Clipping:A retrospective on the early short stop

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19C Clippings
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Date Sunday, December 2, 1888
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Tim Murnane is preparing a book of reminiscences. Among other things he says: “As near as I can learn, the position of short stop was the last one to be added to the makeup of a base ball nine. In its early days the game was played on large open fields, and the outfielders had some long runs to get a ball hit by them. Sometimes they were obliged to go to the extreme end of the field. The short stop acted as a utility man, and would go out in the field to take the ball from the outfielder and send it to the home plate or to the infield. Dickey Pearce of the Atlantics of Brooklyn was the first one to play the position as it is played now. He began to do so in 1856. George Wright was the first man to play the position deep and close to second base, so as to give the baseman an opportunity to move away from his position and in 1869 Wright and Charley Sweasy were the first players to work the two positions as they are worked today.

Source Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Submitted by Richard Hershberger
Origin Initial Hershberger Clippings

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