Baseball: Part 2: Something Like a War

Pitching footage of the "Big Train," Walter Johnson.
"At this time the games tended to be low scoring, dominated by such pitchers as Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, and Grover Cleveland Alexander to the extent that the period 1900–1919 is commonly called the 'Dead-ball era'. The term also accurately describes the condition of the baseball itself. Baseballs cost three dollars apiece, which in 1900 would be equal to $92 today; club owners were therefore reluctant to spend much money on new balls if not necessary. It was not unusual for a single baseball to last an entire game. By the end of the game, the ball would be dark with grass, mud, and tobacco juice, and it would be misshapen and lumpy from contact with the bat. Balls were only replaced if they were hit into the crowd and lost, and many clubs employed security guards expressly for the purpose of retrieving balls hit into the stands—a practice unthinkable today. As a consequence, home runs were rare, and the 'inside game' dominated—singles, bunts, stolen bases, the hit-and-run play, and other tactics dominated the strategies of the time. ..."
W - The dead-ball era: 1900 to 1919
PBS: Part 2: Something Like a War (Video)

Frank "Home Run" Baker of the Philadelphia Athletics, 1913.
SABR: The Rise and Fall of the Deadball Era
Why Did the Baseball Glove Evolve So Slowly? - John Thorn
This Great Game: 1900s Birth of the Modern Age, 1906 The Hitless Wonders, 1907 Cultivation of a Georgia Peach, etc.
NY Times: Rascals and Heroes, Before the Babe, Slideshow, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Major League Baseball: 1908 National League season, with map ...
W - World Series: 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909
amazon: Deadball Era
YouTube: The Glory of Their Times -- Special Edition, Deadball Era Baseball Game Footage (1900-1920), The Faces and Voices of Baseball's Deadball Era

"Legends of the Dead Ball Era" at the Met contains 600 cards out of the 31,000 it holds, the fruit of one man's obsession.