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|---|---|
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382 stories matching balling
- Seattle's Nonpareils Outplay Tacoma in a Thrilling Baseball Match
The junior champions of the Northwest dominated Tacoma with professional teamwork and acrobatic fielding, thrilling a crowd at Madison Street ball park.
- John Wiley's Whiskers Steal a 25–15 Ballgame
A comedian's two-base hit, a 1,000-person crowd, and a disastrous first inning turned a grudge match between the Jacobites and Philistines into Seattle's strangest sporting spectacle of 1894.
- The First Lacrosse Game Ever Played in Seattle
Five hundred spectators packed Madison Street Park as picked teams from Victoria introduced the city to lacrosse — and a stocky second-home nicknamed 'Billy' ran away with the show.
- The Ball That Burned: A Seattle Saloon Mystery
In 1876, a patron at John Brendle’s beer saloon discovered that one of the billiard balls was made of highly flammable material, igniting instantly when pressed against his pipe.
- A Football Scandal Roils Whitman College
Coach Knight of the University of Washington accuses Wiley Lasater of dirty play, and the campus erupts as students and President Penrose weigh in.
- The Night Seattle's Young Men Came to the Ball Alone
At the Olympic Tennis Club's Seattle Theater ball, many eligible young men arrived stag. Their excuse was simple: carriages, bouquets and suppers had made courtship too expensive.
- Kent Threw a Civic Ball to Buy a Fire Hose
When the town's fire hose fell apart under pressure, Mayor Overlock and the council turned a Washington's Birthday ball into a fundraiser—and sold tickets to nearly everyone in town.
- The Ballad of the Hungry Dancers: How Seattle’s Laborers Turned a Formal Dance into a Food Fight
When the Sailors’ Union hosted its first annual ball at Turner’s Hall, the orchestra played waltzes with captions like 'I am Hungry' and 'We Eat.' The result was a legendary night of dancing, dining, and civic pride that defined Seattle’s working-class culture.
- The Masquerade Scandal of 1885
A Seattle man is arrested for cross-dressing at a public masquerade ball, leaving society columnists to offer their moralizing take on his 'vice.'
- The Tigers' Disastrous Home Opener
Six thousand Tacoma fans endure a sloppy, demoralizing loss at the hands of the Oakland ball club, prompting local sports writers to question the team's heart.
- The Baseball Game the Gamblers Paid Stanford to Lose
A Tacoma betting ring recruited Stanford’s manager, pitcher, catcher and fielder to throw a game for $500. Captain Sheehan refused $100 — and then played like a demon to win it anyway.
- Kennewick Builds a Ballpark to Lure the Pasco Team
Charles Conway donates land near the bridge for a first-class diamond and grandstand, hoping to bring the best team in Central Washington to play home games on this side of the river.
- Firefighters’ Masquerade Ball Honors Washington’s Birthday
A lively community celebration on Washington’s birthday brought a colorful mix of costumes to Koehler’s hall.
- A Deadly Base on Balls Costs Seattle a Win
Despite a late rally and a hard-fought pitcher's battle, the Seattle baseball club fell to Spokane after a shaky ninth inning defined by control issues.
- The Day the Ball Vanished in the Woods
A spectacular home run at the Seattle Athletic Club game clears the fence and lands in the thicket, a feat never seen in amateur ball before.
- An Aerial Bust at the Snohomish Ball Game
A much-anticipated airplane exhibition turns into a mud-caked failure, but the local baseball game saves the day for the fans.
- A Night to Remember in Old Steilacoom
A dusty invitation to a long-forgotten ball reveals the social life of Washington Territory 25 years prior, documenting the vanishings of a frontier community.
- Kennewick High School Clinches Gridiron Victory Over Prosser
A scrappy afternoon of football ends in a 12-7 win for the home team after a tense defensive battle.
- The Town and the Team
Oroville celebrates a victory on the diamond, even if the play was a bit 'scaley.'
- The Grand Pythian Ball at the Hotel Monte Cristo
Everett’s social calendar hit a peak in 1894 with a lavish ball hosted by the Knights of Pythias for hundreds of local guests.
- The Last Laugh of 'Old Si': A Black Veteran's Take on War and Wages in Pioneer Seattle
In a rare moment of candid journalism from 1877, the *Daily Intelligencer* sits down with 'Old Si,' a local African American man who served as a Union soldier. His unvarnished take on racial loyalty, wages, and the upcoming Centennial Exposition reveals the complex social fabric of early Seattle.
- A Death-Trap Elevator in the Ball Block
An 18-year-old stenographer is critically injured after stepping into an open elevator shaft in downtown Tacoma, highlighting a pattern of mechanical neglect.
- The Ball That Shook Seattle: A Night of Masks, Money, and 'Transposed Sexes'
In the damp cold of February 1877, Seattle’s elite gathered for a masquerade ball that defied social norms, featuring cross-dressing performers and a prize for the 'best sustained character'—a rare glimpse into the territory's vibrant, chaotic social life.
- Bullets Through the Parlor: A Waterfront Shooting Spree Terrifies a Seattle Family
A late-night rifle-and-revolver crowd near Stone & Burnett's wharf has turned Mrs. P. Andrews's house into a target, and police still cannot find the shooters.
- The Fifteen-Inning Thriller at Madison Street Park
A grueling, marathon baseball game between Seattle and Spokane ends in a walk-off home run that turns the crowd into 'howling maniacs.'
Also about this, in other words
- Baseball Returns to Everett
Jack Healy’s renovated park opens for the season with a hard-fought game against Vancouver.
- Baseball on a Waxed Floor
A drizzling rain turned Seattle's Madison Street Park into a mud pit, forcing players to do more 'ground and lofty tumbling' than actual base running.
- The Business of the Ballpark: Baseball's Early Labor Disputes in the Northwest
In 1891, the Pacific Northwest Baseball League met in Tacoma to institute strict player contracts and salary caps, signaling the end of the 'wild west' era of professional athletics in Washington.
- Seattle's Public Ball Grounds Ruined by Grading
Young athletes find their field, cleared and maintained at their own expense, rendered useless by city infrastructure work.
- The Presbyterian Ball Controversy
A proposed tournament and dance in Seattle triggers anxiety and confusion within the First Presbyterian Church congregation.
- The Last Swing at Madison Street Park
A hard-fought benefit game for the local professional baseball team draws a crowd to say goodbye to the season.
- The Unpaid Ballplayer: Seattle's 1891 Baseball Scandal
When the Spokane Falls baseball team failed to pay their players, the National Board of Control stepped in to change the rules of the game—and the era of player agency was born.
- The Football Defense: A 19th-Century Debate on Brutality
Readers spar in the pages of the Post-Intelligencer over whether American college football is a ‘scientific’ athletic endeavor or a barbaric ‘prized-fight’ masquerading as sport.