I have continued to find interesting terminology from the summer of 1897. Some of the references are a little difficult to figure out, but the context usually provides the answer.
"Assaulted the ozone instead of the sphere" - Swung and missed
"Comer" - player with potential; like an "up and comer"
"Cracker" - like a "crack" team; skilled
"Do the leg wrapping" - pitch
"Doughnuts to cookies" - like "dollars to donuts" (I'm not sure what this says about the relative value of doughnuts vs. cookies)
"Flowing bowl" - alcohol
"Garden" - field (i.e. Center garden = Center field)
"Hoodoo" - trickery, deception
"Horse collars" - zeroes (relating to their appearance on the scoreboard)
"Hospital list" - like the disabled list
"Hummest" - best
"Inshoot" - Curveball that breaks toward the right-handed batter
"In the swim" - similar to "in the mix"
the "McGinnity Act" - pitching both games of a doubleheader
"On the toboggan" - injured
"Pan" - the plate
"Pets" - players
"Pink of condition" - in the best shape
taking a "Reef in his sails" - likely meaning the action of settling down, or reassessing a situation
"Stuff is off" - event is not going to happen
"Up in the air" - going up in the air is used to refer to a pitcher losing control of his pitches
"Weary Willies" - hobos
Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, Grand Forks Herald, Moorhead Independent", Sunday Argus; April - August 1897.
Showing posts with label Terminology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Terminology. Show all posts
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Metaphorically Speaking
The baseball accounts from the dead-ball era were often unusually and excessively descriptive. The writing certainly played an important role regarding perceptions of baseball in an era before radio and television. The newspaper descriptions about the games of the Red River Valley League are a key piece in understanding the flavor of the league. Here are some of the more entertaining gems:
During the summer of 1897, several pitchers who struggled to control their pitches were deemed to be "as wild as a March hare" by the Sunday Argus. Among the out of control rabbits were Wahpeton-Breckenridge's Ollie Berg, Grand Forks pitcher Charlie Hutton, and Fargo's Gus Munch. On a separate occasion, during a particularly poor weather day in which Ollie Berg surrendered 15 runs, the weather was described as "being as wild and wooly as Berg's delivery."*
Solid pitching performances elicited even richer descriptions. Deacon Phillippe was credited for being "as steady as a clock" in a game in late June. Wahpeton-Breckenridge pitcher O'Donnell's alertness in a game in late May caused The Moorhead Independent to credit him for watching base runners "like a hungry hyena".** Moorhead's Pike Mullaney was complimented for a start in which he "shot the ball over the plate with Denzer-like steam," a reference pitcher Roger Denzer, who threw for the St. Paul Saints and Chicago Colts in 1897.*** Moorhead's other ace, Bob Brush, pitched an impressive game allowing hits and runs "as scarce as mosquitoes in January."**** Perhaps the most creative embellishment of a pitcher's dominance came courtesy of the Sunday Argus. The paper remarked that Pike Mullaney's pitching against the Wahpeton-Breckenridge club "had the Methodists feeling around as aimlessly as pedestrians trying to escape the Fargo street sweeper, or huge cats from whose muzzles the whiskers had been cleanly shaven."*****
*The Moorhead Independent June 11, 1897
**Independent May 28, 1897
***Independent June 25, 1897
****Independent June 11, 1897
*****Sunday Argus May 30, 1897
During the summer of 1897, several pitchers who struggled to control their pitches were deemed to be "as wild as a March hare" by the Sunday Argus. Among the out of control rabbits were Wahpeton-Breckenridge's Ollie Berg, Grand Forks pitcher Charlie Hutton, and Fargo's Gus Munch. On a separate occasion, during a particularly poor weather day in which Ollie Berg surrendered 15 runs, the weather was described as "being as wild and wooly as Berg's delivery."*
Solid pitching performances elicited even richer descriptions. Deacon Phillippe was credited for being "as steady as a clock" in a game in late June. Wahpeton-Breckenridge pitcher O'Donnell's alertness in a game in late May caused The Moorhead Independent to credit him for watching base runners "like a hungry hyena".** Moorhead's Pike Mullaney was complimented for a start in which he "shot the ball over the plate with Denzer-like steam," a reference pitcher Roger Denzer, who threw for the St. Paul Saints and Chicago Colts in 1897.*** Moorhead's other ace, Bob Brush, pitched an impressive game allowing hits and runs "as scarce as mosquitoes in January."**** Perhaps the most creative embellishment of a pitcher's dominance came courtesy of the Sunday Argus. The paper remarked that Pike Mullaney's pitching against the Wahpeton-Breckenridge club "had the Methodists feeling around as aimlessly as pedestrians trying to escape the Fargo street sweeper, or huge cats from whose muzzles the whiskers had been cleanly shaven."*****
