Yearly Archives: 2024

The Ballad Of Marjorie Adams

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Time for a little fun. Last year. I took a test drive of Bing’s artificial intelligence search engine and asked it to write a couple of songs about Marjorie Adams, Doc Adams’ greatest champion. Those songs can be found here. This year I decided to ask the latest iteration of the tool to write a ballad about Marjorie’s quest to raise awareness of her great-grandfather, Doc Adams’ Hall of Fame case. The Ballad Of Marjorie Adams She was a daughter of New York, a lover of historyShe was a daughter of New York, a lover of historyShe learned about her … Continue reading →

Doc Resigns From The Knickerbockers

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On March 26, 1862, Doc tendered his resignation from the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club. I shall not be able to attend the meeting of the Club this evening, and furthermore feel compelled to tender my resignation of membership. I do this with great reluctance, but in accordance with a determination, long since formed, never to remain an inactive non-playing member. It will be impossible for me to play during the coming season, but although absent in body I shall be present in spirit. My interest in the Club will never cease, nor can I forget the many happy hours spent … Continue reading →

1860 NABBP Convention

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The Rules Committee, chaired by Dr. Daniel Adams of the Knickerbockers, had met in February to make recommendations to the convention on rule changes, and Adams reported that the committee was unanimously in favor of the fly game. A debate then ensued, with Judge Van Cott supporting the bound version and Dakin and Frank Pidgeon of the Eckfords arguing in favor of the fly game. Thirty-seven delegates voted for the fly game while 55 voted against it. For another year, at least as far as the official rules were concerned, the bound game would be the game of National Association … Continue reading →

Spreading Doc Adams Awareness in Japan

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Not long ago I received an email from Tetsuro Tanino, a staffwriter for a Japanese newspaper, the The Tokyo Shimbun. He was “in the process of researching baseball shortstop and learned that Daniel Adams was the world’s first shortstop.” He had asked to use Doc’s picture and just recently sent a copy of the article (see below) with a note (translated by an AI translator). He said that, “The article is about 170 years ago, there was a wonderful man named Daniel Adams in the United States, and he was the first person to defend the shortstop in baseball. Baseball … Continue reading →

A Poem And A Ballad For Doc Adams

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Time for a little fun. Last year. I took a test drive of Bing’s artificial intelligence search engine and asked it to write a poem and a song about Doc Adams, The poem and song can be found here. This year I decided to ask the latest iteration of the tool to write a poem about “Doc Adams Hall of Fame case” and ballad about “Doc Adams’ life, accomplishments, contributions to baseball and his Hall of Fame case”. AI does not seem to be there yet; however, it does make a case for Doc. Doc Adams’ Hall Of Fame Case … Continue reading →

“The Father of Baseball”: A Biography of Henry Chadwick

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In his book, “”The Father of Baseball”: A Biography of Henry Chadwick”, Andrew J. Schiff states: “At this particular stage, only one other person, Dr. Daniel “Doc” Adams of the Knickerbockers, may have had more influence. Doc Adams was elected presiding officer of the first convention of baseball players and was credited with many of the game’s early innovations.”

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A Quick Doc Adams Chat With Bing

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Last year, Bing, introduced a new web search engine that can help you find information and answers on the internet. It is a web search engine that can also chat with you and generate various types of content such as poems, stories, code and more. It uses Artificial Intelligence techniques to understand your queries and provide relevant and engaging responses. The reason I’m talking about this is that I decided to take it for a test drive with no other topic than Doc Adams. Some results have been questionable. I debated with it as to whether Doc Adams had ever … Continue reading →

The San Diego Lawyer On The Basics Of Baseball

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In the Mar/Apr 2021 issue of San Diego Lawyer, George W. Brewster, Jr.’s regular history column covers the “The Basics of Baseball”. His column discusses early baseball, the rediscovery of Doc Adams’ handwritten “Laws of Base Ball“, and their “almost mythical cadence”. Brewster quotes John Thorn’s declaration of Doc Adams as “the true father of baseball”. He also talks to and about the super fan, Hayden Trubitt, the current owner of the “Laws of Base Ball”. Trubitt, a lawyer and former President of the San Diego County Bar Association, purchased the Laws at auction for over $3 million in 2016.

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2nd Base Ball Convention Convened

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On March 10, 1858 the 2nd Base Ball convention was held in New York. The chairman named the following committees: On Rules: D.L. Adams, C. Place, Jr., T.G. Voorhis, G. Van Cott, T.F. Jackson, W.A. Sears, Francis Pidgeon, W. Cauldwell, A.B. Taylor. “Baseball’s 19th Century Winter Meetings, 1857-1900, SABR, Robert Tholkes (2018) Logically, the meeting before the 1858 season would concentrate on fine-tuning the 1857 changes after a season’s experience with them. Proposals not accepted in 1857 would resurface, among them the “fly rule,” called strikes and the use of flat bats. Also, contentiousness over which was the “champion club” … Continue reading →