1781s.4

Long Ball in Vermont

Salience	Noteworthy
Tags	Antedated FirstsAntedated Firsts
Location
City/State/Country:	Rutland, VT, United States
Modern Address
Game	Long Ball (US Batting Game)Long Ball (US Batting Game)
Immediacy of Report	Retrospective
Age of Players	UnknownUnknown
Holiday
Notables
Text	The Rutland County Herald (Rutland, VT), July 19, 1848, referred to "long ball" being played in the 1700s at Fort Ranger in Rutland. The fort was the headquarters of the Vermont troops until 1781. Located near the center of town, it “naturally became the rendezvous of the town, the favorite resort of idlers, loungers, and loafers.” Townsfolk would gather there on the Sabbath to gossip and exchange their wares, “and here did the idle soldiery and congenial lazzarone exercise their skill and strength in the exciting games of long ball, &c.”
Sources	Rutland County Herald (Rutland, VT), July 19, 1848.
Warning
Comment	According to Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, "lazzarone" referred to "the homeless idlers of Naples who live by chance work or begging." Edit with form to add a comment
Query	Edit with form to add a query
Source Image	[[Image:\|left\|thumb]]
External Number
Submitted by	Stephen Katz
Submission Note	Submitted February 15, 2021
Has Supplemental Text

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