Base Ball

 September 28, 1870 Aurora Independent

Base Ball

The Actives club of this city, and the Mixed Stockings of Dillsborough played a match game of ball Saturday on the Hoosier grounds. The "Socks" met a Waterloo, scoring only 19 to 52 for the Actives. 

The conduct of the Dillsborough lads on this occasion is deserving of severe censure. They should learn that it takes skill and science, and not bullying, to gain a victory in base ball. 

The Actives are entitled to honor for taking no notice of the ungentlemanly conduct of their opponents, and their forbearance met with the approval of the ladies present especially.

Thomas Moran won the silver mounted prize bat offered to the member making the best score. Tommie is said to be one of the best ball tossers we have.

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The Mixed Stockings

The game of base ball Saturday was one, on the part of the Mixed Stockings, that detracts powerfully from the genuine amusement of the game. Whisky was freely imbibed by some of the members of the visiting club and upon the whole of their conduct, together with that of their friends, was very rude and unbecoming.

Allow us to say, by authority, that the Actives who have gained a good reputation, decline to deal further with this or any other club who bring whisky upon the grounds to keep up their grit. The Actives deserve well of Cincinnati, a week ago last Saturday was the best game of the season and afforded more enjoyment to the spectators than any other because of the mutuality evinced by both clubs.

Let us encourage our home and our neighbor clubs in the right, but denounce the degradation to which we have alluded, and to which if permitted, we will ere long be indebted for some serious difficulty.

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NOTES: Dillsboro and Aurora are in the same general vicinity. The game of baseball was popular for many years before this game.  The 1869 Red Stockings of Cincinnati were the first all-professional team in baseball history.

Baseball was originally designed to be a gentleman's sport, played on cricket or polo grounds. It caught on during the Civil War and became a much cruder game in the late 1860s.

Pitchers threw a ball underhand in those days and nobody wore a glove. Scores in the 50s were common.