In 1881 (and really, perhaps today, because I haven’t checked the city code lately), ball playing and “shinney” playing in the public streets were punishable by a fine of $1 for every person thus offending. Shinney was a form of street hockey, really, and it’s hard to imagine how that would have worked on the cobbled streets of Albany. Not clear if the fine also applied to “ghosties,” the player that most of my childhood baseball games couldn’t have gone on without.