The title of the book, “Ninety Feet From Fame – Close Calls With Baseball Immortality” by Mike Robbins has a deeper meaning when discussing Doc Adams.

In 2015 Adams was considered for the Hall of Fame for the first (and so far, only) time when he was named to the 2016 Pre-integration Era ballot. This was his first close call, as he received 10 of the 12 votes needed for election. His second close call was when his hand-written “Laws of Base Ball” were re-discovered a couple of months after that vote. However, with all thar in his favor, he was astonishingly omitted from the 2022 Early Baseball Era ballot. We can only hope that 2024 is the year that the good doctor gets beyond close calls and finally gets recognized with induction into the Hall of Fame.

Adams might have been the most important figure in the early shaping of baseball, yet his name remains virtually unknown.

Ninety Feet From Fame – Close Calls With Baseball Immortality, Mike Robbins