Tuesday, March 9, 2010

The 1876 Brown Stockings: More On The Disgraceful Row

The feeling throughout the city, last night, was very bitter against the action of the Chicago club. Mr. Fowle, of the St. Louis club, stated that in conversation with Mr. Walker, after the game, that gentleman said that White, the White Stocking catcher, and Mr. Meacham, reporter for the Chicago Tribune, both acknowledged to him that the game had been fairly won by the Browns, without taking the McGeary matter into consideration at all. These gentlemen stated that a passed ball, which the umpire declared "dead," and on which McGeary came home, should have been adjudged in play, as it did not strike the umpire until it had hit White's hands, and the rules stipulated that no pitched ball can be declared "dead" after it has passed the catcher, no matter who it may strike. Mr. Fowle also stated that Walker had been chosen to umpire these games out of a list of five names, by the White's themselves, as he had previously given them satisfaction...

In Chicago there will doubtless be war to-day. Both teams left for the Garden City last night, and this afternoon the St. Louis lads will beard the lions in their own den. It will require a great deal of nerve to pull them through, as Chicago crowds are noted for their abuse of visiting clubs, and the triple victory gained by the Browns will intensify the hatred of the Hoodlums...
-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 22, 1876

No comments: