Knickerbocker Base Ball Club Baseball's First Team example essay topic

There is often disagreement about the origin of the baseball. For more than 90 years, people have believed in the myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball. Baseball developed slowly, and changed with time, and that is why it is called America's national pastime. Some believe it was a popular game from England where milkmaids and farmer hands would toss a softball underhand and hit it with a closed fist.

Others even say it was evolved from cricket. From 1905-07, a special investigation was done to find the beginning of baseball. An old man, claiming to be one of Abner Doubleday's childhood's friend, swore that he invented baseball in 1839, in Cooperstown, New York (Stewart 5). The fact of the matter is Doubleday was at the United States Military Academy at West Point when he supposedly invented this game. There was also a diary found of his, and there were no writings that mentioned baseball.

Baseball has been tracked as far back as the late 1700's, along with a few other children's games. These include bat and ball, stool ball, town ball, and one-old-cat. These games all had different rules, but they all had something in common; the ball is thrown to a person with a bat, that person hits the ball, and runs to the bases... 0 Sound familiar? This game was also known as rounders, which was mostly played by girls (Margolis, 11). This game came to the United States in the 18th century by the English immigrants.

Rounders included the four bases, a feeder, and a striker (pitcher, and a batter). A player was called 'out' when they swung and, missed the ball three times, being struck by the ball, or an outfielder caught a fly ball (Stewart 6). Playing a sport in the 1700's was frowned upon. Working up a good sweat was considered harmful. Physical games and competitions were unheard of. Any kind of simple competitions were viewed as pastimes for children and low-class ruffians.

Part of the problems was that the English had invented this game, and the Americans, at the time, did not like the English. If Englishmen liked to play games, Americans did not. More people were moving to the cities, and found that their jobs did not require physical labor. The workers found themselves with more time and energy on their hands. There was an increasing demand for some kind of outlet. There was a need for some kind of organized sport for adults.

Americans wanted a game of there own; a game that would not be called childish (Stewart, 7). In New York City, a group of young men decided to make the game of rounders more suitable for adults. There have been records that indicate the game called 'base ball' was played in what is now considered to be lower midtown Manhattan in 1842. On September 23, 1845, the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club- baseball's first 'team'- was formed in New York City. There was no other baseball club that was more influential than the Knickerbockers. Its founder was a bank clerk named Alexander J. Cartwright, and the co-founder, Dr. Daniel Adams.

The Knickerbockers adopted baseball's first uniform, which consisted of blue pants, white shirts and straw hats. Cartwright and Adams were responsible for coming up with some of the rules of baseball, although they have been changed. November 18, 1853 there was a meeting held to decide who should be on the committee to make all the rules. Dr. Adams, Abraham Tucker, and Duncan Curry were among the ones that were chosen (Stewart, 6-7).

They made up 17 rules, which were: the bases should be home, to second base, 42 paces; and from first to third base, 42 paces, halfway; and from home to pitcher not less than 15 paces. The game is to consist of 21 counts or aces, but at the end an equal number of hands must be played. The ball must be pitched to the bat. A ball knocked outside the range of the first or third base is foul. Three balls being struck at and missed, and the last one caught, is a hand out; if not caught considered fair and the striker bound to run. A ball being struck or tipped and caught, either flying or on the first bounce, is a hand out.

A player must make his first base after striking a fair ball, but should the ball be in the hands of an opponent on the first base before the runner reaches that base, it is a hand out. Players must make the bases in the order of striking, and when a fair ball is struck and the striker not put out, the first base must be vacated as well as the next base or bases if similarly occupied; players must be put out, under these circumstances, in the same manner as when running to the first base. A player will be out, if at any time when off a base the ball in the hands of an opponent will touch him. A player, who will intentionally prevent an opponent from catching or getting the ball, is a hand out. If two hands are already out, a player running home at the time a ball is struck, cannot make an ace if the striker is caught out. Three hands out, all out.

Players must take their strike in regular rotation; and after the first inning is played the turn commences at the player who stands on the list next to the one who lost the third hand. No ace or base can be made on a foul strike. A runner cannot be put out in making one base when the pitcher makes a balk. One base is allowed if the ball, when struck, bounds out of the field. The ball must weigh from five and a half to six ounce, and be from two and three-quarters to three and a half inches in diameter (Sullivan 18-19). The ball was delivered from 45 feet away.

A batter could run up and clobber the ball. Fielders did not have to run, catch or throw well for any ball caught on one bounce was an automatic out (Stewart 10). During 1846 the city was getting very populated. There was no place for the Knickerbockers to play, so they hopped on the ferry and went to Hoboken, New Jersey. There they rented Elysian Field to play their game. Although the Knickerbockers were the like most, they were not the best.

They were just one of the hundreds of teams that were formed on the East Coast between the 1840's and 50's. Most of the players were bankers, teachers, attorneys, or artisans, who were from the middle class workers. Members of the working class, such as manual laborers and factory workers, also had clubs. These clubs were usually less organized, and did not collect as much money. In 1859, the first college baseball game was held between Williams and Amherst in Massachusetts. During the 1840's no other teams challenged the Knickerbockers, so they divided themselves into two teams of nine players and played against themselves.

