The Official Historian Of MLB On Doc Adams

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“He’s the true father of baseball and you’ve never heard of him.” John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball. Thanks to John Thorn’s rediscovery of Doc Adams, his research, writing, and the unearthing and sale of Adams’ handwritten “Laws of Base Ball”, more people today are aware of Doc Adams and his role in early baseball. When Doc Adams set to work in late 1856, none of these aspects of the game were settled,” said Thorn. “This was some seven years after Cartwright had left New York for Hawaii, never to return. For his role in making baseball the … Continue reading →

Doc Adams For Baseball’s Hall Of Fame By William Ryczek

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In December, Hall of Fame electors will decide whether Daniel Lucius (Doc) Adams will be enshrined in baseball’s hallowed corridor, and if his plaque will join those of 333 others whose accomplishments and contributions to baseball earned them the sport’s highest honor.  Most Hall of Famers were selected because of their feats on the playing field.  They hit more home runs than their peers, won more games than other pitchers, or managed their teams to multiple World Series triumphs.  Their accomplishments are quantifiable, for baseball, more than any other sport, is a game of statistics.  The contributions of non-players are … Continue reading →

The M.A.C. Will Be Making “A Pitch For Doc Adams”

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The Mountain Athletic Base Ball Club will make “A Pitch For Doc Adams” next Saturday, October 19, 2024 while hosting the Delhi Polecats at historic Fleischmanns Athletic Grounds on Wagner Ave, Fleischmanns, NY. The event will showcase nearly 40 years of baseball evolution in a progressive format starting in the year 1858 and finishing in 1895, The first pitch will be at noon. “Making a pitch for Doc Adams here in Delaware County makes a lot of sense,” said Collin Miller, Captain of the Mountain Athletic Club. “We had baseball here well before before 1825, so the game Doc grew … Continue reading →

Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams, Baseball Pioneer By Peter Mancuso

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When the Society for American Baseball Research’s (SABR’s) Nineteenth Century Research Committee signed on to write and publish, “Base Ball’s 19th Century ‘Winter’ Meetings: 1857-1900” (the precursor to two volumes written by SABR’s Business of Baseball Research Committee covering 1901 – 2016’s Winter Meetings) we knew we had to start from the beginning.  And, that beginning was 1857, when baseball’s first true convention was held. Sixteen teams and forty-eight delegates in all met over two meeting dates in 1857 to codify the rules of play based on “the New York Game.”  They selected the then President of New York City’s … Continue reading →

A Pitch For Doc Adams (SABR 19th Century Newsletter)

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“Nineteenth Century Notes” is a quarterly newsletter of the 19th Century Research Committee of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR). In the Fall 2024 issue published last week, Collin Miller and Roger Ratzenberger made “A Pitch For Doc Adams”. The capstone “A Pitch For Doc Adams” event that will be hosted by the Mountain Athletic Club on Saturday, October 19, at the historic M.A.C. Grounds at Fleischmanns Park, Fleischmanns, NY. SABR’s Nineteenth Century Committee, established in 1983, fosters research on all facets of baseball before 1901. Completed committee projects include full team and player statistics for the 1871-1875 National … Continue reading →

Doc Adams: 19th Century Ballplayer, 21st Century Hall Of Famer?

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In 2015, Marjorie Adams was interviewed on WBUR’s “Only a Game” about her great-grandfather, baseball pioneer, Doc Adams. Doc Adams: 19th Century Ballplayer, 21st Century Hall of Famer? (article) In baseball, there are rules. The distance between bases is 90 feet. Nine players on the field. Nine-inning games. And everyone knows: three strikes and you’re out. But there was a time when those rules hadn’t been established, and into that time came a guy named Doc Adams. This week, the baseball Hall of Fame announced that Adams will have his first chance for induction under the Pre-Integration Era Committee ballot. His … Continue reading →

Maine Baseball Historian, Jacob Newcomb, Endorses Doc Adams

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I am writing this message today as an endorsement for Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His contributions to the game, as a player, manager, and general pioneer of the sport, put him head and shoulders above many other figures of his era. As has been confirmed by Major League Baseball’s official historian, John Thorn, and Baseball Hall of Fame researcher Freddy Berowski, Adams’s cultural impact on the game is defined by his contribution of the shortstop position, as well as helping establish the number of players in the field at a given time, … Continue reading →

Marjorie Adams Named The Inaugural Doc Adams Award Recipient

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On October 9, 2021, the general meeting of SABR’s Smoky Joe Wood Chapter had a 19th Century Base Ball theme. Presentations on the 1884 season by Bill Ryczek, the popular game of Wicket in CT by Joanne Hulbert, Sunday Base Ball by Alan Cohen, and annual Retro All Star selections for 1876 to 1899 by Michael Murphy were enjoyed by attendees. The capstone of the meeting was Chapter President Steve Krevisky announcing Marjorie Adams as the recipient of the Inaugural Doc Adams Award. Marjorie Adams’ tireless efforts to spread the story of her great-grandfather, Doc Adams, enlightened and inspired many … Continue reading →

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 →

Tom Fesolowich, President of the Mutual Base Ball Club of New York, On Doc Adams

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Tom Fesolowich is the Coordinator of The Old Time Base Ball Program held at Old Bethpage Village Restoration. The village hosts the longest Vintage Base Ball Festival that had its inaugural event in 1997. In 2015, it was renamed in Doc Adams honor, the Doc Adams Old Time Base Ball Festival. Two years ago [2019], Tom did a live Facebook stream of talk with Marjorie Adams, the great-granddaughter of Doc Adams. Tom shared some of his thoughts on Doc. “Doc Adams is to the true Father of Baseball. The game is so perfectly arranged and would change dramatically if bases … Continue reading →