The reliable book of outdoor games. Containing official rules for playing base ball, foot ball, cricket, lacrosse, tennis, croquet, etc

Preface

In presenting The Reliable Book of Otjt- Doob Games to the American public, it is only necessary to state that it is a work designed for the special use of American boys, and as such presents the chapters on instruction in our national game of baseball as its chief attraction. It would be beyond the reach of a handbook of this kind to cover all of the field games of ball in vogue ; and, therefore, only the most prominent games have been selected for this book.

The editor of this book is so well known as the leading authority on our national game, as also a writer practically familiar with the prominent sports of the period, that it is needless to state that the instructions given will be those of an established authority as well as of a popular writer.

One of the characteristics of nearly all of the handbooks of sports hitherto published, is, that they are most of them reprints of the works of English writers on the subject, and as such are not sufficiently comprehensive for the use of our American youths of the period. Our boys, though they do not want scientific treatises for their handbooks, want in them a full explanation of all the leading points of play of the game written about, and this th^y want done in a manner which is not ODly within the comprehension of the youngest school boy, but which also is suited to the cultivated intelligence of a well-educated college youth. It is this style of handbook the editor has aimed to write, and especially so as regards the lengthy chapter on baseball.

Introduction

In this existing era of brutality in sports, it is a pleasure to point to the fact that the most prominent of our field games of ball are rightfully excluded from the list of sports of the period which are subject to brutal features in the playing of them. Our American national game of Baseball stands pre-eminent in this respect, as does the English national game of Cricket. Moreover, both these great games of ball require attributes of physical courage, endurance and pluck, together with the moral requirements of control of temper, cool judgment and presence of mind to excel in them td a marked degree. In fact, they are manly sports in every respect, and yet are admirably adapted for the healthful enjoyment of school boys and young collegians. The field games of ball, too, of lacrosse and football, are games which might be made worthy of being included in the list of field sports deprived of brutal characteristics, were some of the customs of both games eliminated from them by stringent rules. Unluckily, however, both lacrosse and football, as too frequently played, still retain features in the existing method of playing them which afford too many opportunities for brutality not to make them objectionable for boys ; the football of the period, under American college rules, being little else than a contest in wrestling and unfair pugilistic slugging, which materially deprives it of the manly methods which should characterize the game under model rules. As to lawn tennis, that is a field game of ball which is a school of courtesy in itself, while it requires a degree of physical activity and endurance to excel in it which makes it a manly sport for experts. Croquet, too, is a game of the same class, with the exception that it does not require the endurance of fatigue, or the great activity essential in tennis. As to handball, that is the game of games for training one to excel in all the other held games of ball, and especially in baseball and cricket.

Of course the sport of sports for American boys is our national game, which is now the established favorite game of ball of the American people, and occupies a position in public estimation which no other field sport in vogue approaches. The game has attained its present position of popularity, not only from its adaptability to our peculiar national characteristics, as regards its possession of special points of attraction ; but also from its value as a field sport which presents sufficient excitement in itself to draw thousands of spectators without the intrinsic aid of betting as its chief point of interest, the latter attraction being something which pertains to nearly every other popular sport. Then, too, it should be borne in mind that baseball first taught us Americans the value of physical exercise as an important aid to perfect work in cultivating the mind up to its highest point. It is to the introduction of baseball as a national pastime, in fact, that the growth of athletic sports in general in popularity is largely due ; and the game pointed out to the mercantile community of our large cities that " all work and no play " 'is the most costly policy they can pursue, both in regard to the advantages to their own health and in tho improvement in the work of their employes, the combination of work and play yielding results in better work and more satisfactory service than was possible under the old rule. Thus the game has acted like a lever in lifting into public favor all athletic sports.

It is this game which has been made the feature of this work, and it of course occupies more space than that of all the other games of ball contained in the book.

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BASEBALL.

HOW TO LEARN THE GAME.

