“Never in baseball history did an aggregation play such sloppy ball as did Griffith’s club on the Western trip. They didn’t field, they didn’t hit, and they continued to throw away chances by stupid work on the bases. Instead of finishing their struggles with spirit, they invariably tossed off or kicked away the game every time they got a way in front.” “Elberfeld New Manager of Yankees,” Passaic (NJ) News, June 26, 1908, p3
Previous earliest use (Dickson Baseball Dictionary, 3rd edition, 2009):
1918. (Spalding’s Official Base Ball Guide, p.81; Edward J. Nichols).
