Yearly Archives: 2024

Doc Adams And The Rules

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Three amendments to the rules were proposed and received by Dr. Jones (Excelsior), the chairman of the Rules Committee; however, because the committee did not present these to the convention committee prior to the 1862 meeting, no changes to the playing rules could officially be made. Two events had resulted in the Rules Committee being unable to forward its recommended changes before the convention. In March of 1862, Dr. Adams (Knickerbocker) resigned from the Knickerbocker Club as well as the Rules Committee, married, and moved to Connecticut. Judge William Van Cott (Gotham) traveled to Centerville, Virginia, in the middle of November to … Continue reading →

Peter Mancuso Comments On Doc Adams

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Peter Mancuso, the Co-Chair of the Nineteenth Century Committee of the Society of American Baseball Research, recently commented on one of our posts. We wanted to take a moment to highlight his comments to all our followers. Each year, since 2009, SABR’s Nineteenth Century Committee has been behind the Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legends Project, under the excellent supervision of Project Co-Chairs, Adam Darowski and Joe Williams and their sub-committee members. First only Nineteenth Century Committee members, and now, all SABR members are eligible to vote for a 19th Century baseball person, not yet selected for induction in the National … Continue reading →

Knickerbockers Vs. Empires: The Fly Game

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On August 10, 1859, the Knickerbockers played the Empires at Elysian Fields.It was the first game of the 1859 season between these two teams, however, it was not a regular match as they played “the fly game”. In the fly game, the ball must be caught “on the fly” to be an out rather on one bounce. The Knickerbockers won the contest 59-33. Doc Adams played “centre field”. He had 5 “Hands Lost” (a player was charged with a Hand Lost every time he made an out at bat or on the basepaths) but scored 5 runs. On an interesting … Continue reading →

A Pitch For Doc Adams In Cooperstown

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The Vintage Base Ball community is rallying behind long-overlooked baseball pioneer Doc Adams by sponsoring “A Pitch For Doc Adams” events to raise awareness of baseball pioneer, Doc Adams, and his Hall of Fame case. Clubs across the country are hosting mid-19th century style base ball games to raise awareness of the many contributions of Daniel Lucius Adams, MD (aka “Doc”) to our National Pastime during its nascent period. The events, dubbed “A Pitch for Doc Adams”, are one of several types planned throughout the year by vintage base ball teams across the U.S. Each event seeks to draw attention … Continue reading →

Memories Of The Father Of Base Ball (Part 1)

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Buffalo, New York August 1939 Written by: Roger Cook Adams “During the present year when the centennial of the first out-break of base ball is being celebrated at Cooperstown, it may be of interest to record the important part played in the development of the game by an early member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York.” … “The Knickerbockers were unquestionably the first organized base ball club, followed by the Gothams in 1850, and the Eagles of Brooklyn in 1852. Their membership was comprised of young lawyers, doctors, merchants, bank and insurance clerks and others who could … Continue reading →

Doc Adams Base Ball Biography (Recognition)

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Some recent highlights: 2011: John Thorn ‘re-discovers’ Doc Adams in his classic, “Baseball in the Garden of Eden”. 2011: Friends of Vintage Base Ball sponsor Doc Adams Day 2014: Selected as SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend 2015: The Old Time Base Ball Fesival held at Old Bethpage Village Restoration, the longest running annual Vintage Base Ball Festival of its kind, was renamed Doc Adams Old Time Base Ball Festival. 2016: Appeared on The National Baseball Hall of Fame Pre-Integration Era ballot, garnering 10 of 12 votes necessary for election. 2017: Inaugural Doc Adams Birthplace Classic Vintage Base Ball … Continue reading →

The 2024 Annual Doc Adams Old Time Base Ball Festival

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The 2024 Annual Doc Adams Old Time Base Ball Festival was held last weekend (August 3-4) at Old Bethpage Village Restoration. In 2015, this longest running annual vintage base ball festival of its kind was renamed in honor of Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams. This year’s festival once again lived up its reputation as a must see for baseball fans, history buffs, and anyone looking for a day of outdoor fun. It was hot, hot, hot and the ballists and cranks did their best to keep cool and stay hydrated. But even the heat couldn’t put a damper on the event … Continue reading →

Jay Jaffe (Fan Graphs) Expresses Support

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Jay Jaffe of Fan Graphs has expressed his support several times for the induction of Doc Adams into the National Hall of Fame. He made a good point back in January 2020. Here’s some thoughts from Jay Jaffe in Sports Illustrated back in December 2015: Doc Adams, pioneer Roll over, Abner Doubleday, and tell Alexander Cartwright the news. No less an authority than MLB official historian John Thorn called Daniel Lucius Adams “first among the Fathers of Baseball” in a 1993 essay for Total Baseball and “the most significant figure in the early history of baseball” in his 2011 book … Continue reading →

The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870

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The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 by Marshall D. Wright is a history of the N.A.B.B.P. and has a couple of references to Doc Adams as well as several box scores. The two extracts are shown after Amazon’s description of the book:: Before the onset of professional baseball, there existed a myriad of teams and players going back to the 1840s. The early years centered around an organization known as the National Association of Base Ball Players. This group, the antecedents of which date to 1857, governed the world of baseball until the formation of the first all-professional … Continue reading →

2017 Facebook Live: Marjorie Adams And Tom Fesolowich

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With the 27th Doc Adams Old Time Base Ball Festival kicking off today at the Old Bethpage Restoration Village, it seemed like a good time for a flashback to 2017 when Marjorie Adams sat down with Tom “Big Bat” Fesolowich to discuss her great-grandfather, baseball pioneer, Doc Adams.

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