the rest...These practice games are simply nothing more or less than substitutes for the useless and uninteresting ordinarily played on practice days by our first-class clubs. It has been suggested, time and again...that they devote one day in a week...to practicing their men together as a whole against the field; but as yet, not a solitary club has ever practiced their best players together in this way...It is this neglect on the part of or clubs, to improve the character of the practice games on their club grounds, that has led to the arrangement of these Union Practice Games.”

5/23 BDE—“The Prize Base Ball Game at South Brooklyn. OVER 2,000 SPECTATORS PRESENT. A LIVELY AND WELL-PLAYED GAME...The feature of the game...was the noteworthy fact that many of the best players of every leading club in the city met on the ball field in an exciting contest, without marring the proceedings with the slightest conduct unworthy of a gentlemanly player...This was the principal result aimed at...the Field side proving victorious by a score of 21 to 19, in a finely contested game of nine innings and a little less than two hours duration...The award of prizes is as follows: The first prize for batting, a hickory bat, to F. Norton, of the Star; the second prize, an ash bat, to M. Rogers of the Resolutes. The first prize for fielding, a gilt ball, to H. Manolt of the Eckfords; and the second, a plain ball, to P. Flanders of the Stars...Norton made 4 runs, including a clean home run, and was put out once only, and from being forced from his base. Rogers, too, made 4 runs and but one out, and was similarly out...but the home run gives Norton the lead. Manolt also made 4 runs with but one out, but that out was from an easily taken fly ball...In fielding it is rather more difficult to decide the question...outsiders would be inclined to award the prize to the fielder who put out the most players, but this would be unjust...to the fielder who makes the best stops and accurate throws of the ball belongs the most credit...it was originally arranged that the best fly catches made should take the first prize...Manolt made two excellent catches, threw in every ball that came to him well, and fielded throughout without an error...”

5/28  Wilkes’ Spirit of the Times—“THE GRAND PRIZE-MATCH IN BROOKLYN. The prize-game of the series of Union practice-games inaugurated by Mr. Chadwick, which took place on Saturday, May 21st...proved to be a complete success in every respect, and one of the best-played and most interesting games seen for several seasons past...(it) afforded those present proof of the advantage of such a class of games...”

5/28 BDE—“THE CAPITOLINE BALL GROUNDS—ANOTHER PRIZE GAME.—On Monday the 30th instant the second of the series of prize games will be played on the Atlantic grounds at Bedford, the contestants on the occasion being ten of the best players of the Atlantic Club on the one side, and ten of the first nine players of the five leading clubs of Brooklyn on the other, four prizes, as before, being offered...”

5/29 NYSM—“ANOTHER UNION PRIZE-GAME.—The game will no doubt be fully as interesting a one as the last...A game in which two such teams played together would be worth a day’s journey to witness.”

5/31 BDE—“THE SECOND PRIZE GAME.—The second of the series of Union Practice Games...took place on the Atlantic Grounds yesterday afternoon, the result, owing to the action of the Atlantic nine in refusing to play the game as a practice game, being a dull, uninteresting and poorly played match, creditable on the whole to neither party, and certainly not to the Atlantic club, whose discourteous action on the occasion is not calculated to enhance their standing in the community...the ‘regular’ or bound game was insisted upon, and the sides limited to nine...In view of the fact that the match was arranged on the Atlantic grounds for the special advantage of the club...and by written request of their Secretary...the least that could have been done was to notify us...Instead we were brusquely informed...that, ‘we don’t play no ten on a side; we play the regular game’...as their best nine did not play, only one bat and one ball was awarded. Atlantic 45, Field 11, 9 innings.

6/5 NYSM—“THE SECOND PRIZE-GAME IN BROOKLYN.—...the Atlantics refused to play according to the rules of these series of games...They also seemed to regard the match as one on which their standing as a playing-club was concerned, rather than...one of a series of games designed to test the merits of the flygame.”

6/6 BDE—“THE ECKFORD CLUB—THE THIRD PRIZE GAME.—On Tuesday next the third prize game will take place...We are assured that both the contesting sides will be made up of first-class players...In reference to the expense incurred...two or three liberal admirers of the game have authorized us to arrange such games and purchase prizes for them, simply with a view of seeing interested fly games played.”

6/8 BDE—THE THIRD UNION PRIZE GAME, A GOOD MATCH, THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE ECKFORDS FOR A PRACTICE GAME.—(noted how prizes were distributed). Field 26, Eckford 18.

6/12 NYSM—“THE PRIZE-GAME ON THE ECKFORD GROUNDS.-- ...The rules of the game were strictly adhered to, the players being chosen on each side, and the fly-game played.”

6/13 New York Evening Express— “WHO IS THE CHAMPION!—The Eckford was defeated by the field at the so-called prize game, and the Atlantic won the game with the field. The prize game, so far as it interferes with the rules of the Convention, should be frowned down by all clubs, as it was repudiated by the Atlantic and Enterprise clubs.”

6/19 NYSM—“THE ECKFORD CLUB.—Another prize-game was played on the Union Ballgrounds, on Friday afternoon last, the result of which was the success of the Eckford nine, by a score of 68 to 13, in six innings.”