In 1850, the Washington Club became known. From 1851-53, the two teams played two matches a year. By 1854, the Eagle Club and the Empire Club were organized, and by 1855 there were 11 baseball-playing clubs in New York and Brooklyn. There were also clubs in Long Island and Newark, New Jersey (Stewart 8).

In 1858, a convention was held and the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) was formed. All members agreed to play by the rules as long as they played until one team scored to 21, but after the NABBP was formed it was agreed that the games would last nine innings regardless of the score. By the 1860's many clubs had joined the NABBP, increasing its members to more than 50 clubs (Stewart 9). The sporting press got a hold of baseball in 1853. There were no leagues or schedules, but on any afternoon around three o'clock there was usually a game being played somewhere in almost every eastern city.

The way the clubs were divided was done an interesting way. It was divided sometimes by age, or last initial, or by the married men playing against the single men. Baseball games were usually special events in the 1850's and part of an overall festival day. After the game there would be an expensive dinner, followed by many speeches and presentations, which lasted until morning. On the field players were mostly friendly and courteous. If an error was made the player might stop the game to apologize.

If a player made a good play he would be congratulated by all. Although baseball was highly social, the good players on the team were getting frustrated with the not so good players. The good players felt there should be practice before games. In the late 1850's these individuals began pitching harder, making less errors in the outfield, having more double plays, and stealing more bases. Some clubs went far to have the best players on their team.

They started to pay the players for their services. 1858 was the first time that money was being offered to baseball players during a series of an all-star game between New York and Brooklyn players. More than 5,000 fans showed up, and paid for their way into the Brooklyn's Fashion Course. Knowing that people would pay to watch this game, club directors started to find the best players. Salaries were still against the NABBP, but clubs got away with it by promising to hold benefit games and to hand over the profits. During the Civil War from 1861-1865, baseball changed dramatically.

This sport was introduced to many young men. Between battles, the Union soldiers played baseball. It was perfect since it required minimal equipment, four bases, a bat and a ball, all of which was around. Soldiers from New England taught the game to soldiers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. Those who were captured and kept as POW's in the South taught the game to their Confederate jailers. After the war was over, the NABBP went from a few dozen clubs to nearly 100 clubs in 1865 (Stewart 12).

There was a higher demand to move baseball to higher levels in the late 1860's. Many teams by this time were made up of entirely paid ball players, even though the NABBP did not approve of it. The desire to play the best baseball team possibly led to a practice called revolving. There were no contracts between players and clubs; the players could move from one club to another on a moment's notice. By 1866, there was more than 200 clubs in the NABBP, with a lot of growth coming from the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area. During 1866 and 1867, these players were offered unprecedented financial packages to join teams as far as Chicago and Cincinnati, and most of them went.

By the end of the 1860's, the NABBP was completely out of touch with what was going on in baseball and served no purpose. A group of players got together on March 17, 1871, and formed the first baseball league, which they named the National Association of Baseball Players (NA) web. In the spring of 1871 baseball games began with nine cities; these cities include New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Washington D.C., and three smaller towns, Troy, New York, Rockford, Illinois, and Fort Wayne, Indiana (Stewart 16). The cost was only ten dollars to join this league.

The NA was playing for five seasons when some important developments occurred. Their money making potential became very clear and the game grew tremendously from 1871 to 1875. Early in 1876, William Hulbert, who financed the Chicago club, decided to hold a meeting with seven representatives from other clubs to form a new and improved baseball league, called the National League (NL). Players would have no say what so ever in the club, or finances. There would be no drinking, or cursing aloud in the ballparks and no games on Sundays. By the time this plan was done with, the National League of Baseball Clubs was in and the National Association of Professional Baseball was out.

After this change, all was not well for baseball. The clubs were still short on cash, and still used the old rules of the NA. The NL went down to six teams, and the schedule was reduced from 70 to 60 games in 1877. In attempt to attract more fans, admission was dropped down from 50 cents to a dime after the third inning.

Starting the season in 1878 were only three of the original eight franchises still intact (Stewart 19). During the 1870's, a man named Arthur So den thought of a plan to keep the poorer clubs in competition. He proposed that the owners of the team be allowed to reserve the services of five players for the following season, and that other teams could not negotiate with these individuals. The NL voted the reserve rule in, known as the reserve clause (Stewart 20-21). The following spring, the rival American Association (AA) started in six major American cities including, Philadelphia, Louisville, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Cincinnati. The AA went into competition with the NL.

They were charging lower admission prices, scheduling games for Sundays, and permitting alcohol to be sold at the games. In the fall of 1889, John Ward, short stop for the New York Giants, announced that he was starting his own club called the Players League (PL). The teams did not own the players. The players had rights to do what ever they wanted. All players would work on a one-year contract, with the option to sign for another year if the player or club wanted to. If not, he would be free to negotiate with other clubs.

The PL didn't sell alcohol nor did they have Sunday games. Early in 1891, the PL decided to end their fun after only one season. Several of their franchises were on the verge of going bankrupt, and the team was about to lose their sponsors if they continued another season. In December, the AA and the PL had merged with NL continuing operation as a 12-team circuit that was referred to as the League Association. During the 1890's, baseball began to resemble modern day baseball.

