Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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Army was he ever to get the rec- ognition of having originated the game with the ball and bat. That did not come until December 1907, when the commission appointed by Albert G. Spaulding made its re- port. America needed a lively sport, full of action and yet without un- necessary roughness to appeal to the spirited people of those days. Doubleday’s innovation filled the bill in every respect. It started to prosper, slowly at first, but gath- ering strength, it superseded and even survived other games of the Civil War. In fact games were often played by the soldiers be- hind the lines. At the end of the War the soldiers carried this new sport to all parts of the ever ex- panding country. When Doubleday died in 1893, he had already seen the sport spread to all sections of the United States. He was satisfied that he had devised a sport that would not only survive but would always be the most popular game in the na- tion. Naturally many of Doubleday’s suggestions were outmoded with the passing years. There have been many changes and additions to the rules, but in essence baseball is still the same game which Doub- leday originated. Gloves were not used until 1875, but perhaps the chief difference is in the position of the umpires then and now. Today the umpires have utter security of life and limb and actual authority over the game and the players. The early umpires were always in fear of their lives, a condition which does not speak very well for the sportsmanship of the players and the fans. “Gentlemen, I was unable to see the catch. In your judgment, was it fair or foul?” Picture a modern umpire appeal- ing to the bleacherites to answer tliat question. Roars of “Kill the ump!” or “Throw the bum out!” would make his future career a nightmare. Present day fans want staccato, split-second decisions from the umpires, not the meticu- lous, cautious umpiring of the 1870’s, when spectators often de- cided doubtful catches. This con- trast is typical of the tremendous development of the game during the past sixty years. Another interesting difference is the yearly salary of the ball play- ers. In the early days a very good ball player earned about $500 for a season, while during 1930 and 1931 Babe Ruth drew a salary of $80,000 a season. Baseball has spread from Amer- ica to many parts of the world. Representative American teams have traveled to foreign lands and have spread the gospel of sports- manship and fair play which the 23

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more modern, comfortable, and in- tellectual living had been made. Today we hail the greatest fairs of any age ; the greatest fairs which have ever taken place in America certainly. The most ex- citing and original circumstance about these two fairs is that they are held upon land that man had formerly regarded as waste land. Flushing Meadows, the site upon which New York holds her fair, was the dwelling place of rats and a dumping ground for undesirable refuse. From this land has been created perhaps one of the most beautiful spots in New York City; and after the fair is over, it will be a permanent recreation park. Treasure Island in San Francisco had no previous existence but was raised from the ocean by the me- chanical geniuses of this age and its machinery. At the expiration of this fair. Treasure Island will be an airport and a base for Trans- pacific clippers — certainly an as- set to the country. The scientific accomplishments of this age are too numerous for mention here, and we are perhaps familiar vdth most of them any- way, but certainly we should be a most indignant people if we thought that the succeeding gener- ations would be inclined to smile at our ’39 fairs as we have a tendency to do at the first leaky Crystal Pal- ace of 1853. Yet we may live long enough ourselves to think these fairs a bit old-fashioned — so rapid is the advancement and progress of this modern era. Nevertheless, I don’t think we need wonder today what keeps “Johnny so long at the fair.’’ Baseball 1839-1939 by Delbert Matheson O NE hundred years ago Martin Van Buren was President of the United States and had had only seven predecessors. Wisconsin and Minnesota as well as California and Florida had not yet been ad- mitted to the Union. The last re- maining signer of the Declaration of Independence had been laid to rest only seven years before. Texas was an independent nation. The banking system and slavery were the chief political issues, and Abra- ham Lincoln was a struggling law- yer of thirty. That was the setting when in 1839 at Cooperstown, New York, Abner Doubleday, a cadet at West Point and a fellow tov nsman, traced the pattern of the first base- ball diamond. And it is interest- to note that though the game has undergone many changes, the measurements set forth bv Double- day have always been retained. At no time during his useful life as a general in the United States 22

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game of baseball exemplifies. Out- side of America, Japan is undoubt- edly the keenest baseball country. Sixty years ago two American pro- fessors introduced the game to Jap- an. Touring American college and professional teams eventually aroused Japanese interest in base- ball. Intercollegiate games are Japan’s World Series. Nearly every country in the world has experi- mented with baseball during re- cent years. Almost every country makes its own changes, but the basis of the game remains the same. You may ask, “What is base- ball, as a national sport, doing for America?” “What deeds can it point to with unwavering finger in this, its centennial year?” To that question, the answer is that any- thing that attacks idleness in youth is a fine thing. For that reason in- stitutions of learning in every pari of the United States encourage ath- letics. Idle hands often become problems. Baseball, more than any other branch of endeavor, keeps young America busy. Experts re- port that juvenile delinqnejicy has decreased markedly as a direct re- sult of the spread of interest in the national game. It must have been a desire for further exercise out of doors that inspired Abner Doubledav one hun- dred years ago. His teachings spread like a great wave. Today, also, baseball is a sport which makes American youths strong in body and mind. An example of the results of baseball training was given during the World War when American soldiers excelled in the art of throwing hand grenades at the enemy. Baseball encourages good sports- manship among the young people of the country. It teaches them to respect the laws of the country an.d to obey them implicitlv. It does not breed hatred or contempt fo ’ the adversary but rather teache the loser to respect and congratu- late the winner. There are very few men who are not soorfsman- like who ever reach the ma ' Or leagues. And therefore these mamr league players are all excellent ex- amples of the success v hich good sportsmanship sometimes brino ' s. The companionship which the game affords is one of its greatest assets. The companionship of the players and coaches produces friendships which are of great val- ue in later life. Another quality developed by file game is that of leadership an d individual thinking. The game un doubted Iv requires more individual skill and thought than any similar form of endeavor. Each man on the team must knov liow lo play his own position almost to perfec- tion. He can very seldom depend on his manager or coach for as- 24