Anticipation and excitement continues to grow for the display of Doc Adams’ handwritten ‘Laws of Base Ball’ at the library of Congress in time for the All-Star game to be hosted by Washington. It will be on public display for only the second time since changed the course of baseball in 1857.

The ‘Laws of Base Ball” authored by Doc Adams will be the centerpiece of a Major Exhibition on the Game coming to the Library of Congress. The year-long exhibition will open on June 29. The exhibition will explore baseball’s past and present and how the game has forged a sense of community for players and fans across the country.

“The founding documents of baseball that would shape the modern game as our national pastime were ironed out in January and February 1857 at a convention called by the Knickerbockers Base Ball Club in New York City. Corrections were made by hand as the details were negotiated by New York-area ballclubs, including whether to play seven, nine or 12 innings to a game. The convention established a uniform set of rules, many of which are still in use today, including nine players on a side, nine innings to a game and 90 feet between bases.”

Hopefully this exhibit will continue to highlight and spread the word about Doc Adams’ foundational contributions to the game and result in his well-deserved enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

For more information, on the exhibition, read “Baseball’s ‘Magna Carta’ to be Displayed in Major Exhibition on the Game” on the Library of Congress site. 

More on the “Laws of Base Ball“.

“Almost 50 years on, baseball’s Midsummer Classic returns to Washington, DC”,  Lonely Planet (5/20/2018)

“The long-lost ‘Laws of Base Ball,’ and one fan’s outsize bid to get them”, The Washington Post (5/18/2018)

“San Diego lawyer shares ‘Rules of Baseball’ in Washington exhibit”, 10 News (5/18/2018)

“The Handwritten ‘Laws of Base Ball’ From 1857 Are Coming to Congress” RSVLT.com (5/16/2018)

“Exhibition of baseball’s ‘Magna Carta’ comes to Library of Congress”,  WTOP (5/4/2018)