Rules were adjusted. National Commission settled on the four balls, three strikes counts, and decided to move the pitchers mound 15 feet back, from 45 feet to 60 feet. A printer made an error saying it was 60 feet and six inches instead if 60 feet zero inches. There was nothing anyone could do about this problem; all the fields were already set to 60 feet and six inches. Today the regulation distance is 90 feet. The balk rule came into effect, which says the pitcher cannot fake a pitch to get a player out on base, and the infield fly rule, which says an infielder cannot purposely drop a fly ball to start a double play.

In 1901, home plate was remodeled from a square shape, to what it is in present form, a pentagon. In 1911, a new rule required teams to wear light and dark versions for their uniforms for home and away games. A new ball with rubber-and-cork center was adopted by the major leagues (Stewart 123-24). In the 1920's, again the rules had been revamped. To increase scoring, they banned certain types of pitching. They also used a different kind of baseball.

It was the same basic model from 1911, but the yarn wrapped around it was better quality and it was wrapped tighter. In 1900, two men, Ban Johnson and Charlie Comiskey, built up a league prestige and stocked their teams with capable players. They renamed their club the American League (AL). The AL moved teams into Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia, and they shifted clubs into large cities that had been abandoned or ignored by the NL, including Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. This was just the beginning of baseball. There were two more significant events that took place throughout late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The first significant event was Black Baseball. The National Association of Baseball Players on December 11, 1868 excluded Black ballplayers from participation. Two black brother, Moses Fleetwood Walker and Wel day Walker played in the major leagues in 1884. But at the beginning of the 20th century there were no black players in organized baseball. In 1885 the first all black professional team, composed of employees of the Argyle Hotel, was organized in Babylon, New York.

That fall the team was bought by Walter Cook, and named the Cuban Giants. By 1886, Frank Grant was one of several black players to play on an otherwise all white minor league teams in the 1880's. In 1887, the National Baseball Colored League was formed with teams in Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington. The league was recognized as an official minor league and protected under baseball's National Agreement, but it folded 13 games into its inaugural season. On February 14, 1920, Rube Foster organized a meeting in Kansas City of owners of several blacks touring teams.

The owners organized the first successful black professional league, eight team Negro National League: The Chicago American Giants, the Chicago Giants, the Dayton Marcos, the Detroit Stars, the Indianapolis ABCs, the Kansas City Monarchs, the St. Louis Giants and Cuban Stars. Foster became the league's president. In 1923 another Negro major league, the Eastern Colored League, was formed. Teams include the Philadelphia Hill dale club, the Royal Giants, the Bacharach Giants, the Lincoln Giants, the Cuban Stars, and the Baltimore Black Sox. By 1928 the Eastern Colored League folded. 1937 formed the Negro American League with teams in Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Memphis, and Birmingham.

In 1948 the Negro National League folded and was made into the Negro American League (NAL) in 1949. The NAL had hard times through the 1950's and disappeared in 1963 web. Eventually there was a decline in the Negro National League, although it will always be remembered because it paved the way for Black baseball players of today. The second significant event was women in baseball. From 1943 to 1954 approximately 538 women played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) (Berl age 157).

In late 1942, Philip K. Wrigley helped develop the idea of women playing professional baseball that grew into the AAGPBL. Their ages ranged from 14 to 28, and most were single. In 1943, when the league began, the girls were actually playing fast-pitch softball. Runners were allowed to lead off and steal and the size of diamonds were larger than the field used in softball but than a baseball diamond. Their rules were modified, the circumference of the ball was decreased in increments from the original 12 inch ball in 1943 to 10 3/8 inches in 1949 and finally to 9 inches, regulation baseball size, mid 1954, the league's final season. The pitcher's mound was moved further from home plate gradually, from 40 feet in 1943 to 60 feet in 1954.

In 1944 Wrigley sold the league to Chicago advertising executive Arthur Meyerhof f. In the first three years after WWII, teams often attracted between two and three thousand fans to a single game. It was estimated that 10,000 people saw a fourth of July double-header in South Bend in 1946. From 1943 to 1947 all the girls were white.

This changed when the girls trained in Havana, Cuba. The Cuban response to the women's game was incredible. The Cubans started their own league called the Latin American Feminine Baseball League. In 1948 the first group of Cuban players were recruited to attend spring training. Only four made the cut, and played throughout the regular season. By 1950 the league was in financial trouble, and player recruitment was a problem.

It was difficult to find recruits who played baseball. At this time, some of the teams considered hiring black players. There were two girls that were hired, but didn't seem to make the roster. The AAGPBL operated from 1943 to 1954 and represents one of the most unique periods in baseball history.

As one can see, baseball has gone through many transformations over the past century. A game that started out as not attracting many viewers has adapted the title of 'America's pastime'. One can go to Yankee Stadium on any given game day and see close to 50,000 spectators. The sport has become a major part of many lives.

There is so much hype associated with baseball today. From the pre-season to the World Series, fans from across the country fly to see their team play..