Living in the tall cotton

I have to say this Sunday's game was spectacular. The weather was perfect, a hint of fall in the air, but with warm sunshine and a fairly well maintained field, we made the most of the November day.
One of my favorite things about baseball is the vernacular. A lot of our everyday expressions came about because of the game, people who act crazy are said to be "off base," a wacky idea comes out of "left field", to fail at something is to "strike out," etc. One of the things that has floated around the email chain over the years is a growing glossary of old baseball terms. In an effort to show reverence for the game and also entertain myself, I will now provide the highlights of today's game, in 19th century baseball-speak....enjoy.

19th-century Base Ball Slang

Aces: runs

Apple, pill, horsehide, onion: the ball

Basetender: an infielder stationed near one of the rag-stuffed bags that serve as bases

Behind: catcher

Blooper, banjo hit: weak fly ball that barely soars beyond the infielders

Bowler, hurler, thrower, feeder: pitcher

Break one off: to throw a curve ball

Club nine: team

Cranks: fans

Daisy cutter: a well-hit ground ball

Dew drop: slow pitch

Dead: put out

Dish: home plate

Duff, Muff: an error

Foul tick: foul ball

Hand out: player out

Leg it: run hard

Muffin: a player of lesser talent

The line: the batter's box. The umpire would often shout, "Striker, to the line!"

Make your first: a single. Also "make your second" or "took his third."

Match: game

Plugging the runner, soaking the runner: throwing the ball at the runner to put him out (illegal after 1845)

Show a little ginger: play harder or play smarter

Side out: three outs

Sky ball: a high pop-up

Stinger: a hard hit ball

Striker: batter

Tally: a run or ace counted after a runner has touched all four bases in consecutive order

Three hands out: side retired, teams must switch sides

Whitewash: to hold a team scoreless in an at-bat

Willow: the bat

A Score of Gentleman Meet for Baseball Match, Camaraderie.

There was no shortage of ginger on the diamond this afternoon, and nary a muffin in sight as strikers on both sides girded up their loins to take the field of battle in that time honored tradition of the willowed warriors. In the end, the match was decided by a single tally, as both sides vied for their day of glory. Johnny Bartlett, feeder for one of the Club nines, dealt a complete games worth of breaking off the onion, keeping his team in the thick of the match.

However, it was not to be. Duane Harris reeled in banjo hit after banjo hit, robbing the honorable nine of any opportunity to put up more than an ace or two. The basetenders for both sides kept the tally low, and both clubs did their best to negate the duffs, whitewashing many a scoring opportunity. A. Daley, usually a dew dropper with the pill, answered back at Bartlett with his own complete match, and seemed well in control of the bump, breaking off pitch after pitch when needed to, and dipping into his valise of twirls when Bartlett's strikers attempted to get comfortable at the line.

In the end, the match was decided by who's daisy cutters got through the basetenders, and who's did not. The real winners of today's game were the cranks who braved the trip across the big muddy to experience the delight of another day in the sun.