“Soaking,” “patching,” or “plugging” refers to an early method in baseball where a fielder could put a baserunner out by hitting them with a thrown ball instead of tagging them, similar to how players are put out in kickball.
This rule was common in informal or town ball games in the early 19th century and was part of the “Massachusetts Game” and other baseball variants before the New York rules1 gained dominance. Soaking was seen as practical in the days before gloves, but it was also dangerous, often leading to injuries. By the time the Knickerbocker Rules2 were codified in 1845 in New York,
plugging was omitted in favor of tagging, contributing to the standardization of the modern rules of baseball. The New York version of the game, which emphasized tagging and introduced foul lines and three-strike rules, eventually overtook the Massachusetts Game and its variations, partly because it was safer and better suited for organized play. Plugging disappeared from codified rules by the 1850s as the New York game spread and became the foundation of modern baseball.
Goose pulling was a brutal blood sport popular in parts of Europe and colonial America from the 17th through the 19th centuries, particularly among Dutch, German, Spanish, and Flemish communities. In this event, a live goose was suspended by its feet from a rope stretched across a road or square, and participants—typically on horseback—galloped past and attempted to grab and pull off the goose’s greased head.
The goose was often smeared with butter or soap to make it more difficult to grip, and the person who succeeded in decapitating the bird was declared the winner, often receiving the goose as a prize. The event was often part of larger festivals or Shrovetide celebrations3. Despite its popularity, goose pulling was increasingly criticized for its cruelty, especially as animal welfare awareness grew in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Laws banning cruelty to animals, especially in Western Europe and North America, led to the sport’s decline and eventual banning in many regions by the early 20th century. In some areas, notably parts of Spain and Belgium, sanitized versions using dead or artificial geese still occur today as folkloric traditions.
Board track racing was a thrilling but dangerous form of motor racing—mainly for motorcycles and early automobiles—that gained popularity in the United States from the 1910s through the late 1920s, featuring oval or circular tracks made entirely of wooden planks, often pine,
with steeply banked turns that enabled racers to reach speeds over 100 mph. These tracks, called “motordromes,” were expensive to build and maintain, and in many cases were disassembled and moved across the country to new locations, a practice that over time
compromised structural integrity and safety. Races were typically short, with few formal safety regulations, and the sport became notorious for frequent, often fatal accidents involving drivers, riders, and spectators alike, worsened by splintering boards, fire hazards, and the absence of guardrails.
As public concern over safety grew and maintenance costs mounted, the popularity of board track racing rapidly declined. By the early 1930s, the sport had effectively vanished, with most motordromes dismantled or abandoned in favor of safer dirt or paved circuits.
Footnotes
- The New York rules in baseball refer to the standardized set of rules developed by the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York in 1845, largely credited with laying the foundation for the modern game. Drafted by Alexander Cartwright and his fellow club members, these rules introduced several innovations that distinguished them from earlier informal variants like the Massachusetts Game, including the use of a diamond-shaped infield, three-strike strikeouts, foul lines, tagging runners instead of “soaking” (hitting them with the ball), and bases placed 90 feet apart. The Knickerbocker Rules also formalized nine-player teams and nine-inning games, though these features evolved over time. These rules spread quickly through organized clubs and were codified and expanded in 1857 at a convention of northeastern baseball clubs, eventually becoming the dominant format as the National Association of Base Ball Players formed in 1858. The adoption of the New York rules is considered the key transition point from bat-and-ball folk games to modern baseball. ↩︎
- The Knickerbocker Rules, codified in 1845 by the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York—largely under the leadership of Alexander Cartwright—were the first formalized set of baseball rules and marked a critical step in the development of modern baseball. These twenty rules established key features such as a diamond-shaped infield with bases spaced 90 feet apart, three outs per inning, the prohibition of “soaking” (putting a runner out by hitting them with the ball), and the requirement that runners be tagged or forced out. The rules also specified that the game would end when one team scored 21 runs, rather than being based on a set number of innings (the nine-inning format came later). While not all elements would survive into the modern game, the Knickerbocker Rules laid a structured foundation that separated baseball from older bat-and-ball games like town ball, leading to wider adoption and further refinement by other clubs and eventually by national governing bodies. ↩︎
- Shrovetide celebrations refer to the traditional Christian festivities held in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a period of fasting and penitence. Rooted in the concept of “shriving” or confession and absolution of sins, Shrovetide—particularly Shrove Tuesday—was historically a time for indulgence in rich foods like eggs, butter, and meat before the Lenten fast began. In many European cultures, it evolved into a season of carnivalesque revelry marked by feasting, games, parades, masquerades, and sometimes raucous or violent folk customs, such as the English tradition of mob football or the aforementioned goose pulling in parts of continental Europe. While Shrovetide customs vary widely, they commonly blend Christian ritual with pre-Christian or secular folk practices and remain most vibrant in celebrations like Mardi Gras in France and the U.S., Fastnacht in Germany, and Carnaval in Latin countries. ↩︎
Further Reading
Sources
- Medium “The Laws of Baseball … and the “Unchanging Game”” https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/the-laws-of-baseball-and-the-unchanging-game-1acf3faa96b3
- Wikipedia “Goose pulling” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goose_pulling
- speedwayandroadracehistory “1910 – LOS ANGELES MOTORDROME (PLAYA DEL REY)” http://www.speedwayandroadracehistory.com/los-angeles-motordrome.html
