1823.1 Game of Baseball Reported in the <i>National Advocate</i>
COMMUNICATION. I was last Saturday much pleased in witnessing company of active young playing manly and athletic game of ball at Retreat in Broadway ( Jones'). I am informed they are organized association, and that very interesting game will be played on Saturday next at above place, to commence at half past 3 o'clock, P.M. Any person fond of witnessing this game may avail himself of seeing it played with consummate skill and wonderful dexterity. It is surprising, and to be regretted that young of our city do not engage more in this manual sport; it is innocent amusement, and healthy exercise, with but little expense, and has demoralizing tendency.-A SPECTATOR.1Finding this note-roughly 10 years ago-made me famous for about 72 hours. I hit front page (above fold) of The New-York Times and International Herald Tribune; story was reprinted by newspapers in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and elsewhere; I was interviewed by telephone by sports-talk jock in Cincinnati and by BBC, where I followed discussion of Kyoto Accord. Since then, of course, I have sunk back into obscurity.Another newspaper received this same press release, but chose to summarize it:We have received communication in favor of manly exercise of base ball; stating that organized company, who are in habit of taking this exercise at Retreat, will play great match there on Saturday next, to commence at half past 3 o'clock.2If notice was sent to other papers, it was ignored: I have looked in several for that week without finding it.The letter was published on Friday, day before There was later report on outcome of The newspapers of that era did not employ reporters, and depended on letters like this one for their coverage of local events that editor did not himself witness. The editors seem to have felt more responsible for telling their readers that interesting event was going to take place than for describing it afterwards. For example, shipbuilding was most highly organized industry in New York at that time, and launch of full-sized ship was spectacular event. Newspapers regularly printed one-sentence notes telling their readers that ship was to be launched next morning from some yard on East River, but rarely ran account of event afterwards.Let us read this letter carefully:The tells us of a company of active young men who play the manly and athletic game of 'base ball.' The game was played by adults.These have formed an organized association and a game will be played on Saturday next, to commence at half past 3 o'clock, P.M., that is, have formed club, and they plan their games well in advance, to start at set time.Any person fond of witnessing this game. It seems that baseball was already spectator sport, or at least writer of this note was hoping that it would become one.Baseball is attended with but little expense. I suppose here writer had in mind fact that baseball could be played with homemade equipment.3It has no demoralizing tendency. This phrase today tends to raise smirks on those who read or hear it, but it most likely refers to fact that one bet on games. Huge sums were bet on horse and boat races, and prizes for winning footraces were big enough that highly publicized race at Hoboken in 1824 was discovered to have been fixed, with apparent intention of setting up rematch. The Post was shocked: We cannot help regretting that so manly sport should be brought into disrepute by disgraceful conduct of competitors.4The letter was signed A Spectator. The writer was taking mask of casual passerby who had just happened upon this baseball game, and maybe he was, but fact that he took trouble to write to at least two newspapers suggests that he had some interest at stake. …