1856.39: Difference between revisions

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(Created page with "{{Chronology Entry |Year=1856 |Year Number=39 |Headline=Town Ball Played in Chicago in 1856? |Salience=3 |Tags=Pre-modern Rules, |Country=United States |Coordinates=41.8781136, -87.6297982 |State=IL |City=Chicago |Game=Town Ball |Immediacy of Report=Retrospective |Age of Players=Adult |Text=<p>"There seems to be some doubt as to when the first baseball club was organized in Chicago, but it has been stated that a club called the Unions played town ball there in 1856. . ....")
 
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|Age of Players=Adult
|Age of Players=Adult
|Text=<p>"There seems to be some doubt as to when the first baseball club was organized in Chicago, but it has been stated that a club called the Unions played town ball there in 1856. . . . we have a record of town ball being played at Alton IL on Saturday, June 19, 1858."&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
|Text=<p>"There seems to be some doubt as to when the first baseball club was organized in Chicago, but it has been stated that a club called the Unions played town ball there in 1856. . . . we have a record of town ball being played at Alton IL on Saturday, June 19, 1858."&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
|Sources=Alfred H. Spink,&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration: underline;" >The National Game</span> (2nd Edition, Southern Illinois University Press: First edition, 1910), page 63.&nbsp;
|Sources=<p>Alfred H. Spink,&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration: underline;">The National Game</span> (2nd Edition, Southern Illinois University Press: First edition, 1910), page 63.&nbsp;</p>
|Comment=Spink did not indicatehis sources for this item.
|Comment=<p>Spink did not indicate his sources for these items.&nbsp;</p>
 
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Note:&nbsp;</span>As of 2023, Protoball has 9 entries for&nbsp; Illinois town ball prior to 1856.&nbsp; See chron entries 1820s.5, 1820s.23, 1830s.16, 1830s.23, 1834.9, 1840s.41 1846.9, 1850s.30, and 1852.8. The following 1866 comparison of base ball and town ball from an Illinois source throws some light on town ball rules for that era:&nbsp;</p>
 
<p>Base Ball resembles our old-fashioned favorite game of&nbsp;<span class="sought_text">Town Ball</span>&nbsp;sufficiently to naturalize it very quickly. It is governed by somewhat elaborate rules, but the practice is quite simple. Nine persons on a side, including the Captains, play it. Four bases are placed ninety feet apart, in the figure of a diamond. The Batsman, Ball Pitcher, and one Catcher, take the same position as in&nbsp;<span class="sought_text">Town Ball</span>. Of the outside, besides the Pitcher and Catcher, one is posted at each base, one near the Pitcher, called the &ldquo;Short Stop,&rdquo;&mdash;whose duty is the same as the others in the field&mdash;to stop the ball. The Innings take the bat in rotation, as in&nbsp;<span class="sought_text">Town Ball</span>,&mdash;and are called by the Scorer. The ball is pitched, not thrown to them&mdash;a distance of fifty feet. The Batsman is permitted to strike at three &ldquo;fair&rdquo; balls, without danger of being put out by a catch, but hit or miss, must run at the third &ldquo;fair&rdquo; ball. He may &ldquo;tip&rdquo; or hit a foul ball as often as the Umpire may call foul, so he be not caught out flying, or on the first bound. When he runs, he must make the base before the ball reaches the point to which he runs, or he is out. And three men out, puts out the entire side. Those who are put out may continue to strike and run bases until the third man is out.</p>
 
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;" >Note:&nbsp;</span> As of 2023, Protoball has 9 entries for&nbsp; Illinois town ball prior to 1856.&nbsp; See chron entries 1820s.5, 1820s.23, 1830s.16, 1830s.23, 1834.9, 1840s.41
<p>The Bases form a diamond, the angles of which are occupied by the Batsman and Catcher, and one of the outside at each angle. All putting out on the corners is by getting the ball there before the runner for the inside reaches the base, by catching the ball flying when a fair ball is struck, or by catching a foul ball after it is struck, either when flying or at first bound. A distinctive peculiarity of the game consists in the fact that when a ball is struck by the Batsman it must fly either on an exact angle, or inside of the angles formed by the base occupied by the Batsman, and the bases right and left of him. All balls deflecting from these angles are &ldquo;foul.&rdquo;</p>
 
<p>&nbsp;</p>
1846.9, 1850s.30, and 1852.8.
<p>The above is merely a general view of the game. It is very easy to learn, and is capital sport, barring the cannon ball which the players are expected to catch in rather soft hands. Ladies will enjoy the game, and of course are expected as admiring spectators.</p>
 
<p><br />'''Source'''<br /><span class="source" title="Source">Daily <span class="sought_text">Illinois</span> State Journal, May 1866:see https://protoball.org/Clipping:A_comparison_of_base_ball_and_town_ball, from the Hershberger Clippings data base.&nbsp;</span></p>
 
|Query=<p>Could some Illinoian help us better understand the early importance of town&nbsp; ball in that fine state?&nbsp;</p>
 
