Games that preceded baseball
From SABR Encyclopedia
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== The major predecessor games == | == The major predecessor games == | ||
| - | * Base, or base-ball or bass-ball | + | * Base, or base-ball or bass-ball or baste ball |
| + | * Round Ball or Massachusetts Game (eastern New England, upstate New York) | ||
| + | * Philadelphia Town Ball (Pennsylvania) | ||
| + | * Western Town Ball (Cincinnati, St. Louis region, the South) | ||
| + | * Wicket (eastern New England, upstate New York, northern plains states) | ||
* Cricket (in several US regions) | * Cricket (in several US regions) | ||
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After about 1870, "Town Ball" or sometimes "Old Fashioned Base Ball" was used to refer retrospectively broadly to four-base variants, notably town ball and round ball, terms that would have been unfamiliar to the original participants. | After about 1870, "Town Ball" or sometimes "Old Fashioned Base Ball" was used to refer retrospectively broadly to four-base variants, notably town ball and round ball, terms that would have been unfamiliar to the original participants. | ||
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* Bat ball – northeast US | * Bat ball – northeast US | ||
* Bat-and-ball – mostly northeast US | * Bat-and-ball – mostly northeast US | ||
| + | * Cat Ball | ||
* Chermany (Chumney, Chuminy) – US south | * Chermany (Chumney, Chuminy) – US south | ||
* Dutch Long | * Dutch Long | ||
| + | * Goal Ball | ||
* Long Ball | * Long Ball | ||
* Long Dutch | * Long Dutch | ||
* Long Town | * Long Town | ||
| + | * The Old-Cat games – One Old Cat (also one o’cat), Two Old Cat, Three Old Cat, Four Old Cat | ||
* Old Hundred -- US south | * Old Hundred -- US south | ||
* Round Cat – US south | * Round Cat – US south | ||
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* Shinty – resembled field hockey | * Shinty – resembled field hockey | ||
* Stow Ball – resembled field hockey or golf | * Stow Ball – resembled field hockey or golf | ||
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| + | == Unrelated game == | ||
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| + | * Prisoner's Base | ||
== Lost Games == | == Lost Games == | ||
Revision as of 14:49, 10 May 2010
This list is compiled from the Protoball Glossary; the full glossary contains about 200 games, chiefly baserunning running games involving balls or, sometimes, "cats" (short lengths of wood that could be hit away).
Contents |
The major predecessor games
- Base, or base-ball or bass-ball or baste ball
- Round Ball or Massachusetts Game (eastern New England, upstate New York)
- Philadelphia Town Ball (Pennsylvania)
- Western Town Ball (Cincinnati, St. Louis region, the South)
- Wicket (eastern New England, upstate New York, northern plains states)
- Cricket (in several US regions)
After about 1870, "Town Ball" or sometimes "Old Fashioned Base Ball" was used to refer retrospectively broadly to four-base variants, notably town ball and round ball, terms that would have been unfamiliar to the original participants.
Rarer predecessor base-running games
- "American Cricket" – very rare
- Bandy Wicket
- Bat ball – northeast US
- Bat-and-ball – mostly northeast US
- Cat Ball
- Chermany (Chumney, Chuminy) – US south
- Dutch Long
- Goal Ball
- Long Ball
- Long Dutch
- Long Town
- The Old-Cat games – One Old Cat (also one o’cat), Two Old Cat, Three Old Cat, Four Old Cat
- Old Hundred -- US south
- Round Cat – US south
- Round Town – US south
- Rounders – rarely reported in US
- Single-wicket Cricket
- Stoolball – rarely reported in US
- Trap-ball – only sometimes a running game
- Variant names implying the use of plugging: burn ball, patch ball, soak ball, sting ball, and touch-ball
More distant relatives of base ball
- Non-Team Games: Barn Ball, Move-Up, One Two Three, Scrub, Work-Up
- Games without Bats: Bat-ball (conjectured) Boston Ball, Kickball, Punchball
- Fungo Games: Cat and Dog, Evansville Townball, Hit-the-Bat, Indian Ball, Over-the-Line
Unrelated ballgames
- Bandy - a game resembling field hockey
- Bull Pen
- Corner Ball
- Fives – like modern (non-team) handball, racquetball
- Hand ball – like modern (non-team) handball, racquetball
- Hurley- like field hockey or golf
- Pall Mall – resembled croquet
- Shinty – resembled field hockey
- Stow Ball – resembled field hockey or golf
Unrelated game
- Prisoner's Base
Lost Games
These names refer to games that were played historically, but whose nature has not yet been re-discovered. Some of these games may not have resembled base ball.
- Ball Stand
- Base Dodge Ball
- Batton
- Drive
- GiGi-ball
- Hook-em-Snivy
- Mickey
- Norwegian Ball
- Skip
- Square Ball
- Swede Ball
- Touch-the-Ball
- Tripball
- Up-ball
