Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 10:25:24 -0500

From: Gregory {Greg} Downing downingg[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IS2.NYU.EDU

Subject: Rubber game (Was Re: Christmas Potpourri....)



At 03:50 AM 12/27/97 EST, you wrote:

RUBBER



Paul Dickson's BASEBALL DICTIONARY says this is "the last and deciding

game of a series when the previous games have been split." No citations or

dates are given in the entry. The term may or may not come from poker.

This is from the Chicago Times, 12 September 1886, pg. 5, col. 2:



WON THE RUBBER./Chicago's Base-Ball Artists Take the Deciding Game from

the Detroit Players.





OED2 rubber n.2 has citations back to 1599 in the sense of "decisive game or

round" in many kinds of matches or contests, often the third of three or

fifth of five.



Greg Downing/NYU, at greg.downing[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]nyu.edu or downingg[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]is2.nyu.edu