*The Moorhead Independent June 11, 1897
**Independent May 28, 1897
***Independent June 25, 1897
****Independent June 11, 1897
*****Sunday Argus May 30, 1897
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Terminology: Part 4 in a Series
A few more old time terminology references found in 1896 editions of the Forum:
"Cross bats" - a way of saying that two teams will play each other
"Did the business" - caused something to happen (a negative event in the Forum's reference)
"Have a snap" - have success; similar to the saying "it was a snap", meaning it was easy
"Rubber" - used to describe home plate; also used to describe the pitcher's rubber, which is the sole use of the term today
"Try conclusions" - a way of saying that two teams will play each other
"Cross bats" - a way of saying that two teams will play each other
"Did the business" - caused something to happen (a negative event in the Forum's reference)
"Have a snap" - have success; similar to the saying "it was a snap", meaning it was easy
"Rubber" - used to describe home plate; also used to describe the pitcher's rubber, which is the sole use of the term today
"Try conclusions" - a way of saying that two teams will play each other
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Terminology: Part 3!
"Full of ginger" = energetic, peppy
(Related: "Both teams had ginger to burn" and a team "did not ginger up as usual")
"In it" = competitive; ready to play
Pan = home plate
"Ripped the air a little" = cheered
"the Fitzsimmons Act" - The Moorhead Independent refers to the Moorhead team as doing the Fitzsimmons Act in two wins against Wahpeton-Breckenridge in late May. This is likely a reference to British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons, who had just completed a marathon win against the American heavyweight champion Jim Corbett in March. The use of the term was also fitting considering the fact that the W-B manager was named Ed Corbett.
(Related: "Both teams had ginger to burn" and a team "did not ginger up as usual")
"In it" = competitive; ready to play
Pan = home plate
"Ripped the air a little" = cheered
"the Fitzsimmons Act" - The Moorhead Independent refers to the Moorhead team as doing the Fitzsimmons Act in two wins against Wahpeton-Breckenridge in late May. This is likely a reference to British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons, who had just completed a marathon win against the American heavyweight champion Jim Corbett in March. The use of the term was also fitting considering the fact that the W-B manager was named Ed Corbett.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Little Change in the Rules
To my amazement, very little has changed from the official baseball rules from 1897 and those of today. Granted, today's version is more fine-tuned and addresses specific situations that have occurred over the last 125 years, but the fundamental rules of the game have remained very static. In examining the 1898 Spalding Guide to baseball, I found just a couple of rules listed that vary from those of Major League Baseball today.
Most are relatively minor differences.
Rule 14.2 levied a $5 fine for purposefully dirtying the ball, if the opposing team's captain protested the matter.
Rule 15 concerning the baseball bat said that the bat could be no bigger than 2 3/4 inches in diameter. Today, the specification is 2.61 inches.
Rule 19.2 said that a catcher's or first baseman's mitt could be of any size, shape, or weight! The infielder's gloves needed to weigh no more than 10 ounces and have a maximum circumference of 14 inches around the palm.
Today's limits, if you are curious:
Catcher's mitt: Limit of 38 inches diameter and 15 1/2 inches long.
First baseman's mitt: Limit of 12 inches long and 8 inches wide.
Infielders: Limit of 12 inches long and 7 3/4 inches wide (no weight limit, unlike 1897)
Forty years before night baseball, Rule 21 stated that all championship games must start no later than two hours before sunset. (With the lack of mound visits, pitcher and batter substitutions, in-game promotions, TV commercials, and the like, major league games rarely took more than two hours in 1897.)
Rule 27.3 from the 1898 edition said that any substitution for a base-runner must be approved by the captains of both teams.
Rule 35 said that a fair ball touched by a spectator would only be considered a dead ball if the spectator retained possession of the ball. Today, any fair ball touched by a spectator becomes a dead ball.
Rule 45 said that a strike would be considered any fairly delivered ball. This was defined as a ball that went over the plate, and was no higher than the batter's shoulders and no lower than his knees. Today's rule officially defines the top of the strike zone as the midpoint between a players shoulders and his belt, and the bottom of the strike zone remains the knees.
