Do You Know Doc Adams? (Chapter 2: The Laws of Base Ball)
Do You Know Doc Adams? He was a more than a player, wrote the ‘Laws of Base Ball’, and his legacy lives on. Chapter 2: The ‘Laws of Base Ball’.
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Doc Adams’ Prominent Role In New Rules
On January 14, 1899, The New York Clipper reported the passing of Dr. Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams—recognizing that he “took a prominent part in arranging the new codes of playing rules.” That wasn’t hindsight. That was written then— by those who witnessed the game’s formation in real time. Now, more than a century later, history speaks again. With the imminent debut at …
Continue reading →Do You Know Doc Adams (Chapter 1: He Was More Than A Player)
Do You Know Doc Adams? He was a more than a player, wrote the ‘Laws of Base Ball’, and his legacy lives on. Chapter 1: He Was More Than A Player.
Continue reading →Thoughts About The ‘Laws Of Base Ball’
With the ‘Rules of Base Ball’ set to debut at the Hall of Fame, attention turns to the groundbreaking “Laws of Base Ball” and the pivotal inflection point of the 1857 convention — central to Doc Adams’ Hall of Fame case…
Continue reading →The 2026 SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference
The SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference was recently held on April 24-25 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY…
Continue reading →“Laws Of Base Ball” To Debut At The Hall Of Fame Next Month
As a reminder, next month, as part of the Hall of Fame’s Memorial Day Weekend, Doc Adams’ handwritten “Laws of Base Ball” debuted in the Taking the Field exhibit. The “Laws of Base Ball” will be on long-term loan and on display in the National Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY thanks to their owner, Hayden Trubitt. The documents have been described by the Hall of Fame as follows: The rules of baseball are engrained in the American culture to a magnitude unlike those of almost any other game. But those regulations changed repeatedly as they coalesced in the national … Continue reading →
Unveiling Baseball’s Historic Rules At The Hall of Fame
I just received the latest copy of Memories and Dreams, official magazine of the Hall of Fame. I was a bit taken aback by the article referring to the soon to be unveiled “Taking the Field” exhibit. This exhibit will include the “Laws of Base Ball” and the “Rules for Match Games of Base Ball”. The rules of baseball are engrained in the American culture to a magnitude unlike those of almost any other game. But those regulations changed repeatedly as they coalesced in the national consciousness. Beginning Memorial Day Weekend, visitors to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and … Continue reading →
‘Laws Of Base Ball’ To Be Exhibited At The Hall Of Fame
BREAKING NEWS: DOC ADAMS’ GROUNDBREAKING 1857 ‘LAWS OF BASE BALL’ TO BE DISPLAYED AT THE HALL O FAME. On December 6th, 1856, the Knickerbockers formed a three-man committee headed by Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams (with William Grenelle and Louis Wadsworth) to organize a convention of the New York base ball teams to standardize the rules of the game. Doc Adams, along with Grenelle and Wadsworth then represented the Knickerbockers at baseball’s 1st convention where Adams was elected the presiding officer of the convention and oversaw the development of the set of rules that mark the beginning of modern baseball. Adams’ … Continue reading →
Doc’s Knickerbocker Uniform Buttons
Two uniform buttons from Doc Adams’ Knickerbocker Base Ball Club (ca. 1855). These buttons currently reside in a private collection. They are likely the oldest known surviving piece of baseball uniform with provenance. These are also locked up in a bank vault. We have two buttons that belonged to Doc that are embossed with KBBC on them that they’re a little bit larger than a quarter and they’re studs. They are not regular sew-on buttons. And I showed very detailed pictures of them to Jim Gates at the Hall of Fame at the Library. He’s one of the head researchers … Continue reading →
Doc Adams Appearance On 2016 Hall Of Fame Ballot, Falls Only 2 Votes Short
Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams, MD appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot for the first, and as of now, ONLY time, on the 2016 Per-integration Era ballot. On December 7, 2015, the Pre-integration Era Committee announced the results of the voting on the 10 candidates on the 2016 ballot at the MLB Winter Meetings. Candidates needed to receive 12 of 16 votes (75%) for election. The committee failed to elect any one of the 10 candidates. Doc Adams received the highest vote total, just 2 shy of the required votes required for election. This was Doc’s first time appearing on a … Continue reading →