Tag Archives: #bbhof

Should Doc Adams Be In The Hall Of Fame? Of Course!

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The vintage base ball community rallied behind Doc Adams in 2024. Teams around the country sponsored “A Pitch For Doc Adams” events to honor Adams and raise awareness of his role as a baseball pioneer among ballists and cranks alike. As teams held these events, some recorded and submitted clips about Doc Adams’ Hall of Fame case. These clips were reviewed, selected, and compiled into two videos. This is the final one of the two. Learn about Doc Adams and share it with family and friends. Help raise awareness of this long-overlooked baseball pioneer. More information on Doc Adams and … Continue reading →

Doc Adams Appeared On A Hall Of Fame Ballot For The 1st Time In 2015

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On October 5, 2015, Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, 153 years after he retired from the Knickerbockers. The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced Doc Adams as one of the 10 candidates on the 2016 Pre-integration Era ballot. This marked a major milestone on the road to recognizing Doc Adams with induction as a member of the Hall of Fame. Doc Adams has been dead since 1899; he is too well versed in the art of patience. John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball For a more detailed announcement … Continue reading →

Doc Adam Signs Dedicated In 2018

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In 2018, the highlight of Mont Vernon, NH’s annual Lamson Farm Day was the unveiling  signs recognizing Mont Vernon as Doc Adams’ birthplace and his role as a Founding Father of Base Ball. It was even more special with Doc’s great-granddaughters, Marjorie Adams and Nancy Downey, in attendance. The signs were attached to the Welcome to Mont Vernon signs on Route 13, becoming the 1st permanent tributes to Doc Adams and his role as a contributions to baseball. A special thank you to all who contributed to help make this great day possible! We appreciate all your support so much. Hopefully, … Continue reading →

KBBC Game Ball (HOF)

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The oldest existing game ball from a scheduled baseball match is on display in Cooperstown. It is from the game between the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club and the Gothams played on September 20, 1854. Doc Adams played in that game, batting 4th, had 6 Hands Lost and 1 Run scored. The Knickerbockers defeated the Gothams 24-13.

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2023 Doc Adams Memorial Classic

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The Doc Adams Memorial Classic was held on Saturday, September 16, 2023 to honor baseball pioneer Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams, M.D., one of baseball’s most consequential, yet overlooked, pioneers. Adams was a founding father of base ball and author of 1857 Laws of Base Ball. In 2023, the Doc Adams Birthplace Classic took a brief hiatus, as play shifted to Connecticut as the Doc Adams Memorial Classic. This marked the first time the annual event was hosted in the state where Doc Adams attended college (at Yale) and spent his “retirement” years. After his playing days, Adams moved to Ridgefield … Continue reading →

Doc Invited To Knickerbocker Reunion Game

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In 1875, at the invitation of his former Knickerbocker teammate, James Whyte Davis, Doc Adams was requested to play in a Knickerbocker Reunion game. No 17 University PlaceNew York, Sept. 13, 1875 My old Knickerbocker friend, My twenty fifth anniversary of membership in the old Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York will occur on Monday the 27th I greatly desire to meet all my old Base Ball associates upon this occasion and I cordially invite you to be present and participate in the game at 3 PM after which a collation will be served at Drake’s Hotel Hoboken (first … Continue reading →

Doc Umpires Deciding Fashion Race Course Game

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The Fashion Race Course games were played between All-Star teams (pick nines) comprised of the finest New York area players versus the finest Brooklyn area players and was the 1st real All-Star Series. It was also the 1st time admission was charged to watch a game. None other than Doc Adams of the Knickerbocker Club was selected to be the umpire for the third and deciding game of this first championship “series” between New York and Brooklyn. In the game, umpire Adams called non-swinging strikes, the first time that new rule was applied. The second bane of Chadwick’s existence, in addition to swift pitching, … Continue reading →

Memories Of The Father Of Base Ball (part 4)

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Buffalo, New York August 1939 Written by: Roger Cook Adams “During the present year when the centennial of the first out-break of base ball is being celebrated at Cooperstown, it may be of interest to record the important part played in the development of the game by an early member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York.” … “He was often asked in later years how the game originated, but was unable to fix any definite starting point. He believed it developed from the English game of rounders, which was played with bat, ball and bases, although the … Continue reading →

Talk About Big Shoes To Fill

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It’s always a challenge for children to live up to their celebrity relatives.This article in the “Argus and Patriot” (Montpelier, VT) dated August 28, 1895 illustrates that this is not a new phenomenon. The article is a recount of a game between National Life Insurance Company and the Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance Company. The game was played on Seminary Hill in Montpelier, Vermont on a rather inclement day. The final score was 14-7 in favor of the “fire boys”. The game account is written in the ‘flowery style” of the day and interesting for that alone. However, about halfway into … Continue reading →

Memories Of The Father Of Base Ball (part 3)

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Buffalo, New York August 1939 Written by: Roger Cook Adams “During the present year when the centennial of the first out-break of base ball is being celebrated at Cooperstown, it may be of interest to record the important part played in the development of the game by an early member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York.” … “In the interest of uniformity it seemed wise to call a convention of representatives of all the club to establish a permanent code of rules by which all should be governed, and a call for such a convention was issued … Continue reading →