Yearly Archives: 2024

Doc Musings

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“He’s the true father of baseball and you’ve never heard of him.” John Thorn, Official Historian of MLB “Well you know Doc saved baseball.” Fred Ivor Campbell, noted baseball historian and author “Ninety feet between home plate and first base may be the closest man has ever come to perfection.” Red Smith, sportswriter “I indulge the hope that the ‘spirit’ you express of being with us always, may be accompanied by the body on the old Play Grounds. Playing commences on the 21st. James Whyte Davis, baseball pioneer, Knickerbocker Base Ball Club “Resolved, that to him as much if not … Continue reading →

‘Memories And Dreams’ Recognizes Doc Adams

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Memories and Dreams is the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s bi-monthly magazine. It includes in-depth profiles of Hall of Famers and regular features on the historic artifacts, photographs and documents that comprise the Museum’s unparalleled collection. The magazine also features behind-the-scenes stories of the unforgettable legends and moments from the National Pastime. Featuring some of the most respected baseball writers in the world, participants in the Museum’s Membership program receive Memories and Dreams six times a year. In the article, “In Position”, in the Opening Day 2021 issue, Scott Pitoniak, described how the games 10 primary positions (yes, including the … Continue reading →

Bruce Allardice: “Doc Adams Should Be In The Hall Of Fame”

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MLB’s Historian John Thorn has called him “The True Father of Baseball.” He was largely responsible for the innovations that created the “New York game” of baseball, such as a 9-player game, setting the basepath length at 90 feet, and inventing the position of shortstop. These innovations set the New York game apart from the various bat-and-ball games that were common at the time. He was chairman of the first convention of baseball players, in May 1857. At the convention the following year, he chaired the vital Committee on Rules and Regulations. He prepared and presented a first draft of … Continue reading →

It Must Be True, It’s In The Encyclopedia Britannica

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In answer to the question, “who really invented baseball?“ Some semblance of what baseball would become can be traced to 1800s New York as groups of men started crafting their own sets of rules. The Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York gets the credit for the first true effort, with a group of men on the rules committee outlining a 20-rule parameter, dubbed the Knickerbocker Rules, which set foul lines, the paces between bases, the limit of three outs, and, (in a safety-first mentality, no doubt) eliminated the dodgeball-style rule that to get a runner out you could hit … Continue reading →

The Physician As A Sportsman

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The November 16, 1956 edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association, contained Allan J. Ryan, M.D.’s article “The Physician as a Sportsman” which referenced the good doctor. D. L. Adams and James R. Purdy were members of the old Knickerbocker Baseball (sic) Club in New York, one of the last strongholds of the amateur game. “The Physician as a Sportsman”, The Journal of the American Medical Association (Nov 17, 1956), Allan J. Ryan, M.D.

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The Daniel “Doc” Adams Affair

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An interesting, somewhat provocative article was published on Ethics Alarms in 2021. The following excerpt highlights Marjorie’s efforts: This fiasco of historical incompetence and bias is highlighted today because it was announced that Marjorie Adams, the great-granddaughter of Daniel “Doc” Adams, died earlier this month. She had been laboring for years to get “Doc”—yes, he was a real M.D.— the recognition he deserved and to see him finally inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. She lobbied for him on a website, at conferences, at meetings of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and at vintage baseball … Continue reading →

Doc Marries Cornelia

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Daniel Lucius Adams and Cornelia Cook married on May 7, 1861, and they remained together until Adams’ death in 1899. The couple had five children; the first, a son named Charles, died less than a month after his birth in 1864. The others, two sons (Frank and Roger) and two daughters (Catharine and Mary), were born between 1866 and 1874.   “My marriage was the crowning achievement of my life.” – Daniel Lucius Adams, MD Biographical & Historical Record of the Class of 1835 in Yale College (1881)

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Doc Adams Elected Knickerbockers’ Vice-President

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The Knickerbockers held elections annually to determine who would serve as officials. At the club’s second election, held on May 5, 1846, Adams was named the Knickerbockers’ vice president. At an April 1847 meeting, he became the president of the team, and was re-elected in 1848 and 1849. He was the leader of a “Committee to Revive the Constitution and By-Laws” of baseball in 1848.

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If Only, …

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An article on the “Origin of Base Ball” appeared on May 4, 1905, in the Long Beach Evening Tribune. The right questions were being asked back then; however, it wasn’t as easy to find the answers. Had the information available today been accessible, Doc Adams would probably already be in the Hall of Fame. It’s not too late. Hopefully this will be rectified with Doc Adams’ election at the 2024 Winter Meetings and induction as a member of the Class of 2025. Read the full article here.

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Jay Jaffe Weighs In On Era Committee Restructuring

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In April of 2022, Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs wrote an article on the latest restructuring of the Era Committees by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Jaffe’s article, “The Hall of Fame Shakes Up its Era Committee System Yet Again” discusses the history of the Committee rules over time, the latest changes, and an analysis of those changes and their implications. In a post since the changes were announced, we expressed concern that Doc Adams’ road to the Hall of Fame became more challenging. It seemed pretty obvious, and not only to us. Josh Rawich confirmed our thoughts on making … Continue reading →