Category Archives: Recurring (2025)

Doc’s Knickerbocker Uniform Buttons

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Two uniform buttons from Doc Adams’ Knickerbocker Base Ball Club (ca. 1855). These buttons currently reside in a private collection. They are likely the oldest known surviving piece of baseball uniform with provenance. These are also locked up in a bank vault. We have two buttons that belonged to Doc that are embossed with KBBC on them that they’re a little bit larger than a quarter and they’re studs. They are not regular sew-on buttons. And I showed very detailed pictures of them to Jim Gates at the Hall of Fame at the Library. He’s one of the head researchers … Continue reading →

Doc Adams Appearance On 2016 Hall Of Fame Ballot, Falls Only 2 Votes Short

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Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams, MD appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot for the first, and as of now, ONLY time, on the 2016 Per-integration Era ballot. On December 7, 2015,  the Pre-integration Era Committee announced the results of the voting on the 10 candidates on the 2016 ballot at the MLB Winter Meetings. Candidates needed to receive 12 of 16 votes (75%) for election. The committee failed to elect any one of the 10 candidates. Doc Adams received the highest vote total,  just 2 shy of the required votes required for election. This was Doc’s first time appearing on a … Continue reading →

Remembering Marjorie Adams And Her Great-Grandfather’s Appearance On A HOF Ballot

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Today would have been Marjorie Adams’ 76th birthday. Marjorie’s tireless efforts to spread the story of her great-grandfather, Doc Adams, enlightened and inspired many baseball fans. Marjorie conducted a campaign to educate people on Doc’s role as a pioneer of our National Pastime and his importance to baseball’s survival and growth during its nascent period. Her goal was to see him recognized with long overdue enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. She made many ‘baseball’ friends, particularly in the vintage base ball community. She is greatly missed. When talking about Doc, Marjorie often said that “she has all … Continue reading →

The National Association

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When the Knickerbockers met on December 6, 1856, they resolved “to call a convention of the various base ball clubs of this city and vicinity.” The New York Herald, in reporting on this meeting, observed: “We understand the object of this convention is to promote additional interest in base ball playing, by the getting up of grand matches on a scale not heretofore attempted.” The anticipated outcome would be to inaugurate new clubs and to strengthen existing ones, by conforming the rules and making the game more “scientific” and difficult to play—”manly,” in the preferred term of the day, like … Continue reading →

Doc Adams’ Youngest Son’s Recollections Of His Father

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Roger Cook Adams wrote the “Nestor of Ball Players” about his father in August 1939. Besides some facts about Doc’s contributions, it’s interesting how Roger Cook Adams highlighted how Doc’s passion for the game was invaluable to the early game, The first five years of the existence of the Club were evidently the hardest. Enthusiasm waned and attendance lagged. There was no inter-club rivalry, and often Dr. Adams would go to Elysian Fields and find only two or three others present, compelling them to play “old cat, one or two as the case might be.” The continued existence of the … Continue reading →

The 2025 Classic Baseball Era Ballot

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The National Baseball Hall of Fame‘s BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee released the 2025 Classic Baseball Era ballot Monday, November 4, 2024 (or actually Friday the 1st when the first copies of the Hall of Fame’s bi-monthly magazine, Memories and Dreams, were delivered). Once again, there was a glaring omission from the names on the ballot, Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams. Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,But there is no joy in Mudville— the mighty HISTORICAL OVERVIEW COMMITTEE has struck … Continue reading →

Happy 211th Birthday To Doc Adams!

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a Today marks Doc Adams’ 211th birthday! Hip-Hip-Huzzah! Hip-Hip-Huzzah! Hip-Hip-Huzzah! Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams was born November 1, 1814, in Mont Vernon, NH. He was the fourth of five children born to Daniel Adams, M.D. and Nancy Mulliken Adams. So, today we celebrate Doc Adams’ 211th birthday!

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1860 Beadle’s Dime Base-Ball Player

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In the premier issue of Beadle’s Dime Base-Ball Player, Hall of Famer Henry Chadwick, expresses gratitude to his friend, Dr. Adams. Doc was also listed as delegate to the 1860 National Convention representing the Knickerbockers with his teammate, William Grenelle. As is illustrated by Doc’s name appearing in italics, he still continued to support the ‘catch on the fly’ rule. The rule change was proposed to the NABBP annually by Adams but did not pass. It wasn’t finally instituted in 1864. Doc Adams was elected the presiding officer of the first convention in 1857. The second convention was the birth … Continue reading →