Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Baseball “Patronym” Defined

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Baseball Almanac, the “official baseball history site”, has added a “Definition of Father Of Baseball” from the Dickson Baseball Dictionary. The Dictionary has been “hailed as ‘a staggering piece of scholarship’ (Wall Street Journal) and “an indispensable guide to the language of baseball” (San Diego Union-Tribune), The Dickson Baseball Dictionary has become an invaluable resource for those who love the game.” Of the 4 definitions of the “Father of Baseball”, two are of particular interest to us. 2. Patronym sometimes applied to baseball missionary Alexander Joy Cartwright (1820-1892), a bank teller and bookseller, who helped organize the Knickerbocker Base Ball … Continue reading →

Everyone Should Now Be Able To Express Themselves

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Just a quick note concerning blog post feedback. It seems that not everyone has been able to share their thoughts with us. A small number of folks have reported experiencing difficulties when attempting to submit comments to posts (Access Denied). After spending some more “quality” time with GoDaddy support, we believe they have resolved the issue. To those who were affected, thank you for your patience. Feel free to express your thoughts on future posts (or contact us should you encounter any additional issues).

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Are You Experienced?

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The Knickerbocker Base Ball Club has been recreated with the debut of The Knickerbocker Experience at the Gettysburg National 19th Century Base Ball Festival in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania this past weekend. With the club’s special attention to historical accuracy, the debut was both fun and meaningful for ballists and cranks alike. A total of 32 clubs battled in a single elimination tournament. Once a team was eliminated from the tournament, they continued to face other clubs in festival play. The Flat Rock Bear Clan BBC of Michigan emerged victorious, defeating the Rising Sun BBC of Maryland 23-11 for the championship. In … Continue reading →

2021 Year-end Wrap Up

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As 2021 comes to a close, its time to take a quick look back. The COVID-19 pandemic continued although, at times, we started to see light at the end of the tunnel. Sadly, we lost Marjorie Adams, Doc Adams’ great-granddaughter and his greatest champion. After a twice delayed, 5-year wait, Doc Adams was eligible once again for a Hall of Fame ballot. However, after falling just 2 votes short in his first appearance on the 2016 ballot and the subsequent rediscovery of Doc’s handwritten “Laws of Base Ball“, he failed to appear on the 2022 ballot. On a positive note, … Continue reading →

Doc Adams Base Ball Is Now On Twitter

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Well, as everyone knows, Doc Adams was not elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame this year and inexplicably, he wasn’t even named to the Early Baseball Era ballot. So, there is clearly still a lot of work left to do. As promised, the campaign continues as we look for additional opportunities to spread the word about Doc Adams’ contributions and role in the early development and survival of our National Pastime. In that vein, we have established a Twitter account (@DocAdamsBB) that will serve as another forum to communicate our posts (email subscriptions, Facebook, and now Twitter). We … Continue reading →

“To Me, That’s A Bad Election”

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Here are thoughts on the Early Baseball Era Committee. Similar thoughts apply to the Early Baseball Historical Committee that generated the ballot of 10 candidates. The 16-member Early Baseball Era committed elected two former Negro League players into the Hall of Fame last Sunday, and while Bud Fowler and Buck O’Neil are certainly worthy of the honor, five other candidates were left on the outside looking in. One of the 42 for 21 committee members that Jay Jaffe spoke to in Friday’s episode of FanGraphs Audio offered a blunt appraisal of the process when addressing SABR’s Southwest Michigan chapter on Saturday morning. Gary Gillette … Continue reading →

Early Baseball Era Committee Members

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No words… none at all. The 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate charged with the review of the Early Baseball Era features Hall of Fame members Bert Blyleven, Fergie Jenkins, John Schuerholz, Ozzie Smith and Joe Torre; major league executives Bill DeWitt, Ken Kendrick and Tony Reagins; and veteran media members/historians Gary Ashwill, Adrian Burgos Jr., Leslie Heaphy, Jim Henneman, Justice Hill, Steve Hirdt, Rick Hummel and John Thorn. “Golden Days Era Committee, Early Baseball Era Committee Ballots To Be Considered Dec. 5 “, BaseballHall.org

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Historian and Author, Robert D. Sampson, Ph.D., Supports Doc Adams

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As a historian who has researched, written and published a book, several academic journal articles (including two on 1860s-era baseball) and has a manuscript on the early game under review by a publisher, it is clear to me that accuracy is essential. And that develops only out of intensive research revealing verifiable facts—not legends. It is from that perspective that I happily urge the election of Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams to the Baseball Hall of Fame. John Thorn, Major League Baseball’s official historian, and other researchers familiar with the 1840-1860 era have agreed on Adams’ essential role in the game’s … Continue reading →

Baseball’s Book Of Firsts

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‘Baseball’s Book of Firsts‘ by Lloyd Johnson is a “A comprehensive guide to the record-setting achievements of baseball’s greatest players”. Now what would a baseball book of firsts be if it didn’t recognize the first ever shortstop, Doc Adams, the pioneer credited with creating the position. On February 29, 1896, the Sporting News published an article on Dr. D. L. Adams sub-titled ‘Memoirs of the Father of Base Ball’ in which Doc talks about his contributions to the nascent National Pastime.  In this article, Doc Adams is quoted as saying, I used to play shortstop, and I believe I was … Continue reading →