"The New England Association of Baseball Players" with the
following officers: President, E. Nelson, Excelsior Club, Upton;
vice-president, M.P. Berry, Warren Club, Roxbury; secretary, C.H. Bingham,
Bay State Club, Boston; treasurer, A.D. Nutting, Haverhill.

Clubs from Ashland, South Dedham, East Douglas, Mansfield, Boston,
Charlestown, Westboro, Upton, East Cambridge, South Walpole, North
Weymouth, Marlboro, Medway, Bolton, Roxbury, Randolph, Natick, Holliston,
and Milford constituted the members of the association. The fee for
admission was one dollar. The Boston clubs represented were the Olympics,
Bay States, and Pythians.

The Diamond Supplants the Square.

The "New England" game passed quickly out of existence, and was supplanted
by the "New York" game, so-called, the introduction of which marked the
beginning of modern baseball. The diamond supplanted the square; canvas
bags supplanted stakes, a pitched ball took the place of the thrown ball;
nine innings, and not a certain number of runs, constituted a game; three
men, and not one man, put out the side; nine players constituted a side;
the base runner could not be put out on a thrown ball. These facts are
gleaned from a copy of rules adopted in New York, March 1, 1860.

At this time, however, a catch of a fair bound or a foul bound disposed of
the batsman. Otherwise, as to-day, the base runner could not run three
feet out of the line of base; he could not score from third after two men
were out, if the batter had not reached first base safely; in case of
rain, at least five innings constituted a game, and the distances between
bases were ninety feet.

The following were the officers of the National Association in 1860:
President, Dr. Jones, Excelsior Club, Brooklyn, New York; vice-president,
Thomas Dakin, Putnam Club, Brooklyn, New York; N. Shrever, Excelsior Club,
Brooklyn; recording secretary, J.R. Portley, Manhattan Club, New York;
coresponding secretary, J.F. Jackson, Putnam Club, Brooklyn; treasurer, E.
H. Brown, Metropolitan Club, New York.

The association then numbered sixty clubs, of which twenty-three belonged
in New York City, and sixteen to Brooklyn. Boston, Albany, Detroit,
Baltimore, Newark, Newburgh, Jersey City, Poughkeepsie, Washington, New
Haven, and Troy were also represented.

The first series of games for what might be termed a championship took
place in the years 1857-1859. At that time the Elysian Fields, in Hoboken,
New Jersey,