Southpaw (Sporting News, 1886)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

http://www.left-handersday.com/pop_up.html

   Lefthander's Day was August 13th.  I was a little busy, and then there was
a blackout.  I forgot to celebrate.  Oh, they're all a lefthanded bunch of
leftists, anyway.
   Merriam-Webster's 11th has 1891 for "southpaw."  Way off.
   I think David Shulman has an 1885 SPORTING LIFE citation in Paul Dickson's
BASEBALL DICTIONARY.  There are some (mostly bad) hits in ancestry.com.  This
is from THE SPORTING NEWS in Paper of Record.


   17 May 1886, THE SPORTING NEWS, pg. 1, col. 2:
   Harvey Walbridge, he of the south paw, from Ventura, will some day find
himself the bright particular star on some Eastern diamond.

   5 July 1886, THE SPORTING NEWS, pg. 1, col. 5:
   Parsons the "South Paw" twirler of the Bostons, has signed with the
Rochesters.

   18 October 1886, THE SPORTING NEWS, pg. 5, col. 3:
   The championship season closed last Sunday with O'Neil in the lead in
batting, Comiskey in fielding, and George Munson, the phenomenal south paw,
scoring.

   13 November 1886, THE SPORTING NEWS, pg. 1, col. 4:
   De Pangher (Danger) has been down there ever since the Californian woke up
that sleepy old town by winning every game but one they played with their
champions, and is now catching for that southpaw cyclone, genial Harvey
Walbridge.

   31 December 1886, THE SPORTING NEWS, pg. 1, col. 2:
   South Paw Morris says Ramsey, of the Louisvilles, is the only pitcher
whose delivery will not be affected under the new pitching rules next season.


(Perhaps Gerald Cohen's 19th century baseball group has the earliest
citations?...I could check the Los Angeles Times for Harvey Walbridge, but the tiny
print is nearly illegible--ed.)