Rule 69 said that no betting was allowed on a club's field or on any property owned or occupied by the club. This rule is not explicit in today's code, but betting on baseball games by participants is widely known to be prohibited.
Most are relatively minor differences.
Rule 14.2 levied a $5 fine for purposefully dirtying the ball, if the opposing team's captain protested the matter.
Rule 15 concerning the baseball bat said that the bat could be no bigger than 2 3/4 inches in diameter. Today, the specification is 2.61 inches.
Rule 19.2 said that a catcher's or first baseman's mitt could be of any size, shape, or weight! The infielder's gloves needed to weigh no more than 10 ounces and have a maximum circumference of 14 inches around the palm.
Today's limits, if you are curious:
Catcher's mitt: Limit of 38 inches diameter and 15 1/2 inches long.
First baseman's mitt: Limit of 12 inches long and 8 inches wide.
Infielders: Limit of 12 inches long and 7 3/4 inches wide (no weight limit, unlike 1897)
Forty years before night baseball, Rule 21 stated that all championship games must start no later than two hours before sunset. (With the lack of mound visits, pitcher and batter substitutions, in-game promotions, TV commercials, and the like, major league games rarely took more than two hours in 1897.)
Rule 27.3 from the 1898 edition said that any substitution for a base-runner must be approved by the captains of both teams.
Rule 35 said that a fair ball touched by a spectator would only be considered a dead ball if the spectator retained possession of the ball. Today, any fair ball touched by a spectator becomes a dead ball.
Rule 45 said that a strike would be considered any fairly delivered ball. This was defined as a ball that went over the plate, and was no higher than the batter's shoulders and no lower than his knees. Today's rule officially defines the top of the strike zone as the midpoint between a players shoulders and his belt, and the bottom of the strike zone remains the knees.
Rule 69 said that no betting was allowed on a club's field or on any property owned or occupied by the club. This rule is not explicit in today's code, but betting on baseball games by participants is widely known to be prohibited.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
What in tarnation is WHIP!!??
Baseball statistics are more in-depth than ever before. Everything is measured: a player's batting average against left handed pitching after the 7th inning in night games on the road with runners in scoring position and an 0-2 count (seriously, I bet you could find it), something called offensive win percentage, and then the acronyms: WAR, VORP, PETOCA, NERD, BABIP, DIPS, OPS, WPA, REW, and of course, WHIP (Yes these are all real - and there are many more!). If you are really curious about what these mean, I suggest an internet search. I could stumble my way through explaining some of them, but it would be rough.
I thought it would be interesting to put myself in the mind of an official scorer in 1897. At the time, the list of what was recorded was fairly basic (and not analyzed to death). At-bats, hits, runs, errors, assists, put outs, doubles, triples, home runs, walks, stolen bases, strikeouts, and hit-by-pitcher, and time of game. Honestly, when I first saw some box scores from the 1890s, I was impressed with the amount of detail I found.
Without further ado, an attempt at humor using some current "sabermetrics" and other statistics, as seen from the eyes of an 1897 official scorer:
BAA - Baseballers Arrested Annually
BS - Well...
ERA - Well, I think they call this the "Golden Age" or something like that.
GIDP - Guaranteed Instances of Dirty Players
IBB - Intentionally Bringing Booze (a player stat)
NERD - Those folks that waste time debating the gold standard
OBP - Other Booze-influenced Plays
RBI - Reasons Betting is Increasing
SV - Splendid Victory
WAR - I think it's about time. Spain has had it coming.
WHIP - That's what we do to the umpire when he gives us a bad call!
I thought it would be interesting to put myself in the mind of an official scorer in 1897. At the time, the list of what was recorded was fairly basic (and not analyzed to death). At-bats, hits, runs, errors, assists, put outs, doubles, triples, home runs, walks, stolen bases, strikeouts, and hit-by-pitcher, and time of game. Honestly, when I first saw some box scores from the 1890s, I was impressed with the amount of detail I found.
Without further ado, an attempt at humor using some current "sabermetrics" and other statistics, as seen from the eyes of an 1897 official scorer:
BAA - Baseballers Arrested Annually
BS - Well...
ERA - Well, I think they call this the "Golden Age" or something like that.
