Baseball In The Garden Of Eden Flashback

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Back in 2016, The Sporting News celebrated the start of the 2016 baseball season by listing the best books ever written about the National Pastime. In “The 25 best baseball books of all time, ranked“, “Baseball in the Garden of Eden” by John Thorn was listed in the Top 10, crediting it with almost getting Doc Adams inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 2016. The vote of the Pre-integration Era Committee came up just 2 votes short of the number required for Doc’s election. The subsequent re-discovery of Doc Adams’ handwritten “Laws of Base Ball”, will hopefully provide … Continue reading →

Henry Chadwick On The Father of Baseball

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On August 16, 1898, Henry Chadwick wrote Doc Adams responding to Adams’ 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 like Topsy ‘never had no fader’ it growed up.” Mr.Chadwick was being modest, however there were others who could share that title.

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1862 Knickerbocker Base Ball Club

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This is photograph of the New York Knickerbockers Base Ball Club taken in December 1862. This picture chronicles many of the key member of one of baseballs first organized clubs. Standing (L to R): Duncan Curry – First elected Knickerbocker President, 1845 and instrumental in formalizing the first set of base ball rules. Walter T. Avery – Played in the first Knickerbocker game on June 19, 1846 at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey. Was elected Vice President in 1861 and 1864. Henry T. (Tiebout) Anthony – Early member of the Knickerbockers, was elected Treasurer in 1851 and 1852 and … Continue reading →

Happy 8th Birthday DocAdamsBaseBall.org!

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The Doc Adams Base Ball website is celebrating it’s 8th birthday! This year’s birthday; however, is overshadowed by the extremely sad loss of Marjorie Adams. Marjorie’s tireless drive and frriendship will be greatly missed by many. However, she would want us to remember the good times and continue her Doc Adams Educational Campaign until he is justly honored with enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In her honor, that is exactly what we plan to do. It has been a decade’s long adventure with the site being launched two years in. A lot has happened just since this … Continue reading →

Oliver Wendell Holmes

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While Doc Adams was at Harvard Medical School he made the acquaintance of Oliver Wendell Holmes (Sr.), as they roomed at the same boarding house. In a bit of an interesting twist, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. has a tie to baseball as well. According to John Helyar’s classic, “Lords of the Realm,” baseball’s Reserve Clause dated to 1879, when the eight pro teams at the time opted to “reserve” five of their players apiece each year, preventing high salaries and free agency. The arrangement soon drew heated opposition, including in 1915 when owners of the short-lived Federal League brought an … Continue reading →

Peverelly’s “American Pastimes”: 1848

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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. 

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The Fly Game

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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 field”. He had 5 “Hands Lost” (a player was charged with a Hand Lost every time he made an out at bat or on the basepaths) but scored 5 runs. On an interesting … Continue reading →

Peverelly’s “American Pastimes”: 1847

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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.  In 1847 Doc Adams is elected President of the Knickerbocker Base … Continue reading →

John Montgomery Ward On Baseball’s Origins

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In Francis C. Richter’s (editor of Sporting Life) book, “Richter’s History and Records of Base Ball” written in 1914, is a comprehensive work among the early books on baseball. From the preface: This volume is designed to supply the growing need of a concise, yet complete, record of our National Game, from its remote inception and humble beginning to the present period of magnificent development to real national stature. It is also designed to serve this purpose in such form as to make it valuable, possibly indispensable, as a book of special information, of ready reference, and of general interest … Continue reading →