Every Boy's Book: A Complete Encyclopaedia of Sports and Amusements Part 125

Owners, Messrs. _______________________ and __________________________

Time of game ______________________ hours ___________________ minutes.

In recording a game on score-sheet No. 1 we proceed as follows:--Under the heading of "Batsmen" we place the names of the batting nine, and under the heading of "Fielders" we place the names of the opposing nine.

These names are recorded on the two score-sheets of the score-book; the names of the two nines thus appearing on the book twice, once as batsmen and once as fielders. Over the heading "Batsmen" we record the time of commencing the game, and this is done only on the page of the nine who first go to the bat; the figures of the hour of closing the game being recorded over the heading "Fielders," on the page of the nine who last go to the bat; and over the figures of the "innings" we record the name of the grounds the match was played on, and the date of the game.

Each fielder is numbered from 1 to 9, and in recording by whom players are put out these figures are used to indicate the name of the fielder.

In recording the positions of the fielders we simply use the initials of the words of the position, thus C for "catcher," P for "pitcher," &c.

Instead of using C for "centre field," we use M for "middle field," as C is used for "catcher." The figures 1, 2, 3 are used to indicate the outs of each innings, and a dot thus (.) for each run. Dots only are used in recording the details of the batting on the left hand of the score-sheet, and also for recording the particulars of the fielding on the left. Thus, if the batsman secures his first base by a "clean hit"--that is, not by means of a wild throw, a dropped fly ball, or a palpably m.u.f.fed ball--we place a dot in the square of the column of "times bases on hits" opposite the batsman's name; and if instead he be put out on the fly, we place a dot in the square of the column headed "fly catches," on the right, and opposite the fielder's name. Now the above score only gives the data for estimating the skill of the batsman as far as his score of bases on hits, or on m.u.f.fs, &c. is concerned, and of the skill of the fielder as far as the record of the totals of his work in the field is concerned. To complete the score, however, something more has to be done, and that is, to record how and by whom each batsman is put out; and how this is to be done we now proceed to show.

The scorer must first make himself familiar with the following abbreviations of words used to indicate the various movements and actions of the fielders, and these abbreviations will be found very easy to commit to memory. They are as follows:--

A, Put out at first base.

B, second base.

C, third base.

H, home base.

F, Put out on fly catch.

K, three strikes.

R O, Put out between bases.

L F, on foul fly.

L D, on foul bound.

T F, on tip fly.

T D, on tip bound.

H R, for home run.

As before stated, the figures 1, 2, 3 are used for recording the outs, and dots for runs; with small figures thus, 1st, 2d, 3d, to indicate being left on the bases.

The key to the above abbreviations is as follows. The first three letters of the alphabet indicate the first three bases, and we use the initial letters of the words _Home_, _Fly_, _Run Out_, and _Tip_, and the last letter of the words _Struck_, _Foul_, and _Bound_. Thus L stands for foul and F for fly, and both together for "foul fly." The above system will be found to include everything necessary in recording the important details of a game, to the extent of showing the good plays made at the bat and in the field. In "reporting" the details of a match, however, we necessarily require a still more elaborate system, and our short-hand system for the use of reporters will be found in detail in our "BOOK OF REFERENCE," published in New York.

In order to ill.u.s.trate fully the working of the system of scoring above described, we will proceed to score an imaginary game as follows:--

Suppose the fielders in their places and the batsman in his, and the scorers ready to record the game. "Play" is called, and the time of beginning the game at once recorded. The first striker then hits a ball, which is caught on the fly by the left-fielder, who is the seventh striker, we will say, on the other side. On the square of the first innings opposite the name of the first striker you first write down the figure 1, indicating the first hand out, and above it write the figure 7 and the letter F, and your record will then appear thus:

: 7 F : : 1 : .......

the 7 representing the name of the fielder, and the letter F the initial of the word fly, showing by whom and in what manner the player was put out. Opposite the name of the seventh fielder, too, under the head of "On fair fly," you write down a dot, which gives him credit for the fly catch in the score of good plays. The second striker now takes the bat, and, hitting a low grounder to centre-field, makes his second base just before the ball is well fielded in to the second baseman. To record this properly you place a dot opposite the batsman's name to the left under the head of "number of _times_" bases are made on hits; and in the next column you place two dots, showing the number of _bases_ made on the hit; or, if you like to be more particular, you can write the figure 2 in place of the two dots, and then you will know the bases he made on each hit. The third striker now comes to the bat, and hits a ball to short-stop, who pa.s.ses it to the first baseman in time to put the player out. You now have to record the second hand out, and you do it thus: first, the figure 2 for second hand out, and the figure 3 for the name of the short-stop, who is the third striker on the list of names on the other side, and then 4 for the first baseman, who is the fourth striker. The square will then appear thus:

:3-4 A: : 2 : .......

thereby showing that the batsman was the second hand out by a ball fielded to the first base player by the short-stop. You then, opposite the fielders' names to the right, under the head of "number of times a.s.sisting," place a dot opposite the third fielder's name, and under the head of "on bases," a dot opposite the name of the fourth fielder, thus crediting the short-stop with the a.s.sistance rendered and the first baseman with putting the batsman out. The fourth striker now takes the bat and strikes out, and you then record the out by the figure 3 for the third hand out, and the letter K for struck out (in this instance, as in one or two others, as we have shown, we use the last letter of the word), and under the head of "on third strike," opposite the fielder's name acting as catcher, we place a dot. This closes the innings. When the game is closed, we add up the total outs and runs charged and credited to each batsman, and place the totals under the heading of "Outs and Runs" to the left of the batsmen's names. The above will suffice to show the general plan of scoring we adopt in this system. The statistics of the batsman's play, to the left of the batsmen's names, include his total score of outs and runs, the total number of _times_ the first base is made, and the number of _bases_ made on clean hits; and a similar record of bases made on "m.u.f.fed" and wildly thrown b.a.l.l.s, and on balked and called b.a.l.l.s, together with the number of times base-runners are left on bases, and the number of clean home runs. The statistics of the fielding, to the right of the fielders' names, include the totals of outs on bases, on fair fly catches, on foul fly and foul bound catches, on three strikes, from being run out, the totals of the players put out, and of times a.s.sisting to put them out.

