Tag Archives: HOF Ballot

Bad Timing And Missed Opportunities

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

Although A.G. Spalding had ulterior motives, as we all now know, he did recognize the Knickerbockers, including Doc Adams. “Are not some of these gentlemen still living? Or perhaps some of their heirs might throw some light on the early history especially the origin of baseball.” . Salt Lake Tribune (April 2, 1905) Sadly, Daniel Lucius Adams, M.D. had died a little over 5 years earlier. Some people, however, did hear the call, and we know how that turned out. For Doc, this was the first of several miss-timed opportunities. Will Doc Adams be named on the Classic Baseball Era … Continue reading →

Hoping The Homework Gets Done

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs made a great point prior to the last time Doc Adams was eligible for a Hall of Fame ballot, in 2020. Unfortunately, the homework wasn’t done, and Adams astonishingly did not appear on the ballot. We hope that his words are heeded this year, and the latest oversight is corrected. Subsequent to the vote, his “Laws of Base Ball” resurfaced and sold for over $3/25 million. This compelling artifact surely establishes that Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams is unequivocally a key Founding Father of baseball. Coming up merely 2 votes short of election in the 2015 Pre-Integration Era … Continue reading →

Remembering Marjorie Adams And Her Great-Grandfather’s Appearance On A HOF Ballot

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

Today would have been Marjorie Adams’ 75th birthday. Marjorie’s tireless efforts to spread the story of her great-grandfather, Doc Adams, enlightened and inspired many baseball fans. Marjorie conducted a campaign to educate people on Doc’s role as a pioneer of our National Pastime and his importance to baseball’s survival and growth during its nascent period. Her goal was to see him recognized with long overdue enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. She made many ‘baseball’ friends, particularly in the vintage base ball community. She is greatly missed. When talking about Doc, Marjorie often said that “she has all … Continue reading →

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

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

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 →

Bad Timing And Missed Opportunities

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

Although A.G. Spalding had ulterior motives, as we all now know, he did recognize the Knickerbockers, including Doc Adams. “Are not some of these gentlemen still living? Or perhaps some of their heirs might throw some light on the early history especially the origin of baseball.” . Salt Lake Tribune (April 2, 1905) Sadly, Daniel Lucius Adams, M.D. had died a little over 5 years earlier. Some people, however, did hear the call, and we know how that turned out. For Doc, this was the first of several miss-timed opportunities. Will 2025 be the year? #DocAdamsHOF2025

Continue reading →

Remembering Marjorie Adams And Her Great-Grandfather’s Appearance On A HOF Ballot

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

Today would have been Marjorie Adams’ 74th birthday. Marjorie’s tireless efforts to spread the story of her great-grandfather, Doc Adams, enlightened and inspired many baseball fans. Marjorie conducted a campaign to educate people on Doc’s role as a pioneer of our National Pastime and his importance to baseball’s survival and growth during its nascent period. Her goal was to see him recognized with long overdue enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. She made many ‘baseball’ friends, particularly in the vintage base ball community. She is greatly missed. When talking about Doc, Marjorie often said that “she has all … Continue reading →

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

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

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 →

Bad Timing And Missed Opportunities

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

Although A.G. Spalding had ulterior motives, as we all now know, he did recognize the Knickerbockers, including Doc Adams. “Are not some of these gentlemen still living? Or perhaps some of their heirs might throw some light on the early history especially the origin of baseball.” . Salt Lake Tribune (April 2, 1905) Sadly, Daniel Lucius Adams, M.D. had died a little over 5 years earlier. Some people, however, did hear the call, and we know how that turned out. For Doc, this was the first of several miss-timed opportunities.

Continue reading →

Doc Adams Appearance On 2016 Hall Of Fame Ballot, Falls Only 2 Votes Short

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

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 →

The Case Has Been Made… But The Verdict, Pre-determined

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

This post was planned to be a capstone in advance of the announcement of the 2022 Early Baseball Era Committee results. However, since Doc Adams was inexplicably omitted from the ballot, it is instead a sad commentary on the Hall of Fame ballot generation process. At some point in the future I may express my thoughts on that subject, but for now, I’d like to maintain the original planned focus of this post. My wife, Cathy, and I have enjoyed being a part of the decade long Dr. Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams education campaign and would like to take share … Continue reading →