England League, Pacific League and the different
state leagues. Professional base-ball has not been free from certain
objectionable elements, of which the unnecessary and rowdyish fault-finding
with the umpires has been the most evident, but the authorities of the
different leagues have lately succeeded, by strenuous legislation, in
abating these. Of authorities on base-ball, Henry Chadwick (d. 1908) is the
best known.

Amateur base-ball, in its organized phase, is played mostly by school and
university clubs as well as those of athletic associations. The first
college league was formed in 1879 and comprised Harvard, Princeton,
Amherst, Brown and Dartmouth, Yale joining a year later. The Eastern
College League, with Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Yale, followed in
1887. This was afterwards dissolved and at present the most important
universities of the eastern states are members of no league, although such
organizations exist in New England and different parts of the west and
south. Amateur base-ball has progressed along the same lines as
professional, although the college playing rules formerly differed in
certain minor points from those of the professional leagues.

The following is a general description of the field and of the manner in
which the game is played, but as the game has become highly complicated,
situations may arise in playing in which general statements do not strictly
hold. Any smooth, level field about 150 yds. long and 100 yds. broad will
serve for a base-ball ground. Upon this field is marked out with white
chalk a square, commonly called the diamond, smooth, like a cricket pitch,
the sides of which measure 30 yds. each, and the nearest corner of which is
distant about 30 yds. from the limit of the field. This corner is marked
with a white plate, called the home-base or plate, five-sided in shape, two
of the sides being 1 ft. long and that towards the pitcher 17 in. At the
other three corners and attached to pegs are white canvas bags 15 in.
square filled with some soft material, and called, beginning at the right
as one looks towards the field, first-base, second-base and third-base
respectively. The lines from home-base to first, and from home to third are
indefinitely prolonged and called foul-lines. The game is played by two
sides of nine men each, one of these taking its turn at the bat while the
other is in the field endeavouring, as provided by certain rules, to put
out the side at bat. Eac