In learning to play baseball there are two questions to be considered ; first, as to your desire to play the game for recreative exercise only ; and, secondly, in regard to your having aspirations to excel as a professional expert. To learn to play baseball solely for the enjoyable exercise the game affords, requires but'little study or effort ; as an hour or two's reading of a standard Work on the game will instruct you in regard to its theory ; while an afternoon's play, with an amateur team will suffice to give you all the practical knowledge necessary. But to learn the game with a view of eventually becoming a trained professional exemplar of baseball is altogether a different matter ; as it not only requires the attentive study of every rule of play, and of those special* applications of the rules known as " points " in the game, together with perfect familiarity with each and every rule ; but it also involves a regular course of physical training to fit you for a home position in a professional team, the latter being a task which involves steady and persevering application, fatiguing exertion, plenty of nerve and pluck, thorough control of temper, great powers of endurance, and, withal, the physical aptitude to excel in one or the other— if not in all — of those special departments of the game known &s pitching, baiting, base-running and fielding.

One of the attractive features of the game of baseball is the simplicity of its theory ; and yet, to play the game up to its highest point of excellence requires as great a degree of mental ability, and the possession of as many manly physical attributes as any known game of ball. Ordinarily a party of- juveniles, ranging from eight to twelve years of age, can easily play a game of baseball, and get a great deal of enjoyment out of it; but to piay the game up to its highest point of excellence requires men of pluck, nerve and presence of mind, courageous fellows, having their wits about them ; for when it is played up to its highest mark there is nothing boyish about it whatever.

THE THEORY OF THE GAME.

The theory of the game of baseball is simply as follows : A level space of ground of three or more acres in extent having been secured, the parties to the contest proceed to measure off a " diamond " field, having equal sides of thirty yards, and on three of the corners of this "diamond" are placed the base bags, the home base being distinct from the other bases, the latter base being placed at the head of the field. The pitcher's position is near the center of the diamond field, and the batsman's position on each side of the home base. So much for the lines of the diamond field itself. The contesting sides comprise eighteen players in all, there being nine positions in the field, viz., the pitcher and catcher, technically known as the " battery " players; the four infielders, which comprise the* three base players and the shoH-stop ; and the three outfielders, which include the left, center and right field players. The diagram on the opposite page shows the lines of the " diamond " field of a baseball ground and the positions of the players.

HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED.

The diamond field having been laid out, the sides chosen for the game, the choice of innings tossed for, and the umpire selected, and all being in readiness to begin to play, the umpire calls " play ball," and the captain of the side winning the choice of innings proceeds to send his men into the field, and the opposing batsmen go to the bat in the order written down in the score book. Just here the rules governing the action of the attacking force— the nine players in the field — at once come into play, the pitcher being the first player to start the game, which he does by delivering the ball to the bat while standing legally within the lines of his position. He is required by the rules governing the delivery of the ball to the bat to send in every ball " over the home base," and within the range of the batsman's kneo and his shoulder. Every time the pitcher fails to deliver the ball over the base he incurs the penalty of a " calledball," and four such called balls sends the batsman to first base ; the batsman then becoming a base runner by this act. If, on the other hand, the batsman fails to strike at every ball sent in over the home base, and not higher than the line of the batsman's shoulders nor lower than the line of his knees, the batsman incurs the penalty of having " strikes "

1^ BASEMAN.

O UMPIRE • CATCHER

^-"BASEMAN

2"J>BASEMAN.

MONT FIELDER.

CENTER f /ELDER, called on bim by tbe umpire ; and after three such strikes have been called he is obliged to run to first base, and he can then be put out by the catcher catching the ball on which the third strike was called on the fly ; or by the ball being held at first base before the runner reaches it, before some part of his person touches that base. Should the batsman hit the ball so that it strikes the ground in front of or on the foul lines, it is a fair hit ball, and he immediately becomes a base runner, as in the case of the calling of balls ; but, in such case, he can be put out either by a catch of the hit ball before it touches the ground, viz., on the fly— or by his failing to touch first base before the ball is held by the fielder at first base. In case, however, the batsman hits the ball so that it goes to foul ground, while he is also liable to be put out on the fly catch of such ball he cannot offset the foul hit by the advantage of trying to earn a base on such hit, as he can on a fair hit ball, as no bases can be run or runs scored on a hit foul ball. When the base runner has secured his right to hold first base, either by a base hit or an error on the part of a fielder, his next effort is to secure the other three bases and thereby score a run. This he _ does either by being forwarded by the good hitting of those who follow him at the bat ; by stealing bases — viz., running to the next base before he can be thrown out there— or by a series of one or more costly errors by the fielders. It will be seen, therefore, that the bataman can be put out by a fair catch of the ball he hits ; or by a catch of a foul ball, or by striking out. In addition, too, he can.be put out simply by stepping outside of the boundary lines of his position while in the act of striking at a pitched ball, or by batting at a wild pitched ball or any ball, in fact, in such a way as intentionally to prevent the catcher from catching or fielding the ball; tho former out being termed afoul strike, and the latter an out from inteiferingioiih the catcher. Thru, too,tho batsman can be decided out ifhe takes Ium position at the bat out of the regular « batting, provided ho hits a fair ball before the error is discovered. Thus it will be seen that