The following 1866 comparison of base ball and town ball from an Illinois source throws some light on town ball rules for that era:&nbsp;<p>Base Ball resembles our old-fashioned favorite game of&nbsp;<span class="sought_text">Town Ball</span>&nbsp;sufficiently to naturalize it very quickly. It is governed by somewhat elaborate rules, but the practice is quite simple. Nine persons on a side, including the Captains, play it. Four bases are placed ninety feet apart, in the figure of a diamond. The Batsman, Ball Pitcher, and one Catcher, take the same position as in&nbsp;<span class="sought_text">Town Ball</span>. Of the outside, besides the Pitcher and Catcher, one is posted at each base, one near the Pitcher, called the “Short Stop,”—whose duty is the same as the others in the field—to stop the ball. The Innings take the bat in rotation, as in&nbsp;<span class="sought_text">Town Ball</span>,—and are called by the Scorer. The ball is pitched, not thrown to them—a distance of fifty feet. The Batsman is permitted to strike at three “fair” balls, without danger of being put out by a catch, but hit or miss, must run at the third “fair” ball. He may “tip” or hit a foul ball as often as the Umpire may call foul, so he be not caught out flying, or on the first bound. When he runs, he must make the base before the ball reaches the point to which he runs, or he is out. And three men out, puts out the entire side. Those who are put out may continue to strike and run bases until the third man is out.</p><p><br></p><p>The Bases form a diamond, the angles of which are occupied by the Batsman and Catcher, and one of the outside at each angle. All putting out on the corners is by getting the ball there before the runner for the inside reaches the base, by catching the ball flying when a fair ball is struck, or by catching a foul ball after it is struck, either when flying or at first bound. A distinctive peculiarity of the game consists in the fact that when a ball is struck by the Batsman it must fly either on an exact angle, or inside of the angles formed by the base occupied by the Batsman, and the bases right and left of him. All balls deflecting from these angles are “foul.”</p><p><br></p><p>The above is merely a general view of the game. It is very easy to learn, and is capital sport, barring the cannon ball which the players are expected to catch in rather soft hands. Ladies will enjoy the game, and of course are expected as admiring spectators.</p>
 
<br>'''Source'''<br><span class="source" title="Source">Daily <span class="sought_text">Illinois</span> State Journal, May 1866:see https://protoball.org/Clipping:A_comparison_of_base_ball_and_town_ball, from the Hershberger Clippings data base.&nbsp;</span><br>
|Query=Could some Illinoian help us better understand the early importance of town&nbsp; ball in that fine state?&nbsp;
|Submitted by=John Freyer
|Submitted by=John Freyer
|Submission Note=Mail of May 2023
|Submission Note=Email, May 2023
|Reviewed=Yes
|Reviewed=Yes
|Has Supplemental Text=No
|Has Supplemental Text=No
}}
}}

Revision as of 10:19, 20 May 2023

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Town Ball Played in Chicago in 1856?

Salience Peripheral
Tags Pre-modern Rules
City/State/Country: Chicago, IL, United States
Game Town Ball
Immediacy of Report Retrospective
Age of Players Adult
Text

"There seems to be some doubt as to when the first baseball club was organized in Chicago, but it has been stated that a club called the Unions played town ball there in 1856. . . . we have a record of town ball being played at Alton IL on Saturday, June 19, 1858."  

Sources

Alfred H. Spink, The National Game (2nd Edition, Southern Illinois University Press: First edition, 1910), page 63. 

Comment

Spink did not indicate his sources for these items. 

Note: As of 2023, Protoball has 9 entries for  Illinois town ball prior to 1856.  See chron entries 1820s.5, 1820s.23, 1830s.16, 1830s.23, 1834.9, 1840s.41 1846.9, 1850s.30, and 1852.8. The following 1866 comparison of base ball and town ball from an Illinois source throws some light on town ball rules for that era: 

Base Ball resembles our old-fashioned favorite game of Town Ball sufficiently to naturalize it very quickly. It is governed by somewhat elaborate rules, but the practice is quite simple. Nine persons on a side, including the Captains, play it. Four bases are placed ninety feet apart, in the figure of a diamond. The Batsman, Ball Pitcher, and one Catcher, take the same position as in Town Ball. Of the outside, besides the Pitcher and Catcher, one is posted at each base, one near the Pitcher, called the “Short Stop,”—whose duty is the same as the others in the field—to stop the ball. The Innings take the bat in rotation, as in Town Ball,—and are called by the Scorer. The ball is pitched, not thrown to them—a distance of fifty feet. The Batsman is permitted to strike at three “fair” balls, without danger of being put out by a catch, but hit or miss, must run at the third “fair” ball. He may “tip” or hit a foul ball as often as the Umpire may call foul, so he be not caught out flying, or on the first bound. When he runs, he must make the base before the ball reaches the point to which he runs, or he is out. And three men out, puts out the entire side. Those who are put out may continue to strike and run bases until the third man is out.

 

The Bases form a diamond, the angles of which are occupied by the Batsman and Catcher, and one of the outside at each angle. All putting out on the corners is by getting the ball there before the runner for the inside reaches the base, by catching the ball flying when a fair ball is struck, or by catching a foul ball after it is struck, either when flying or at first bound. A distinctive peculiarity of the game consists in the fact that when a ball is struck by the Batsman it must fly either on an exact angle, or inside of the angles formed by the base occupied by the Batsman, and the bases right and left of him. All balls deflecting from these angles are “foul.”

 

The above is merely a general view of the game. It is very easy to learn, and is capital sport, barring the cannon ball which the players are expected to catch in rather soft hands. Ladies will enjoy the game, and of course are expected as admiring spectators.


Source
Daily Illinois State Journal, May 1866:see https://protoball.org/Clipping:A_comparison_of_base_ball_and_town_ball, from the Hershberger Clippings data base. 

Edit with form to add a comment
Query

Could some Illinoian help us better understand the early importance of town  ball in that fine state? 

Edit with form to add a query
Submitted by John Freyer
Submission Note Email, May 2023


Comments

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