1860.93

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Clipper Article Favors A Bare Alley Between Pitcher and Catcher

Salience	Noteworthy
Tags	Post-Knickerbocker Rule ChangesPost-Knickerbocker Rule Changes
Location	Downstate NY StateDownstate NY State
City/State/Country:	Newburgh, NY, United States
Modern Address
Game	Base BallBase Ball
Immediacy of Report
Age of Players	AdultAdult
Holiday
Notables
Text	Squinting at the new playing field laid out by the new Hudson River club in Newburgh, NY, the NY Clipper counseled:   "It is requisite that the turf be removed from the pitcher's base to the position occupied by the catcher, a space six feet wide or more being usually cleared for this purpose, in order to give the ball a fair opportunity to rebound behind the striker."
Sources	[A] NY Clipper, 7/21/1860. [B] See also Peter Morris, "Pitcher's Paths, "A Game of Inches (Ivan R. Dee, 2010), pp. 392-393:  [Section 14.3.10.]
Warning
Comment	In December 2021, Tom Gilbert asked:  "I assume that this means that a groomed clay surface gave the barehanded catcher a better shot at stopping a bounced fast pitch than grass (which might cause skidding, bad hops etc.), a paramount defensive consideration in baseball 1860-style."  But where did this habit come from? Members of the 19CBB list-serve responded. John Thorn thought the bare alley came from cricket, which prefers a true bounce for balls hitting the ground before reaching the wicket. Steve Katz noted that no rule is to be found on the practice in the 1860 NABBP rules.  Tom Gilbert added that some 1850's base ball was played on cricket fields may have suited base  ballers too.  Matt Albertson pointed out that the alley was actually a base path for cricket, so that grass  may have been worn away for the whole span.  Steve Katz found a Rob Neyer comment from 2011, citing Peter Morris' 2010 edition of A Game of Inches (which -- now try not to get dizzy here -- credits Tom Shieber's find from the 1860 Clipper, evidently sent out by Tom earlier.) Peter notes:  "Shieber's theory accounts for how how these dirt strips originated, but it doesn't explain why the alleys were retained long after catchers were stationed directly behind the plate.  I think the explanation is simple: since it is very difficult to maintain grass in well-trodden areas represented the groundskeepers' best effort to keep foot traffic off the grass."      Edit with form to add a comment
Query	Do we know if and when baseball's rules mandated these "battery alleys?"  Do we know when they were rescinded? (It is said that only Detroit and Arizona parks use then today.)  Are there other explanations for this practice in 1860? Can we assume that the 1860 Clipper piece was written by Henry Chadwick?   Edit with form to add a query
Source Image	[[Image:|left|thumb]]
External Number
Submitted by	Tom Gilbert, 12/7/2021
Submission Note	Query to 19CBB listserve
Has Supplemental Text

1860.93 Clipper Article Favors A Bare Alley Between Pitcher and Catcher"

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