Lesson 30

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game"

OBJECTIVES:

To acquaint students with League Park, Cleveland's first "major" league baseball park.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

• Handout 1 - "A Grand Opening"
• Handout 2 - League Park
• Handout 3 - Cleveland Spiders, 1896 - made into an overhead transparency.

TERMS:

League Park, Denton Young, halcyon days

LESSON FOCUS:

1. Why was League Park an important institution in Cleveland life in 1896?

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

1. Have the students read the newspaper account of the opening day at League Park and answer the following questions.
   

   a.	Who was Denton Young?
   b.	Why did the reporter feel baseball was "very much alive" in Cleveland?
   c.	How did the teams arrive in the ball park ?
   d.	Does the actual account of the game differ from the accounts you might read in the Plain Dealer today about an Indians' game? How?
   e.	Only one umpire called the game? Do you think a baseball game could be played today with only one umpire? Why or why not?

2. Have students look at the picture of the team in 1891. How is this team different from the Cleveland team today?
3. Have the students examine the picture of League Park. Have them compare League Park to Jacob's Field. How are the two ball parks the same? How are they different?
4. Have the students look in the Plain Dealer for an account of the opening day at Jacob's Field and have them compare the two accounts.