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the batsman can be put out in six different ways ; viz., first by a, fly catch of a fair ball : secondly, by a similar catch of a foul ball ; thirdly, by a foul strike ; fourthly, by hindering the catcher ; fifthly, by batting out of the regular order, and sixthly, by failing to hit the ball after three strikes. After the batsman has become a base runner, he is liable to be put out by the ball being held by a fielder at first base before reaching it ; by his being touched by the ball in the hands of a fielder while off a base ; by failing to keep within the base path in running from home -base to first base ; by failing to avoid interfering with a fielder to catch a fly ball ; by purposely preventing a fielder from fielding a thrown ball ; by running three feet outside of the base lines between each base while trying to avoid being touched with a ball in the hands of a fielder ; by being hit by a fairly batted ball in running from base to base ; by failing to return to a base he had left before the fairly hit or foul hit ball is caught on the fly ; by his running on to fair ground after over running first base, and his failing, in such case, to return to the base before he is touched by the ball in the hands of a fielder ; by his being forced out, that is, by the ball being held on the base he is obliged to run to by the act of the batsman in making a fair hit. It will be seen, therefore, that the base runner can be put out in ten different and ■"istinct ways by the field side or attacking I ^J.26 in the game. It would thus appear, at a casual glance, that the batsman's chances of securing a run are very small, considering that he has to encounter sixteen distinct risks of outs as batsman and base runner, while having but three chances afforded him to make a run, viz., by his own safe hit at a fair ball ; his being forwarded as a base runner by the safe hitting of the batsman following him, or by his skill in stealing a base ; all his other chances for scoring arising from the errors of the opposing side, either in the form of bases given on called balls, wild pitched balls, passed balls or pitchedballs hitting the batsman, or by missed third strikes. All such errors of the pitcher and catcher being known as battery errors, and, in addition to these. by dropped fly balls, wildly thrown balls, muff eat or fumbled batted balls, or miss catches of thrown balls, all known as fielding errors. When these offsetting drawbacks are counted in it will be seen that the chances for run-getting by the batting side or defence force are not so very much less than are the chances for putting out the batting side by the attacking force. Still, under the rules existing up to the date of the baseball campaign of 1892, the attacking side decidedly had the best of it.

THE NINE PLAYERS AND THEIR DUTIES.

The nine players of the attacking or field force in the game include the battery^ players, viz., the pitcher and catcher —the four infielders, viz., the first, second and third basemen and the short stop and the three outfielders, which are the left, center and right fielders. The main reliance of the attacking force is, of course, on the effective work of the pitcher and catcher, which two players should work together as a team to insure the utmost success in their positions. The most effective of pitchers would fail if not ably supported behind the bat by his catcher, and the finest of catchers would be comparatively useless unless facing a first class pitcher. But in their combined work together in the playing of strategic points— known as " headwork "— as a team they become a very potent factor in winning games. Then, too, the success of the attacking force depends largely upon the infield team, a quartette of fielders which need to play together as a team as much as the battery players ; the first baseman acting as the receiver of the majority of balls fielded in by the other two base players and the short stop, while the second baseman occupies the key position of the infield, inasmuch as tie not only has to cover his own position, but also that at right short ; while the third baseman's duties involve the longest distance of throwing to first base of the infield, as also the catching of difficult high foul fly balls. The short stop is the rover of the diamond field ; he backing up every position, besides covering his own portion of the field, thus playing frequently as a second baseman and also as a third baseman.

