Wednesday, January 14, 2009

A New Baseball Rule For 1868

The new base ball rules for 1868 require that all balls used in a match must be stamped with the size, weight and maker's name, and if any other is used the game played will be "null and void." The new ball is smaller and lighter than the old one, being but nine inches in circumference, and weighing five and a quarter ounces.
-Alton Daily Telegraph, April 1, 1868


While I'm not particularly interested in the arcana of 19th century baseball rules, I do find it interesting that they were publishing such matters in an Alton, Illinois newspaper in 1868.

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