E-text prepared by Jerry Kuntz as part of the Lawson's Progress Project, http://www.lawsonsprogress.com Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 19652-h.htm or 19652-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/9/6/0/19652/19652-h/19652-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/9/6/0/19652/19652-h.zip) A BALL PLAYER'S CAREER Being the PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND REMINISCENCES of ADRIAN C. ANSON Late Manager and Captain of the Chicago Base Ball Club 1900 To My Father Henry Anson of Marshalltown, Iowa, to whose early training and sound advice I owe my fame CONTENTS CHAP. I.--MY BIRTHPLACE AND ANCESTRY. II.--DAYS AT MARSHALLTOWN III.--SOME FACTS ABOUT THE NATIONAL GAME IV.--FURTHER FACTS AND FIGURES V.--THE GAME AT MARSHALLTOWN VI.--My EXPERIENCE AT ROCKFORD VII.--WITH THE ATHLETICS OF PHILADELPHIA VIII.--SOME MINOR DIVERSIONS IX.--WE BALL PLAYERS Go ABROAD X.--THE ARGONAUTS OF 1874 XI.--I WIN ONE PRIZE AND OTHERS FOLLOW XII.--WITH THE NATIONAL LEAGUE XIII.--FROM FOURTH PLACE TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP XIV.--THE CHAMPIONS OF THE EARLY '80S XV.--WE FALL DOWN AND RISE AGAIN XVI.--BALL PLAYERS EACH AND EVERY ONE XVII.--WHILE FORTUNE FROWNS AND SMILES XVIII.--FROM CHICAGO TO DENVER XIX.--FROM DENVER TO SAN FRANCISCO XX.--TWO WEEKS IN CALIFORNIA XXI.--WE VISIT THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS XXII.--FROM HONOLULU TO AUSTRALIA XXIII.--WITH OUR FRIENDS IN THE ANTIPODES XXIV.--BALL PLAYING AND SIGHT-SEEING IN AUSTRALIA XXV.--AFLOAT ON THE INDIAN SEA XXVI.--FROM CEYLON TO EGYPT XXVII.--IN THE SHADOW OF THE PYRAMIDS XXVIII.--THE BLUE SKIES OF ITALY XXIX.--OUR VISIT TO LA BELLE FRANCE XXX.--THROUGH ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND IRELAND XXXI.--"HOME, SWEET HOME" XXXII.--THE REVOLT OF THE BROTHERHOOD XXXIII.--MY LAST YEARS ON THE BALL FIELD XXXIV.--IF THIS BE TREASON, MAKE THE MOST OF IT XXXV.--HOW MY WINTERS WERE SPENT XXXVI.--WITH THE KNIGHTS OF THE CUE XXXVII.--NOT DEAD, BUT SLEEPING XXXVIII.--L'ENVOI CHAPTER I. MY BIRTHPLACE AND ANCESTRY. The town of Marshalltown, the county seat of Marshall County, in the great State of Iowa, is now a handsome and flourishing place of some thirteen or fourteen thousand inhabitants. I have not had time recently to take the census myself, and so I cannot be expected to certify exactly as to how many men, women and children are contained within the corporate limits.