Round Ball
| Game | Round Ball |
|---|---|
| Game Family | Baseball |
| Location | Massachusetts |
| Regions | US |
| Eras | 1700s, 1800s, Predecessor |
| Invented | No |
| Tags | |
| Description | This appears to be the name given to the game played in Massachusetts . . . and possibly beyond that . . . in the years before the Dedham rules of 1858 created the Massachusetts Game. We have about a dozen references to round ball from about 1780 to 1856 -- all in the state of Massachusetts. New England also has references to goal, or goal ball, base, or base ball, and bat-and-ball for this period. There is no indication if or how these games differed, or whether they are direct antecedents of the Mass Game rules of 1858. Morris, p. 23 has a description of the game, from an early Detroit baseball player reminiscing in 1884: ""Previous to the time [1857] we had played the old-fashioned game of round ball. There were no 'balls' or 'strikes' to that. The batter waited till a ball came along that suited him, banged it and ran. If it was a fly and somebody caught it, he was out and couldn't play any more in the game. If the ball was not caught on the fly the only way to put a batter out was to hit him with the ball as he ran. There were no basemen then; everybody stood around to catch flies and throw the ball at base runners." |
| Sources | Henderson, Bat, Ball and Bishop p. 137. Morris, Baseball Fever p. 23 |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Comment | We also have a reference to Round Ball in Hope, ME circa 1825 and in NH in 1847. Mosher's biography of General Joshua L. Chamberlain (b. 1828) says he played round ball in Brewer, near Bangor, ME. Morris, Baseball Fever p. 23 relates a story that they played round ball in Detroit prior to 1857. Ditto Stratford, NH (see Protopix). It appears the game named round ball was common in New England. [ba] Edit with form to add a comment |
| Query | Edit with form to add a query |
| Has Supplemental Text |
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