The Boone County Journal September 18,, 2017 1 FREE COUNTY LOCAL NEWS, OPINION & HISTORY Real Journalism for a Real Democracy www.boonecountyjournal.com Friday • September 15, 2017 • Vol 22 • Issue 22 No. 1114 growing popularity and a more unified perception of popularity. Take Me Out the sport and its rules. This was the era when many people found their Baseball soon surpassed cricket in popularity as way to Capron Field to watch the Cubs and other to the Ball Game far as sports go. With it, came a transition from an local baseball teams. While it wasn’t at a major- By Bailey Appelhans amateur sport to a professional sport. Even in early league level and audiences weren’t watching Babe For many, the early 20th century is characterized years of the game, some clubs began paying players Ruth hit a homerun, they were still watching one of by a golden age of baseball. to compete. Star players like James Creighton of America’s longstanding traditions. Baseball can be The accompanying photo is of the Capron Excelsior were compensated for their participation. an intense sport, but at it’s heart it’s also a way of baseball team on Main Street in Capron. The Capron To resolve this issue, baseball clubs wishing to pay bringing people together. Cubs, as they were known, often played against other players were later allowed to declare themselves as local teams like the Poplar Grove Merchants and the professional clubs. Belvidere Kelton Cubs. The Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first team A look back at old newspaper articles in the area to openly declare themselves as professional. Twelve reveals that the local baseball teams garnered a lot clubs went on to declare themselves professional in of interest. After all, baseball in general has been a the 1869 season. favorite American pastime by many. The first attempt at a major league was formed by The first known mention of baseball was in a the National Association of Professional Base Ball 1791 Pittsfield, Massachusetts ordinance that banned Players and lasted form 1871 to 1875. There were playing the game within so many yards of a local several more failed attempts at a major league, such town hall. as the National Base Ball League and the American The first team to play baseball under modern rules Base Ball Association. is believed to be the New York Knickerbockers. The This also sparked the introduction of player amateur social club was formed for upper middle contracts that prevented professional players from class citizens of New York. jumping clubs for higher pay. The Knickerbocker Rules, as they are known, As the 20th century began, the “dead-ball era” helped shape baseball into what it is today. For came about. This is said to have lasted until 1919. instance, old rules stated that players could hit a The games were often low scoring and home runs runner with a thrown ball like in kickball. Under the were rare. In addition, baseballs were so expensive Knickerbocker Rules, players have to tag each other. that they were very rarely replaced unless it was This helped to avoid conflicts and fighting on the absolutely necessary. Balls were often deformed and field. misshapen by the end of baseball games because of In 1857, 16 New York baseball clubs formed this. the National Association of Base Ball Players, or Many believe a famous baseball player actually the NABBP. The NABBP was the first organization triggered the end of the dead-ball era. Babe Ruth’s to govern the sport of baseball and also formed ball-hitting ability demonstrated a new way to play a championship. The number of NABBP clubs the game. There was a renewed interest in baseball. increased to about 400 by 1867. This included Following Ruth, there were many other players with different clubs from all over the nation. “power hitting” ability. Baseball fields were expanded During the Civil War, soldiers from all over the to accommodate this talent and the sport’s renewed country played together, which resulted in baseball’s 2 September 15, 2017 The Boone County Journal THE BOONE COUNTY JOURNAL real journalism for a real democracy --In Our Opinion-- Belvidere: It’s Nice To Dream One of the true gifts of being human is our County Planning Department’s website, and we profitability? This is not meant to be insulting, but imagination. Daydreaming allows us to plan. To commend it to you as a highly-entertaining flight of a reflection of the reality of the situation. We would conceptualize. We don’t just aim for the food dish imagination. be glad to be proven wrong, but we don’t see this as or prurient pleasures: As humans, we have a higher viable. consciousness. Reality Bites The problem with this daydream is that it is We use our imagination to fulfill our needs. Standing in the Prairie Tower observatory, we muddying the search for a solution. The question Physical, security, social, self-esteem and self- now direct your attention back to the environs of is not whether to build a hotel in Belvidere. The actualization. We imagine living in a certain way and Belvidere’s “Downtown Transit Center:” question is what do we do with this aging structure aspire to live in a better world. This is good for us. As we have noted before, Belvidere’s downtown on what is an important piece of real estate on an Along these lines, most of us would like to live is in enviable shape. Most of the shopfronts are attractive river? And how long do we wait for an in a community with which we can take great pride. occupied, and one feels safe walking down the street. ephemeral “developer?” One common theme is to visualize one’s hometown It’s an interesting, eclectic, multicultural place. Still, Is there another use for this building? Would it be as a great, thriving metropolis. Consider the daydream it’s a pity that we can’t while away a pleasant summer suitable for condominiums overlooking the river? Are where the high-speed train arrives in downtown from evening there sitting at a table on State with a Sirloin there community organizations or fledgling businesses wherever. When the train stops, it disgorges well- and Scotch on the rocks. who could make use of the premises? Is there another dressed, important-looking businesspeople scurrying The National Sewing Machine Company left a bit possible use? about to conduct their affairs in a romanticized, of unfinished business at Belvidere’s front door. The We propose making a serious analysis of the glamorous setting. company closed sixty years ago, abandoning a large structure and its commercial or other viability. We A good example of this scenario is the Flora building on a prime riverfront site that is now vacant. should not wait indefinitely. If the building is Neighborhood Plan, a development fantasy that was The building is deteriorating rapidly and, with the economically obsolete, it should be demolished concocted for that part of Flora Township that is American economy now in reasonably decent shape, and the site used more productively. Even open immediately west of Chrysler. In the 19-page “story the time has come to decide its fate: space would be preferable to a deteriorating, vacant book,” the designers called for a dense urban utopia. A $30-million-dollar proposal has been made to building. The land is valuable and can contribute to They inform us that the “regional city” we are part of turn the building into a hotel. No funding source to the future prosperity of the city. (which includes Minneapolis) is the “fourth largest make this happen has been identified, except to attract urban constellation” in the US. a “developer.” Affordable, Feasible Naturally, the Flora Neighborhood is centered Putting aside questions of compatibility and around a Metra train station, with trains also stopping whether a hotel is the highest and best use for the Improvements We think Belvidere has potential and we are not alone. in the “Downtown Transit Center” in Belvidere. In property, we certainly wish the aspirants well. We have an attractive river, outstanding proximity to the other direction, these trains serve Downtown As much fun as dreaming is, reality bites. Interstate 90 and O’Hare, a good park system, a strong Rockford and the Rockford Airport. Belvidere and While we would certainly like to encourage industrial base and some interesting architecture. the Flora Neighborhood, we are told, will offer a development in Downtown Belvidere, and with Incremental steps can go a long way toward elevating strong and vibrant community and the best of all all due respect to those who have made an effort Belvidere’s image and prosperity: worlds. Indeed, the Flora Neighborhood will be to study this idea, we cannot visualize how this There are several dozen potentially-valuable the realization of Frank Lloyd Wright’s unbuilt proposal is economically possible. Victorian homes in central Belvidere, many of which Broadacre City. It’s hard not to compare this idea to the Amerock need tender, loving care. These homes are a bargain “One of the prime sites will be the Prairie Tower, Hotel proposal in Downtown Rockford. The proposed for families east of here looking for a place to live. which will boast a variety of uses, offer residents a hotel in Rockford is ludicrous and a tragic waste of Encouraging their rehabilitation would go a long way full-range of services and amenities within walking public money. It is hard for us to imagine demand toward improving Belvidere. distance to the transit center, and provide breathtaking for a high-quality hotel in Downtown Rockford.