Tag Archives: National Baseball Hall of Fame

Bad Timing And Missed Opportunities

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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 →

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

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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 →

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

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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

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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 →

Reminiscing About The Hall Of Fame Class of 2022

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July 25, 2022, the Class of 2022 was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The inductees were: Bud Fowler, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Miñoso, and Buck O’Neil, Tony Oliva, and David Ortiz, as well as Tim Kurkjian (BBWAA’s Career Excellence Award} and Jack Graney (Ford C. Frick Award). For many, it was a long wait; for some, a very long wait. On the occasion that we had hoped we would see Doc Adams’ contributions and accomplishments finally honored in Cooperstown, I reflected on how we got to that point and what might be next. … Continue reading →

‘Memories And Dreams’ Recognizes Doc Adams

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Memories and Dreams is the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s bi-monthly magazine. It includes in-depth profiles of Hall of Famers and regular features on the historic artifacts, photographs and documents that comprise the Museum’s unparalleled collection. The magazine also features behind-the-scenes stories of the unforgettable legends and moments from the National Pastime. Featuring some of the most respected baseball writers in the world, participants in the Museum’s Membership program receive Memories and Dreams six times a year. In the article, “In Position”, in the Opening Day 2021 issue, Scott Pitoniak, described how the games 10 primary positions (yes, including the … Continue reading →

Jay Jaffe Weighs In On Era Committee Restructuring

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In April of 2022, Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs wrote an article on the latest restructuring of the Era Committees by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Jaffe’s article, “The Hall of Fame Shakes Up its Era Committee System Yet Again” discusses the history of the Committee rules over time, the latest changes, and an analysis of those changes and their implications. In a post since the changes were announced, we expressed concern that Doc Adams’ road to the Hall of Fame became more challenging. It seemed pretty obvious, and not only to us. Josh Rawich confirmed our thoughts on making … Continue reading →

Doc Adams Eligible For Class of 2025!

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On April 22, 2022, The National Baseball Hall of Fame again announced a restructuring of their Era committees. Per the Hall’s announcement: Highlighting these changes is a consolidation of eras into two timeframes – the Contemporary Baseball Era, consisting of the period from 1980 to present day, and the Classic Baseball Era, consisting of the period prior to 1980 and including Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues stars. The Contemporary Baseball Era will split into two separate ballots – one ballot to consider only players who made their greatest impact on the game since 1980, and another composite ballot consisting of … 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 Doc Adams be named on the Classic Baseball Era … Continue reading →

Efforts Ramp Up To Get CT Baseball Legend Into Hall Of Fame

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In his March 6, 2015 Connecticut Magazine article, “Efforts Ramp Up to Get CT Baseball Legend Into Hall of Fame”, Eric Olgang detailed the beginning of Marjorie Adams’ quest. The 1858 New York Knickerbockers and Brooklyn Excelsiors It wasn’t the pitch she was expecting. A few years ago, Marjorie Adams of Mystic attended a lecture in Simsbury on the pre-Civil War history of baseball when the speaker, Gary Goldberg-O’Maxfield threw the baseball history equivalent of a curveball—he discussed Doc Adams, and hailed him as a forgotten founding father of America’s pastime. Adams is Marjorie’s great grandfather and she was shocked … Continue reading →