The three outfielders should especially work together as a team, each man being on the move the moment the ball is batted to any part of the outfield, the one nearest the flying ball being left to catch it, while the others move so as to be ready to assist in throwing the ball in, or to be in readiness to field the ball in case the catch be missed. The left and center fielders have the most frequent chance for catches, while the right fielder occupies the position requiring the most " headwork " in play, as, under the modern rule of play, right field hitting is a strong point for the batting force to play, and short fly balls are sent in that direction more frequently than to left or center.

The four infielders not only require to be especially well up in fielding hard hit bounding balls, or " daisy cutters " — sharp hits close along the surface of the field— but they also need to be very accurate throwers forsbort distances, say from thirty to fifty yards ; while the outfielders need to be not only first class judges of high fly balls, but also long distance throwers, from seventy-five to a hundred yards at least.

THE PITCHING DEPARTMENT.

The pitcher of a nine requires to be a player who in doing the work of his position possesses that most important essential of first-class work, thorough command of the ball in delivery. Having complete mastery of the ball, and being in full control of his temper — another very important requisite— the secondary requirements of speed in delivery, and the ability to curve the ball to the required extent, come into play with telling effect ; but without control of the ball and of the player's temper, the other essentials fail to offset the loss of the two great points of excellence in pitching.

Next to the full command of the ball comes the ability to use the horizontal curves of the ball in its progress to the bat to the best advantage, and this can only be done where the pitcher can send each curved ball ovei~ the plate, or so near over that the batsman is deceived in judging the line of the ball. The third element of success in pitching is speed, and this, too, like the handling of the several curves, finds its advantage only when the ball, when swiftly

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pitched, is under full control in directing it ; wild pitching, whether with curves or without them, being very costly in " battery " errors.

One rule every pitcher would find it advantageous to follow is that of sending in the majority of the halls over the " plate "—viz., the home base. This obliges the batsman to act quickly. Especially is this a point to play when a runner is on first base. All " points " of this character constitute strategic skill, or headwork in fielding, and the most skillful strategic work in the box is seen when batsmen are thoroughly deceived in judging the line of the ball's delivery.

DELIVERING THE BALL TO THE BAT.

The appended cuts show how the pitcher has to stand — under the revised code of rules of 1893 — when about to deliver the ball to the bat.

In figure A the pitcher is seen standing in his position in right form, ready to throw to the bat as required by the new rules.

If, while standing with his foot on his position, as in figure A. he takes any step whatever, he must deliver the ball to the bat, otherwise he makes a balk. The step taken is shown in figure B. It will be seen that the pitcher, when about to deliver the ball to the bat— as is shown in figure B— has hiB pivot foot on the space of ground — 12 inches long and 4 inches wide — which constitutes the pitcher's "box" under the new code, and within this space his pivot foot must stand when he takes his forward step in delivery, and of course he can take but one such step. If he desires to throw to any base except the home base to catch a runner off the base, he must first stand outside the "box" space, and when so standing he can take any step he likes. But before he can throw to the batsman he must place his foot on the "box" space, otherwise he makes a balk in throwing to the batsman.

The new rules governing the delivery of the ball to the bat are as follows :

Rule 5. The pitcher's boundary shall be marked by a white rubber plate 12 inches long and 4 inches wide, so fixed to the ground as to be even with the surface, at the distance of 60 feet 6 inches from the outer corner of the home plate, so that a line drawn from the center of the home plate to the center of the second base will give 6 inches on either side.

Rule 27. The pitcher's position. The pitcher shall take bis position facing the batsman with both feet squarely upon the ground, one foot in front of and in contact with the pitcher's plate, defined in Bule 5. He shall not raise either foot unless in the act of delivering the ball, nor make more than one step in such delivery. He shall hold the ball before delivery /airZu in front of his body and in sight of the umpire. When the pitcher feints to throw the ball to a base he must resume the above position and pause momentarily before delivering the ball to the bat.

The rules defining the delivery of fair and unfair balls to the bat are as follows :

Rule 28. A fair ball is a ball delivered by the

Eitcher while standing wholly within the lines of is position, and facing the batsman, the ball so delivered to pass over the home base, not loioer than the batsman's knee, nor higher than his shoulder, provided a ball so delivered that touches the bat of the batsman in his position shall be considered a batted ball, and in play.

