Ball

“ If the ball is attached by an elastic string to some little girl's middle finger how joyfully it springs forth from her hand, how eagerly returns again! When suddenly on one of its trips the elastic snaps, the ball becomes lifeless and rolls listlessly away in the gutter. ”

“ As soon as they saw this blood-red ball of fabulous size roll into the entrance to the river, every man stooped, seized a hot stone, and crying aloud, threw it with all his force against the rolling ball. ”

“ At some uncertain but momentous date, an impetuous player must, after missing the ball with his hand, have kicked out petulantly with his sandalled foot, and so unconsciously made the first experiment in the art of drop-kicking, or punting. Swiftly and strongly the ball flew, farther than it could be cast by the strongest arm or smitten by the lustiest hand; and this must inevitably have been the first step to the later development of the game played with the follis, when it was kicked with the foot or struck with the hand at discretion and convenience. ”

“ At a distance of only fifty feet from a man who can throw a ball like a streak of lightning, or with the same apparent motion, send it so slowly that one will think it is never going to reach him, who can curve it in or out, up or down, the question of hitting the ball at all becomes one of some doubt, to say nothing of "base hits." ”

“ But if base-ball is neither sprung from rounders nor taken bodily from another English game, what is its origin? I believe it to be a fruit of the inventive genius of the American boy. Like our system of government, it is an American evolution, and while, like that, it has doubtless been affected by foreign associations, it is none the less distinctively our own. Place in the hands of youth a ball and bat, and they will invent games of ball, and that these will be affected by other familiar games and in many respects resemble them, goes without saving. ”

“ The ball, which is commonly made of a blown bladder and cased with leather, is delivered in the midst of the ground, and the object of each party is to drive it through the goal of the other, which being achieved the game is won.... When the exercise becomes exceeding violent, the players kick each others’ shins without the least ceremony, and some of them are overthrown at the hazard of their limbs. ”

“ One ball is such a tiny little thing. You can hold sixteen of them in one hand! I have seen a man hold eighteen, and possibly that is the record. Giving a ball four rounds of life, two men could play together morning and afternoon for more than a fortnight with the balls that are held in this hand. But just see how many are needed by the great world of golf! ”

“ The ball is the smallest ball we use, the striking face of the club is the smallest thing used in field sports for hitting a ball, and, most important, perhaps, of all, it is farther away from the eye than any other ball-striking implement, except, perhaps, the polo stick, in which game we, of course, have a much larger ball and striking surface. ”

“ He possessed, and still possesses, a wonderful command of length, with plenty of spin from the off—a considerable variation of flight—a slower ball with several inches of break from leg, delivered, by the way, from almost the palm of the hand, and a ball that, as it comes sailing up the pitch towards you, has every appearance of being intended for a leg break, but which in reality is simply propelled with a large quantity of "top on." ”

“ "What I want to know is what a fellow does when he plays golf. Tell me in as few words as you can just what it's all about."
"You hit a ball with a stick till it falls into a hole." ”

“ Here we have snatching up the ball with a quiver of the wrist, rising with the effort, and a quick step or two to gain power.—Meeting the ball requires a practice of its own, and is a charming operation when you can do it; for the same impetus with which you run in assists the quickness of your return. ”

“ The ball, which weighs about four ounces, is thrown from a basket-work gauntlet or cesta, with a leather glove attached for fastening to the hand, and during a game I have seen the ball sent with such terrific force that it has rebounded from the wall at one end of the court against that at the other. ”

“ The wooden ball is lifted from the ground by means of the spoon-ended cue, and thrown towards the ring—the object of the player being to pass the ball through the ring; and he who succeeds in making any given number of points by fairly ringing his ball, or canoning against the other balls, wins the game. ”

“ When producing the ball, pass it up the back and over the top of the head, and let it fall into the left hand.
5. Appear to take the ball from the left hand, as in "Le Tourniquet" with a coin. Then apparently pass it through the left knee, producing it from underneath.
6. Throw the ball several times from one hand to the other, and finally, when appearing to throw it into the right hand, palm it in the left. Vanish the ball; place the left hand to the nose; and let the ball fall into the right hand. To all appearances it actually comes from the nose. ”

“ A game at ball played with short sticks, and having a hole in the ground in lieu of stumps or wickets as in “Cricket”; and with these exceptions, and the ball being “cop’d,” instead of bowled or trickled on the ground, it is played in the same way; the person striking the ball must be caught out, or the ball must be deposited in the hole before the stick or cudgel can be placed there.—Halliwell’s Dictionary. ”

“ The ball was put in the sand. They gathered round it. The champion of the red belt had the ball. He struck it. When it fell he was shaking it again. Not one man on the strand got a blow at it till he put it to the goal. ”

“ The carom is good, and the points count for the player, even though his ball should be lost; and he continues to play. [A ball is considered lost which goes into a pocket, jumps off the table, or remains on a cushion.]
9. A pushing stroke subjects the player to the loss of the point or points he may have made by that stroke, and puts his ball out of hand.
10. A player who plays before all the balls have ceased rolling loses his stroke, and his hand is out.
11. When the cue-ball is in contact with one or more balls, all are taken up and placed as at the commencement of the game ”

“ A ball, more or less light and soft, is bowled or tossed at any fixed object, which, in turn, is defended by a player armed with a stick, stump, hair-brush, or other instrument. The player counts as many points as he can run backwards and forwards, after hitting the ball, between the object he defends and some more or less distant goal, before the ball is returned. He loses his position when the object he defends is struck by the ball, or when the ball is caught, after he has hit it, before touching the ground. Such is the degraded form of cricket, and such, apparently, was its earliest shape. ”

