p in 1845 by the Knickerbocker Baseball
Club and used in its matches with the Gotham Eagle and Empire clubs of New
York, and the Excelsior, Putnam, Atlantic and Eckford clubs of Brooklyn. In
1858 the first National Association was organized, and, while its few
simple laws were generally similar to the corresponding rules of the
present code, the ball was larger and "livelier," and the pitcher was
compelled to deliver it with a full toss, no approach to a throw being
allowed. The popularity of the game spread rapidly, resulting in the
organization of many famous clubs, such as the Beacon and Lowell of Boston,
the Red Stockings of Cincinnati, the Forest City of Cleveland and the Maple
Leaf of Guelph, but owing to the sharp rivalry between the foremost teams,
semi-professionalism soon crept in, although in those days a man who played
for a financial consideration always had some other means of livelihood, as
the income to be derived from playing ball in the summer time was not
enough to support him throughout the year. In spite of its popularity, the
game acquired certain undesirable adjuncts. The betting and pool selling
evils became prominent, and before long the game was in thorough disrepute.
It was not only generally believed that the matches were not played on
their merits, but it was known that players themselves were not above
selling contests. At that time many of the journals of the day foretold the
speedy downfall of the sport. A convention of those interested financially
and otherwise in the game, was held in 1867 in Philadelphia, and an effort
was made to effect a reformation. That the sport even then was by no means
insignificant can be seen from the fact that in that convention some 500
organizations were represented. While the work done at the convention did
not accomplish all that was expected, it did produce certain reforms, and
the sport grew rapidly thereafter both in the eastern and in the middle
western part of the United States. In the next five years the [v.03 p.0459]
interest in the game became so great that it was decided to send a
representation of American base-ball players to England; and two clubs, the
Bostons, who were the champions that year, and the Athletics, former
champions, crossed the Atlantic and played several exhibition games with
each other. While successful in exciting some interest, the trip did not
succeed in popularizing base-ball in Great Britain. Fifteen years later two
other ni