Rule 29. An unfair ball is a ball delivered by the pitcher, as in Rule 28, except that the ball does not pass over the home base, or does pass

Fig. B.

over the home base above the batsman's shoulder or belovj the knee.

THE THEORY OF THE CURVE.

The theory of imparting a curve to the ball as it goes horizontally through the air from the pitcher's hand to4he bat is very simple.

The position when in the act of delivering a curved ball is shown in the appended cut, which presents a picture of the California statue entitled " The Ball Thrower," the player who posed for it being Douglas Tilden, of California. It shows him holding the ball ready to give it the rotary motion which develops the horizontal curve in delivery.

The theory of the curve in delivery is based on the fact that there is a retarding effect produced on that side of the ball which passes through the air quicker than that of the other side ; and to produce this retarding effect the ball must be made to rotate on its axis horizontally as it passes through the air, the retarding of the ball causing the curve. It will be seen that the chief difficulty in producing

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the curve lies in the power to give the hall the required twist or rotary motion. This can only be acquired by constant practice and under the direction of an experienced curve pitcher.

One of these latter "artists of the box," Mr. J. Howard Subers, thus instructs novices in the art of curved pitching as follows :

Out-Curve. — This is the most common, and without which the average pitcher cannot hope to be effective.

It comes straight from the hand and then curves away from the batsman. This curve may be obtained by holding the ball firmly in the right hand with the tips of the first two fingers and thumb ; close the other two fingers in the palm of the hand.

Use the underhand throw and bring the hand forward half-way between the waist and shoulslide across (not over the tip) the fingers and out between the first finger and thumb.,

In-Shoot — Is almost as common as the " out-curve." It comes straight for a distance, and then curves in toward the batsman.

It is produced by holding the ball in the right hand with the first three fingers pressed to the seam of the ball, and the thumb resting lightly on top of the ball.

Use a straight arm, throw level with the shoulder, allowing the ball to glide out across the tips of the fingers with the palm of the hand facing the left.

A loft-handed pitcher, by following the above directions for an "out-curve," will produce the " in-sboot," because the ball will revolve in the opposite direction. The same may also be said if a left-handed pitcher follows the above rules, for the "in-shoot" he will produce the "out-curve."

Drop Ball. — It comes straight from the pitcher's hand and drops to the ground a short distance from the batsman. Hold the ball as for an " in-shoot," with the tips of the fingers firmly on the seam.

Use the underhand throw, which carries the hand between the waist and knee, allowing the ball to roll off the tips of the fingers with the der, releasing the ball with tne palm upwards and the thumb drawn back, allowing the ball to palm of the hand upward and the fingers pointing toward the catcher.

THE BATTING DEPARTMENT.

Skillful work in handlingtho batin baseball i* far more rare in the game now than is effective

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pitching or fine fielding, simply because custom, in the methods of practicing the game, gives every advantage for improvement in the fielding department and none at all to that of the batting. The -weakest phase of batting, too, is that which has been most encouraged under the existing scoring rules, up to the close of the season of 1892. In the preliminary practice indulged iu before commencing match games, the fielders have the best practice and the batsmen none at all. While this kind of thing prevails how can batting improve ? All the practice the batting side has in the preliminary half hour before the match game begins, is in batting high balls into the air to give" the fielders chances for catches, this being technically termed " fungo " hitting. It is worse than useless for batting practice, as it trains the eye of the bateman to gauge a ball falling perpendicularly to the bat, and instead of judging the ball coming to the bat on a horizontal line, as in the regular delivery of the ball from the bat in a match game ; the result is that batsmen learn to bat balls in the air instead of batting them to the ground.

TEAM WORK AT THE BAT.

This great essential in successful batting is only accomplished when the batting side go to the bat solely to bat base runners around the diamond, and not when their chief efforts are devoted to making a record of total bases scored by their hits. " Team work " at the bat involves united effort on the part of the defense side in the game to handle their bats so as to forward runners on the bases ; and this is best accomplished when single base hits are made, for then the least fatigue is encountered in running bases. Long showy hits to the outfield affording chances for catches do not count in "team work at the bat." It is only the placed ball from the bat that tells then. To place a ball from the bat is to hit it to any specified or desired part of -the field. It ia the very opposite of the weak fungo hit, and it is the acme of skill at the bat.