“ STRING BALL The players stand in a circle around the ball, which is hung by a string—in the open—from the branch of a tree. A player tries to strike it with her hand. Another tries to catch it before she strikes it again. If the ball is not caught the player scores one. She plays until it is caught. Each has a turn. ”

“ A ball hit with the forearm is considered properly in play except for a service. Several players on one side may play on the ball before sending it into the opponents' court. In doing this the ball may bounce once after every time it is hit with the fist. ”

“ If the ball lie or be lost in water, the player may drop a ball, under the penalty of one stroke.
22. Whatever happens by accident to a ball in motion, such as its being deflected or stopped by any agency outside the match, or by the fore-caddie, is a "rub of the green," and the ball shall be played from where it lies. Should a ball lodge in anything moving, such ball, or, if it cannot be recovered, another ball, shall be dropped as nearly as possible at the spot where the object was when the ball lodged in it. ”

“ The young people, especially the girls, have hardly any kind of diversion but that of the ball: this consists in tossing a ball from one to the other with the palm of the hand, which they perform with a tolerable address. ”

“ Now imagine yourself utterly unable to sweep the ball to leg as George Panused to do, and receiving a ball that you cannot reach at the pitch so as to hit with a straight bat—in other words, rather a short ball—what are you to do? If the ball is very short you will probably get back, bring your left foot on a line with, and close to, the right, and try either to make the ball glide off your bat to long-leg or play it with a full face for a single in front of shortleg. ”

“ When a ball seems pitched at the leg stump, hold your bat straight, as it were, for a block; but the moment the bat meets the ball, turn the face of it a trifle round towards you, and the ball will then slip off between your legs and the stumps. ”

“ VOLLEY BALL.—Volley balls are quite similar to basket balls, but slightly smaller and lighter. They are suitable for games in which the ball is batted with the open hand or fist and where it is to be kept continuously in the air, such as the game of Volley Ball. The ball consists of a rubber bladder inclosed in a laced leather cover of white. The official specifications call for a ball not less than 25 nor more than 27 inches in circumference, of weight not less than 9 ounces nor more than 12 ounces. ”

“ The player sets his foot upon his own ball, pressing firmly so as to hold it in place, and with a blow of his mallet, delivered upon his own ball, drives the other ball in whatever direction he may desire. ”

“ It was discovered enclosed in a ball of clay, about the size of a cricket-ball, nearly an inch in thickness, perfectly smooth within, and about 20 inches under ground. The man who first discovered it, not knowing what it was, struck the ball with his spade, by which means it was broken to pieces, or the ball also would have been presented to me. The drawing will perfectly shew how the animal is laid during its dormant state. ”

“ In the 16th century the game of ball was very popular in the courts of the Princes of Europe, especially in Italy and France. It was considered one of the best forms of exercise known for cultivating grace in motion, agility and strength, as well as for promoting general health of body and cheerfulness of disposition. ”

“ The player who wins the choice of balls and lead must either roll his ball down towards the lower cushion, as an object for his [800] adversary to play at, or else compel his adversary to lead off as above described.
2. In leading, the player’s ball must be played from within the string-line, and struck with sufficient strength to carry it beyond the deep-red ball on its appropriate spot at the foot of the table. But it must not be played with such strength as to repass, after coming in contact with the lower cushion, the deep-red ball. ”

“ ANTIQUITY OF THE GAME OF BALL—ARCHÆOLOGY, MYTHOLOGY, TRADITION AND HISTORY NOTE GAMES OF BALL FROM THE BEGINNING OF RECORDED TIME—THE MAN WHO DEVISED BASE BALL. ARCHÆOLOGY contributes its testimony to the antiquity of ball-playing by opening its storehouses of ancient treasures; for, graven on tablets, and temples and monuments, have been found pictures of human figures in the act of playing with balls. ”

“ WE present to our readers a new game of ball, which seems to have those elements in it which ought to make it popular among the Associations. It fills the same place in the gymnasium that foot ball does in the athletic field. Any number of men may play at it, and each one get plenty of exercise ”

“ The ball is not "hailed," unless it is sent between the posts, by one of the side whose duty it is to send it through, and unless it touch the ground. If the ball is sent through by one of the other side, it is not "hailed." The ball should not be kicked out of bounds. ”

“ When the ball, instead of being played against a fixed and inert body, such as a cushion, is played against a moveable sphere, such as itself, the angle formed by the line of direction of the object-ball, and the line of the subsequent course of the cue-ball, will be more obtuse the greater the strength communicated to the cue-ball. ”

“ "Go out and buy me a set of clubs, a red jacket, a cloth cap, a pair of spiked shoes, and a ball."
"One ball?"
"Certainly. What need is there of more?"
"It sometimes happens," I explained, "that a player who is learning the game falls to hit his ball straight, and then he often loses it in the rough at the side of the fairway."
"Absurd!" said Vincent Jopp. "If I set out to drive my ball straight, I shall drive it straight. ”

“ It was a much easier matter to hit the old underhand delivery, with its straight ball, and to send the pigskin screaming through the air and over a low picket fence, than to hit the swift curved ball of to-day and lift it over the high board fences that surround the professional grounds, as any old-time player can testify. ”

“ Playing at a ball whose base or point of contact with the table is outside the “string,” is considered playing out of the “string;” and the stroke is a fair one, even though the side which the cue-ball strikes is hanging over, and therefore within the “string.”
17. Playing directly at a ball that is considered in the “string” is foul, even though the cue-ball should pass wholly beyond the “string” line before coming in contact. ”