Indoor Baseball

Attempt to make the American national sport a winter pastime. It originated 1887 in Chicago at the Farragut Club, and became rather popular in the West for a time. It is played in a rink or hall. The ball is 17 in. in circumference, soft, and weighs 8ł oz. The bats are 2 ft. 9 in. long and 14 in. in diameter. The bases are filled with sand but not attached to the floor; the distance between them is 27 ft. Straight-arm pitching only is allowed. The base-runner cannot leave base until the ball is struck, or, if not struck, reaches or pa es catcher. The game is played by eight, or sometimes nine men on a side, and consists of nine innings as in outdoor sport.