Historical Dictionary Of Baseball
Lyle Spatz discusses Doc Adams in his book, “Historical Dictionary of Baseball“. Adams has been creditd with “inventing” the shortstop position… Historical Dictionary of Baseball, Lyle Spatz
Continue reading →Doc Adams Moves To Ridgefield
In late 1865, Doc and Cornelia moved to Ridgefield, Connecticut and in 1866 the first of their four surviving children, Catharine, was born. In a family tape recording made in late 1961 by their youngest and last surviving child, Roger Cook Adams (1874-1962), explains that Ridgefield was chosen because of the “altitude” and for “my mother’s health”. In a December 1865 letter, Cornelia wrote to a cousin: We have hung some of the pictures – have the Resolutions [*] as large as life in the dining room – the glass was cracked in coming up –the only one that was … Continue reading →
Open Letter To The National Baseball Hall Of Fame
To the National Baseball Hall of Fame, It was disappointing to see the BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee strike out once again. “One of the first things that I recognized was that we couldn’t wait until 2031 to look at some of these candidates,” said Rawich, referring to those from the Negro Leagues and Early Baseball period. “Having gone through it this last time around, we saw some great conversation around various candidates.” “The Hall of Fame Shakes Up its Era Committee System Yet Again”, Jay Jaffe, FanGraphs (4/26/2022) Obviously the 2025 Classical Baseball Era ballot did not achieve this objective … Continue reading →
Open Letter To The BBWAA-Appointed Historical Overview Committee
To the National Baseball Hall of Fame Historical Overview Committee, It was disappointing to see the Historical Overview Committee strike out once again. “One of the first things that I recognized was that we couldn’t wait until 2031 to look at some of these candidates,” said Rawich, referring to those from the Negro Leagues and Early Baseball period. “Having gone through it this last time around, we saw some great conversation around various candidates.” The committee obviously didn’t do too well on this front as 6 of the 8 candidates were active post-1960. The other 2 candidates were from the … Continue reading →
#NationalBaseballHallOfFameAndMuseumMoment Video
In response to a “challenge” post to share a video about the Hall of Fame moment or artifact from the Hall with the tag #nationalbaseballhalloffameandmuseummoment, it was a struggle to find something Doc Adams related. The only artifact that came to mind was the Fashion Race Course game ball since Doc Adams umpired the third and deciding game of the series (September 10, 1858). There is no mention of Adams anywhere in the Hall, including in relation to this artifact. The Fashion Race Course games were the first All-Star series and were also the first games where admission was charged. … Continue reading →
Base Ball 1845-1871 By Seymour R. Church
Written and published by San Francisco historian Seymour R. Church in 1902, “Base Ball 1845-1871” details the history and origins of baseball, from the formation of the New York Knickerbockers in 1845 through the establishment of the first professional league in 1871. It features numerous portraits of notable figures, including George Wright, shortstop for the Chicago Red Stockings, the country’s first professional team. Though intended as the first part in a larger series, later volumes were never published. Church dscusses Doc Adams’ role with the Knickerbockers and the 1857 base ball convention that resulted in the birth of The National … Continue reading →
Famous First Facts About Sports
“Famous First Facts About Sports” by Irene M. Franc and David M. Brownstone features more than 5,400 ‘firsts’ in more than 110 sports, covering all of the major and most of the minor sports played in the U.S. Of special interest to us is item #1191 refers to Doc Adams. Fourteen clubs sent three delegates each to the first session. Two additional clubs sent delegates to the second session. Some clubs’ delegations from the first session did not return, so the full 16 clubs never actually met together. The first order of business was for the convention to organize itself … Continue reading →
1862 Knickerbocker Base Ball Club
Doc Adams’ Post-Baseball Accomplishments
When Doc no longer practiced medicine and considered himself fully retired, he became an involved, prominent and respected citizen of the town of Ridgefield, CT. In 1870, he was elected to one term in the Connecticut State Legislature. In 1871, he became the first President of the Ridgefield Savings Bank (now the Fairfield County Bank where his photo still hangs in the main office), a position he would hold in two separate terms for ten of the next fifteen years. He was the first treasurer of the Ridgefield Library (founded in 1871) and involved in the Land Improvement Association. He … Continue reading →
Peverelly’s “American Pastimes”: 1846-1861
Doc Adams is mentioned often in Charles A. Peverelly’s 1868 book, “American Pastimes – Containing a History of the Principal Base Ball, Cricket, Rowing, and Yachting Clubs of the United States“. The Book of American Pastimes is an American classic and one of the most significant baseball books ever written and is considered the first “official” baseball history in existence. 180 pages out of 556 are devoted to the game of baseball and team histories. It contains tough to find information regarding rosters and game scores during the 1850’s-60’s. 1846 Doc Adams is elected Vice-president of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club. … Continue reading →