GIDP - Guaranteed Instances of Dirty Players
IBB - Intentionally Bringing Booze (a player stat)
NERD - Those folks that waste time debating the gold standard
OBP - Other Booze-influenced Plays
RBI - Reasons Betting is Increasing
SV - Splendid Victory
WAR - I think it's about time. Spain has had it coming.
WHIP - That's what we do to the umpire when he gives us a bad call!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Terminology - Part 2!
A few more terminology items that I have been tracking while looking through old stories:
Cleverest (adv) = best
Cracker jack (adj) = excellent
Garrison finish (n) = coming from behind to win; named after Edward "Snapper" Garrison, a successful jockey of the late 19th Century
"Gave much satisfaction" = did a good job; often used when referring to umpires
Slab (n) = pitcher's mound
"Snowed under" = defeated
Stick work (n) = hitting
Cleverest (adv) = best
Cracker jack (adj) = excellent
Garrison finish (n) = coming from behind to win; named after Edward "Snapper" Garrison, a successful jockey of the late 19th Century
"Gave much satisfaction" = did a good job; often used when referring to umpires
Slab (n) = pitcher's mound
"Snowed under" = defeated
Stick work (n) = hitting
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Things to come...
I thought I would take today's post to give you an idea of some ongoing research that will eventually appear in later posts:
1) I hope to get a glimpse of the rules of baseball in 1897 - Once I get my hands on a copy of the 1898 Spalding Guide to Baseball, this will go forward very quickly.
2) You will find out about an assault case involving two Fargo players against one of their teammates.
3) Fines and ejections in 1897 RRVL games
4) Access to more pictures and links - I currently have individual pictures of five of the Fargo players. My dream is to find the gem of my research - a team picture of the 1897 Fargo team (if one exists at all).
5) I will put together a comprehensive list of other teams that the Fargo players played for in 1897. Several traveled to nearby small towns on off days. Others played in the Western League during the course of the summer.
6) I will examine a questionable member of the Fargo team who, based on his erratic play, may have been involved with gambling on games.
7) More terminology from the era
1) I hope to get a glimpse of the rules of baseball in 1897 - Once I get my hands on a copy of the 1898 Spalding Guide to Baseball, this will go forward very quickly.
2) You will find out about an assault case involving two Fargo players against one of their teammates.
3) Fines and ejections in 1897 RRVL games
4) Access to more pictures and links - I currently have individual pictures of five of the Fargo players. My dream is to find the gem of my research - a team picture of the 1897 Fargo team (if one exists at all).
5) I will put together a comprehensive list of other teams that the Fargo players played for in 1897. Several traveled to nearby small towns on off days. Others played in the Western League during the course of the summer.
6) I will examine a questionable member of the Fargo team who, based on his erratic play, may have been involved with gambling on games.
7) More terminology from the era
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Old Timey Terminology
One of the great things about researching 19th Century baseball is the rich, detailed, and nuanced language used in the newspapers of the time. So I thought it would be good to put together a little guide for interpreting those old stories and box scores (some more obvious than others):
33rd degree fan = probably a reference to Mason who was a fan of a team (since the 33rd degree is the highest degree of the Masons); possibly just a die-hard fan
Aggregation, Club, Baseball nine = Baseball team
"At the points" = players playing pitcher and catcher
Battery = pitcher and catcher for a particular game (still used today, but sparingly)
Behind the wind pad = playing catcher
Comer = a promising player
Crank = fan
Fast = doing well
Fettle = Condition (ex: The club was in good fettle to begin the season.)
"In the box" - pitcher (ex: Peterson was in the box for Fargo)
Kick = to become upset/argue
"Manipulator of the indicator" = umpire
Sphere = baseball
Three-bagger = triple
Twirler = pitcher
Two-bagger = double
Willow = bat
More to come later...
33rd degree fan = probably a reference to Mason who was a fan of a team (since the 33rd degree is the highest degree of the Masons); possibly just a die-hard fan
Aggregation, Club, Baseball nine = Baseball team
"At the points" = players playing pitcher and catcher
Battery = pitcher and catcher for a particular game (still used today, but sparingly)
Behind the wind pad = playing catcher
Comer = a promising player
Crank = fan
Fast = doing well
Fettle = Condition (ex: The club was in good fettle to begin the season.)
"In the box" - pitcher (ex: Peterson was in the box for Fargo)
Kick = to become upset/argue
"Manipulator of the indicator" = umpire
Sphere = baseball
Three-bagger = triple
Twirler = pitcher
Two-bagger = double
Willow = bat
More to come later...
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