Page:History of Oregon Newspapers.pdf/520

511 Wordsworth was hit very hard during the fore part of the game, but after the fifth inning he settled down and pitched good ball, allowing but one hit in the last four innings. Playing began in a drizzling rain, which continued during the greater part of the game. Notwithstanding the slippery condition of the grounds both teams put up splendid fielding. But one error was scored against each side, and both of these were due to the men, who attempted to field the ball, slipping in the mud. Seattles opened up as if they intended to knock Wordsworth out of the box, making four hits in succession in the first inning. These resulted in two runs. They continued their hard hitting for the first half of the game, but the splendid support behind Wordsworth kept down the score. In the fourth they started another fusillade of hits, and piled up five without stopping, bringing in four runs. For eight innings the Portlands struggled bravely but unsuccessfully to get a man around the bases. Although Camp sent several to first on balls, no one could hit the balls safely. In the ninth, by a desperate rally, the visitors saved themselves from a shutout, scoring two runs on an error, a hit, and a couple of stolen bases. About 200 enthusiasts braved the elements and witnessed the game.

The box score followed.

The day of liberal space allotment for sports news had not yet arrived. In the issue of September 20, 1896, a 20-page paper, with 140 columns of space, sport news received only one column in all, or less than one per cent.

The sports represented were track, baseball, rowing, boxing, racing, and there was no comment. In a 20-page Oregonian issued October 25 of the same year sports received 2½ columns, or about 2 per cent. Football, boxing, racing, bicycling, and foot-racing were described. There was a football cartoon. By-lines on sports had not yet appeared, as, for that matter, by-lines were scarce on any type of matter.

Another Portland paper, John Milliken's little Portland Examiner, was giving only a few inches a day to sports. The issue of May 22, 1891, contained only a few inches—only 1½ inches for all baseball. Fighting was the only sport given prominence. The Corbett-Jackson fight at San Francisco received first-page space. There was no local sport news.

The days of bare-fact sports reporting plus a bit of vague, general comment were showing signs of passing. The Oregonian for January 20, 1891, carried under a three-deck head, nearly a column of horse-racing news, some of it local and beginning to be personal and gossipy. Thus, one of the items: