| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | During the first decade of the 20th century, |
| Baseball and its Origins | | | | baseball remained a game of strategy. Its |
| The exact origins of baseball are unknown, but | | | | so-called "dead ball" led to few homeruns. |
| most historians concur that it was derived from | | | | Contact-hitters, base stealing and bunting provided |
| the English game of rounders. It started gaining | | | | most of its offense. The 1911 adoption of cork- |
| population in the United States in the early 19th | | | | centered ball changed the game dramatically. With |
| century, and many sources report the growing | | | | the use of the new ball, forty years of batting |
| popularity of the game, sometimes called | | | | records began to fall, and the game's popularity |
| "townball" or simply "base." During this period, small | | | | exploded. |
| towns formed teams and larger cities established | | | | One of the most popular people in U. S. history is |
| baseball clubs. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright | | | | George "Babe" Ruth. He alone revolutionized the |
| established a formal list of rules for play. Many of | | | | game because he could hit a home run just about |
| those rules are still in place today. Abner | | | | every time his bat hit the ball. He first started |
| Doubleday is widely credited with inventing the | | | | baseball as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, |
| game, but baseball's true father was Cartwright. | | | | then became an outfielder for the New York |
| The first recorded baseball game took place in | | | | Yankees. The year was 1920, and it was a very |
| 1846 when Cartwright's Knickerbockers lost to | | | | good year for baseball. |
| the New York Baseball Club in Hoboken, New | | | | Some really great players have come from the |
| Jersey. Baseball continued to grow in popularity | | | | game of baseball since the days of Babe Ruth. |
| after this game until the Cincinnati Red Stockings | | | | Men like Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, Ted Williams, |
| decided to become the first entirely professional | | | | Reggie Jackson and Roger Maris have all |
| team in 1869. Two years later the first | | | | contributed to this great game. Labor disputes and |
| professional baseball league, the National | | | | work stoppages have also marred the game over |
| Association, was formed. This association was | | | | the years but the worst was in 1994 when the |
| short-lived because the teams were owned and | | | | World Series was actually cancelled because the |
| operated by the players themselves. A group of | | | | players were on strike. The game picked up in |
| businessmen formed the National League in 1875, | | | | 1998 and regained some of its popularity since |
| giving birth to modern professional baseball. The | | | | the 1994 strike due in large to the race for the |
| American League formed in 1901 and raided | | | | home-run record in a single season between Mark |
| many of the National League's players, causing the | | | | McGuire and Sammy Sousa. McGuire won by |
| National League's commissioners to turn on each | | | | beating Maris longstanding record of 61 home runs |
| other. A court injunction, which impaneled a | | | | by hitting 70 of his own. His glory didn't last long |
| three-man commission to run the league, paved | | | | though because in 2001, Barry Bonds beat |
| the way for the two-leagues to peacefully | | | | McGuire's 70 home runs by hitting 73 home runs |
| co-exist. | | | | of his own. |