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Old Cat
Encyclopedia
Old Cat games were 19th century bat-and-ball, safe haven games
played in North America
. The games were numbered according to the number of bases. The number of bases varied according to the number of players.
One Old Cat, One Eyed Cat, or the contracted
one-o'-cat was the basic version of the game, with a pitcher or "giver"; a batter or "striker"; a catcher, and sometimes another fielder or two. The striker, upon hitting the ball thrown by the giver, attempted to run to a single base (often the giver's position) and back again. The fielders tried to "sting" the striker-runner with a thrown ball while he/she was not touching the base. The striker would also be put out if the struck ball were caught in the air, or if he swung three times at the giver's deliveries and missed. One Old Cat, like scrub baseball
, was a game of individuals—"one against all"—and not a team sport. Each base touched before 'out' (or just home) would score a point, although score was often not kept.
In his book Base-Ball, John Montgomery Ward
wrote that to initiate a game of One Old Cat, players called out a number to claim a position: "One", "Two", etc.—one being the striker, two being the pitcher, and three the catcher. When an out was made the striker moved to the last position (e.g. five), five became four, four moved to three, three moved to two, and two took a turn as striker—"the coveted position". Ward said that if more players were available for the game, there would be two batters opposite each other (as in cricket
), and they ran to the opposite base when the ball was hit. This was Two Old Cat. http://www.barnard.columbia.edu/amstud/resources/baseball/wardintro.htm
Three Old Cat had a triangular base layout and three strikers, while Four Old Cat had four strikers and four bases in a square pattern. The Mills Commission, formed in 1905 to ascertain the origins of baseball, recorded many reminiscences of people playing Three- and Four Old Cat in their youth. Baseball historian Harold Seymour reported that Old Cat games were still being played on the streets and vacant lots of Brooklyn
in the 1920s.
Albert Spalding
suggested that Four Old Cat was the immediate ancestor of town ball
, from which baseball
evolved. David Block's recent research indicates that Old Cat games evolved alongside baseball, as informal or practice versions when there were not enough players for a full game.
One Old Cat is seeing a resurgence as a batting and fielding training game for younger little league and girl softball teams. Two games are played simultaneously on one diamond, one on the home-third line and the other on the first-second line. Because the game is faster-paced than baseball and includes position rotation as a normal element, the chief objection young kids voice about baseball- idle time in the field or waiting to bat – is directly addressed. The usual version is one-against-all and otherwise similar to that described above except, for safety, no "stinging". The game is also well-played with light plastic substitute balls where space is restricted.
Bat-and-ball games
Bat-and-ball games are field games played by two teams. The teams alternate between "batting" roles, sometimes called "in at bat" and "out in the field", or simply in and out. Only the batting team may score, so the fielding team is defending, but they have equal chances in both roles...
played in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The games were numbered according to the number of bases. The number of bases varied according to the number of players.
One Old Cat, One Eyed Cat, or the contracted
Contraction (grammar)
A contraction is a shortened version of the written and spoken forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters....
one-o'-cat was the basic version of the game, with a pitcher or "giver"; a batter or "striker"; a catcher, and sometimes another fielder or two. The striker, upon hitting the ball thrown by the giver, attempted to run to a single base (often the giver's position) and back again. The fielders tried to "sting" the striker-runner with a thrown ball while he/she was not touching the base. The striker would also be put out if the struck ball were caught in the air, or if he swung three times at the giver's deliveries and missed. One Old Cat, like scrub baseball
Scrub baseball
Scrub baseball is a way of playing baseball with no teams. The number of players is variable, and score is not kept, as the idea is "each against all"...
, was a game of individuals—"one against all"—and not a team sport. Each base touched before 'out' (or just home) would score a point, although score was often not kept.
In his book Base-Ball, John Montgomery Ward
John Montgomery Ward
John Montgomery Ward , known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop and manager. Ward was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Renovo, Pennsylvania...
wrote that to initiate a game of One Old Cat, players called out a number to claim a position: "One", "Two", etc.—one being the striker, two being the pitcher, and three the catcher. When an out was made the striker moved to the last position (e.g. five), five became four, four moved to three, three moved to two, and two took a turn as striker—"the coveted position". Ward said that if more players were available for the game, there would be two batters opposite each other (as in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
), and they ran to the opposite base when the ball was hit. This was Two Old Cat. http://www.barnard.columbia.edu/amstud/resources/baseball/wardintro.htm
Three Old Cat had a triangular base layout and three strikers, while Four Old Cat had four strikers and four bases in a square pattern. The Mills Commission, formed in 1905 to ascertain the origins of baseball, recorded many reminiscences of people playing Three- and Four Old Cat in their youth. Baseball historian Harold Seymour reported that Old Cat games were still being played on the streets and vacant lots of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in the 1920s.
Albert Spalding
Albert Spalding
Albert Goodwill Spalding was a professional baseball player, manager and co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company.-Biography:...
suggested that Four Old Cat was the immediate ancestor of town ball
Town ball
The term town ball, or townball, describes the bat-and-ball, safe haven games played in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries, which were similar to rounders and were precursors to modern baseball. In some areas - such as Philadelphia and along the Ohio River and Mississippi River - the...
, from which baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
evolved. David Block's recent research indicates that Old Cat games evolved alongside baseball, as informal or practice versions when there were not enough players for a full game.
One Old Cat is seeing a resurgence as a batting and fielding training game for younger little league and girl softball teams. Two games are played simultaneously on one diamond, one on the home-third line and the other on the first-second line. Because the game is faster-paced than baseball and includes position rotation as a normal element, the chief objection young kids voice about baseball- idle time in the field or waiting to bat – is directly addressed. The usual version is one-against-all and otherwise similar to that described above except, for safety, no "stinging". The game is also well-played with light plastic substitute balls where space is restricted.
External links
- http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/summer/ball/old_cat.htm
- Baseball Before 1860 by Tom Kelleher