Tag Archives: #ClassicBaseballEra

Historians, Authors, And Writers Weigh In On Doc Adams

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

“Anyone looking for the origins and development of the “New York Game,” what we know as baseball, invariably runs into “Doc” Adams at nearly every turn. The Doubleday and Cartwright founding myths have long been exploded. Yet, the man who was, to use a popular phrase, “in the room where it happened” and actually was the catalyst remains un-honored by the HOF. Now is the time to correct that error.” Robert D. Sampson, Historian “Doc” Adams was selected by a SABR wide election in 2014, as an Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend, implying that he is deserving, but not yet … Continue reading →

Doc In His Own Words

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

A seminal interview of Daniel Lucius Adams, M.D. appeared in The Sporting News on February 29, 1896. This is the only known first-hand account of Doc’s memories of the game. Similar interviews (or excerpts) began to appear in newspapers across the Midwest apparently originating in The Chicago Chronicle on June 23, 1895. These short reels were shared as a “Doc In His Own Words” series. The Chicago Chronicle (June 23, 1895) The Sporting News (February 29,1896)

Continue reading →

2024 Video Memories

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

As part of our awareness efforts this year, we shared a number of short videos about Doc Adams events and support. Due to the response, we will continue using this format in the future, Here’s a sample of this year’s videos in case you missed them.

Continue reading →

Classic Baseball Era Committee Doc Adams Research Guide

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

Well, we had hoped that Doc Adams would be on a Hall of Fame ballot for the 2nd time. The first time, in 2015 (on the 2016 Pre-integration Era ballot), Adams missed election by just 2 votes! The Classic Baseball Era Committee has a short time to get to know the 8 candidates. They have a brief time to discuss them as a group and are heavily dependent on the historian(s) on the committee. With previous reports of the process, we thought we would try to help the committee with their research. Although that is no longer necessary since the … Continue reading →

Open Letter To The National Baseball Hall Of Fame

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

To the National Baseball Hall of Fame, It was disappointing to see the BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee strike out once again. “One of the first things that I recognized was that we couldn’t wait until 2031 to look at some of these candidates,” said Rawich, referring to those from the Negro Leagues and Early Baseball period. “Having gone through it this last time around, we saw some great conversation around various candidates.” “The Hall of Fame Shakes Up its Era Committee System Yet Again”, Jay Jaffe, FanGraphs (4/26/2022) Obviously the 2025 Classical Baseball Era ballot did not achieve this objective … Continue reading →

Open Letter To The BBWAA-Appointed Historical Overview Committee

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

To the National Baseball Hall of Fame Historical Overview Committee, It was disappointing to see the Historical Overview Committee strike out once again. “One of the first things that I recognized was that we couldn’t wait until 2031 to look at some of these candidates,” said Rawich, referring to those from the Negro Leagues and Early Baseball period. “Having gone through it this last time around, we saw some great conversation around various candidates.” The committee obviously didn’t do too well on this front as 6 of the 8 candidates were active post-1960. The other 2 candidates were from the … Continue reading →

Jay Jaffe Of FanGraphs Weighs In On the Classic Baseball Era Ballot

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs, who has been a consistent supporter of Doc Adams Hall of Fame candidacy, weighed in on Doc Adams once again being left off the Hall of Fame ballot. I’m far less bothered by their omissions than I am that of an additional SABR Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend, Daniel “Doc” Adams, whom Major League Baseball official historian John Thorn has called “first among the Fathers of Baseball” and “the most significant figure in the early history of baseball.” Adams’ contribution actually predates that 1871 date. Via his 1857 rulebook, “The Laws of Base Ball”, he bears the true … Continue reading →

What’s Wrong With This Picture – The 2025 Classic Baseball Era Ballot

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

The National Baseball Hall of Fame‘s BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee released the 2025 Classic Baseball Era ballot Monday, November 4 (or actually Friday the 1st when the first copies of the Hall of Fame’s bi-monthly magazine, Memories and Dreams, were delivered). Once again, there was a glaring omission from the names on the ballot, Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams. The 2025 Historical Baseball Overview Committee: There was another conspicuous omission, an early baseball historian on the committee. Thanks to the Hall of Fame’s most recent restructuring of the Era Committees (formerly the Veteran’s Committee) the Classic Baseball Era ballot spans over … Continue reading →

The Mighty Historical Overview Committee Has Struck Out

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,But there is no joy in Mudville— the mighty HISTORICAL OVERVIEW COMMITTEE has struck out. Based on Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s “Casey at the bat” 2015: Doc Adams was named to the 2016 Pre-Integration Era ballot but, the Pre-Integration Era Committee fouled it off by coming up two votes short of election. Strike one! 2021: Even after the re-discovery of Doc Adams’ handwritten “Laws of Base Ball”, the Historical Overview Committee did not see … Continue reading →