Clipping:Sand on the base paths to slow runners
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| Date | Monday, June 14, 1886 |
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| Text | [from an interview of Comiskey] At Philadelphia when we arrived at the grounds on Decoration Day, we found that Manager Simmons had had the base lines covered with sand. Around first base the sand was fully a foot think and was placed there of course to prevent our running the bases. I called Stovey out and told him that unless the sand was removed we would not play. He said the grounds belonged to the Athletic club and that they had a right to arrange them in any manner they saw fit. I told them that the sand was an obstruction and for that reason I could not play unless it was cleared off the base. Stovey called Umpire Bradley and asked him, what they had better do about it. Bradley said he thought the sand ought to be cleared away. I told Bradley that if he only thought that way I would call my nine off the field. Bradley told Stovey to clear away the sand. He called out John Ryan, the superintendent of the Athletic grounds, and told him to clean the paths. Ryan got a wheelbarrow and a couple of shovels and proceeded to take a wheelbarrow load away. There was fully a cart load of sand around first base, and lathm and myself went out and told Ryan that they would have to get a cart and haul it away. I commenced to shovel the sand of the path. O’Brien, who was catching that day and who appeared particularly anxious that the sand should stay where it was, together with several other of the Athletic players stood around and told Ryan not to allow me to use the shovel. Larkin dropped one of the shovels and came towards me intending to stop me from using my shovel to clear the sand away from first base. Just as soon as he dropped his shovel, Latham took hold of it and jjoined me and then the two of us shoveled away with all our might, while the crowd looked on a shouted and roared with laughter. The rest of our boys came out and helped clear the sand off with their hands. In about ten or fifteen minutes we had the lines about first base cleared off. At second base we did not attempt to clean the sand away as at that point it was two or three feet in depth and we just left it there and slid into it. |
| Source | Sporting News |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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