Today’s post is a bit of a sidebar. If you follow our site, you are familiar with the ‘Laws of Base Ball’, especially Doc Adams’ handwritten 1st draft. However, you may or not be aware that their provenance passes through Princess Constance Wilcox Pignatelli. She was the granddaughter of William H. Grenelle, who penned the formal copy of the Laws. William H. Grenelle and his wife, Julia Porter Huntington had seven children: Constance Wilcox was the daughter of Mary Hobart Grenelle and George Augusta Wilcox. She married Prince Guido Pignatelli di Montecalvo of Italy, which is how she became a … Continue reading →
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.” … “He was often asked in later years how the …
Continue reading →It’s always a challenge for children to live up to their celebrity relatives. This article in the “Argus and Patriot” (Montpelier, VT) dated August 28, 1895 illustrates that this is not a new phenomenon. The article is a recount of a game between National Life Insurance Company and the Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance Company. The game was played on Seminary Hill in Montpelier, Vermont on a rather inc…
Continue reading →The 2026 Annual Doc Adams Old Time Base Ball Festival was held on August 8-9 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. Even though it was a hot and humid weekend, and not the traditional 1st weekend in August, the ballists and cranks fully enjoyed the weekend, with a great time was had … Continue reading →
Marjorie Adams talked with Dan Wallach on his “My Baseball History” podcast about her great-grandfather, Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams, M.D. To steal a line from SABR, Marjorie draws on her family archives and ephemera in addition to more traditional sources to provide an in-depth look into the man John Thorn called “the true father of baseball – and you’ve never even heard of him!…
Continue reading →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.” … “In the interest of uniformity it seemed wi…
Continue reading →On August 16, 1898, Hall of Fame pioneer, Henry Chadwick wrote to his friend, Doc Adams, responding to Doc’s letter congratulating him on the title of “Father of Base Ball”. Mr. Chadwick wrote: “That title of ‘Father of Base Ball’ is out of place. Base [Ball] like Topsy ‘never had no fader’; it growed up.”Henry Chadwick in letter to Doc Adams (August 16, 1898) Mr. Chadwick wasn’t just being…
Continue reading →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 first five years of the existence of …
Continue reading →New York Clipper, 8/27/1859 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 f…
Continue reading →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 th…
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