The American game of base-ball will be found an excellent subst.i.tute for cricket in England, for those who have not the leisure time for the English game, as a full game of nine innings a side can be played in three hours at most. It is a more vigorous exercise than cricket, and in a closely contested match, fully as exciting to spectators, when understood. For boys, after school hours, it is far better than cricket, owing to the short time required to play a game.

AMERICAN BILLIARDS.

The four ball, or "American game" of billiards, differs both from the English and French game, and in a measure combines the merits of both.

Though it does not require the skill the French game does, it avoids, by custom, the simple, mechanical "hazard" feature of the English game, as first-cla.s.s American billiard-players at the hazard and carom game never hole the spot ball consecutively, as in the English game. In fact, the hazard feature of the American game is rapidly falling into disuse, the four ball carom game taking its place.

The American tables now are made without side pockets, and no saloon has any tables of this kind, except for playing pool; the four pocket tables and carom tables without pockets being the only style in vogue now. The four pocket tables were introduced by Michael Phelan, Esq., the "father"

of the game in America.

The general principles of the American game, which unites those of all others, are as follows:--

THE CAROM.

To make a carom, the player must cause his own ball to strike two or more b.a.l.l.s in the same shot.

When he strikes his adversary's ball, and either the light or dark red, he scores _two_.

When he strikes the two red b.a.l.l.s, or, in billiard phrase, _caroms_ on them, he scores _three_.

THE HAZARD.

There are two sorts of hazards--_winning_ and _losing_.

A WINNING HAZARD is made by pocketing the adversary's ball, or either of the red b.a.l.l.s.

In the first case, the player scores _two_; in the second, he scores _three_.

When the player pockets his own ball it is a LOSING HAZARD. If his ball is pocketed after having struck the white or adversary's ball, _two_ points are added to the adversary's score.

If the ball is pocketed after having struck either of the red b.a.l.l.s, _three_ points are added to the adversary's score.

If the ball be pocketed after having made a carom or winning hazard, the player cannot score the count he may have made.

A _miss_, or a failure on the part of the player to strike any other ball with his own, counts _one_ for the opponent.

The word _carom_, used in this portion of the work, is derived from the French word "_carombolage_." In England the word "cannon" is used, an evidently corrupt derivation.

In learning all games of billiards practical experience is the best teacher. No amount of intellectual study can impart to a novice the manual dexterity and adroitness essential to the display of the beauties of the game. But months of labour and learning by practical experience alone may be avoided by learning thoroughly beforehand the principles of the science afterwards to be practised as an art.

Among the most important things in billiards is a good att.i.tude, and to attain this should be the student's first effort. Good att.i.tude is the 'groundwork' of a player's success. If his att.i.tude be ungraceful, viz.

strained or unnatural, his playing will a.s.suredly be unreliable.

The student's att.i.tude must, in the first place, be perfectly easy and natural. His left foot should be slightly advanced, in a straight line, the right drawn backwards and pointing outwards, to the extent and at the angle most familiar and convenient to the player. The left arm should be extended and supported on the table by the tips of the fingers and the junction of the palm and the wrist (which position of the hand const.i.tutes the _natural bridge_). His body should be perfectly balanced, and should form an acute angle with the side of the table at which he stands. The tapering end of the cue should rest in the natural groove formed by the elevation of the thumb; the thick end should be grasped in the right hand, loosely while being drawn back preparatory to the stroke, and firmly at the moment of contact with the ball. The cue should be held in a perfectly horizontal position, except in the case of some particular strokes, which will be described in the proper place.

Beginners should pay especial attention to this. It should be impelled chiefly by the fore-arm, while the body should remain perfectly steady, as the slightest swaying motion of it will give a false direction to the stroke. The speed of the cue, and not the weight of the body, gives strength to the stroke.

In the instructions in the game contained in the body of this work, the fundamental principles of the game are fully exemplified and enlarged upon. But there are exceptions to these fundamental rules to which we now briefly refer, and among them may be prominently named the results of the different degrees of strength with which the cue ball is struck, inasmuch as important modifications of the angles of incidence and reflexion are produced by the varieties of strength in the impulsion of the ball.

It is a general law that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflexion; this law is, however, modified in billiards by the degree of strength with which the cue ball is struck. The angle which the cue-ball will take after striking a cushion, being materially altered by the force imparted to it, the greater the strength the more acute will the angle of reflexion become.

When the ball, instead of being played against a fixed and inert body, such as a cushion, is played against a moveable sphere, such as itself, the angle formed by the line of direction of the object-ball, and the line of the subsequent course of the cue-ball, will be more _obtuse_ the greater the strength communicated to the cue-ball.

Without an approximate knowledge of the different degrees of strength to be imparted in order to produce different angles, the pupil labours through a maze of uncertainty; and if not of a patient and reflective tendency, is inclined to arrive at the hasty and erroneous conclusion, that chance const.i.tutes an important element in successful billiard playing.