Who Invented Baseball?

The boys of summer are at again. Whom can wefor the amusement of Little Master Tommy and
bless for the Great American Pastime?Pretty Miss Polly." A woodcut illustration depicted
One thing is for certain. It wasn't Abnerboys playing "Base-Ball" in which they progressed
Doubleday at Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1839 -- as aaround posts.
self appointed commission of American patriotsGeorge Ewing, a Revolutionary War doctor at
would have us believe. Let us dispose of theValley Forge in 1778, wrote: "Exercised in the
Doubleday myth before proceeding.afternoon intervals, played at base."
Doubleday was born in 1819 at Ballston Spa, N.Y.,A New York University librarian, George A.
of a family outstanding in military and civil life. HeThompson, Jr., recently found two New York
attended school in 1835 at Cooperstown wherenewspaper articles of April 12, 1823, clearly
he enrolled in engineering courses. He wasrelating to modern baseball.
appointed to West Point in 1838 and wasThe longer story, in the National Advocate, was
graduated in 1842 with a commission in thecomposed of just four sentences:
artillery."I was last Saturday much pleased in witnessing a
He served with distinction in the Mexican andcompany of active young men playing the manly
Florida Seminole wars. He fired the first Union shotand athletic game of 'base ball' at the Retreat in
at Fort Sumter after the ConfederateBroadway.
bombardment opening the War Between the"I am informed they are an organized association,
States. He became a major-general and died inand that a very interesting game will be played on
1893.Saturday next at the above place, to commence
It is noteworthy that in the 60 diaries Doubledayat half-past 3 o'clock p.m. Any person fond of
kept throughout his life, he does not mentionwitnessing this game may avail himself of seeing it
baseball. In one letter to headquarters during theplayed with consummate skill and wonderful
Civil War, Doubleday did request "recreationaldexterity. It is surprising, and to be regretted,
items for colored troops" that included a "magicthat the young men of our city do not engage
lantern and baseball equipment."more in this manual sport. It is innocent
Doubleday would have become a footnote to theamusement, and healthy exercise, attended with
Civil War had it not been for another Abner withbut little expense and has no demoralizing
the surname Graves.tendency."
In 1905, a famous sportswriter named HenryTeams Organized
Chadwick wrote an article contending that baseballThe first organized baseball team was formed at
evolved from the old English game of Rounders.New York City in 1845 by two, young friends.
This upset Albert Spalding, one of the game'sThey were Dr. Daniel L. Adams and Alexander
pioneer players and a manufacturer of sportsJoy Cartwright, an accounting clerk. They and
equipment. He was unable to accept a premiseother young, professional men met after work at
that the great American game did not originate inMadison Square.
America.Adams and Cartwright settled on a set of rules in
Spalding organized a commission of seven1845 so there would not be endless arguments.
prominent men, patriots all, to determine the "trueCartwright wrote them down.
origin" of baseball. The project was widelyAt that time, the playing field was usually square
reported.with five bases. Because of the confined area, the
Heading the commission was Col. A.G. Mills of Newdiamond and four bases were adopted. Distance
York. He had played baseball before and duringbetween bases was set at "42 paces" (about 75
the Civil War and was the fourth president of thefeet) and the concept of foul territory was
National League in 1884.introduced. The practice of "plunking" a runner -
The commission was pretty much at a dead endhitting him with a thrown ball to "out" him --was
until Abner Graves, a Denver mining engineerabolished as ungentlemanly.
traveling in Akron, Ohio, saw a newspaper articleThe Madison Square players formed the
about the commission. He sat down in his hotelKnickerbockers Base Ball Club in September 1845.
room and on furnished stationery wrote the MillsWith rules in hand, the Knickerbockers advertised
Commission.for opponents.
In the letter, Graves stated that he had observedThey met the New York Nine at the neutral
Doubleday at Cooperstown in 1839 scratching aElysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, on June 19,
baseball diamond on the ground and instructing1846.
other young men how to play baseball with teamsThe Nines won 23-l. The score indicated the game
of 11 players and four bases.followed the rules of rounders, ending after 21
Graves described how the ball used wasruns were scored rather than a specific number
homemade of stitched horse-hide stuffed withof innings.
rags.According to contemporary reports, Cartwright
The Mills commissioners and Spalding were elated.umpired the game and enforced a six-cent fine --
They promptly proclaimed baseball was inventedpayable on the spot -- for swearing.
by an American, Civil War, Army officer. AboutCartwright joined the California gold rush on 1849,
as all-American as you can get.but arrived there too late. On the way back
Of no consequence was the lack of corroboratinghome via ship he became ill and was put ashore
evidence. Graves shortly thereafter murdered hisat Hawaii. He liked the tropical climate so well, he
wife and was committed to an asylum for thesent for his family. He started baseball clubs
insane.throughout the islands, and became a prosperous
Graves' story was patently false. He would havebusinessman. He died there in 1892.
been just five years old in 1839 and therefore notThe Knickerbockers Club continued active under
a reliable observer. Doubleday had entered Westthe leadership of Dr. Adams. He introduced the
Point in 1838 and therefore was not present thatposition of roving shortstop -- for himself -- to
year in Cooperstown.relay outfield throws. He designed the tapered bat
It is possible that Doubleday was remembered atand invented the hard baseball of "rubber cuttings
Cooperstown school -- which Graves laterand yarn" to facilitate thrown balls and make the
attended - as having organized a baseball gamecurve ball possible. He set the distances between
among his fellow students. However, rudiments ofbases at 90 feet in 1857.
the game - as we recognize it today -- wereAlso that year, he presided over a convention of
already well known throughout the country.ballplayers who decided that the winner of a
Twenty-seven years after the Mills Commissiongame was the team that was ahead after nine
triumphant report, a relative of Graves,innings. The following year the group adopted the
rummaging through his old trunk, found an oldname National Association of Ball Players."
baseball with torn hide over a wad of rags.He pushed for a rule requiring a batter be called
Graves' letter and torn baseball are displayedout if the ball was caught on the fly instead of
today as proof-positive at the Cooperstownthe first bounce. This was hotly debated, but in
Baseball Hall of Fame.1860 it was decided fly balls were necessary if
How Baseball Beganboth teams agreed to it before hand.
Stick and ball games were recorded back inDr. Adams gave up his New York practice in 1865
pyramidal times.and moved his family to Connecticut. He played
"Stool ball" was described in the 1085 Doomsdayhis last, formal game of baseball in 1875 in an
Book census of England. Variations were rounders,old-timers' contest. He died in 1899 at age 85 in
town ball, and one-o-cat.New Haven - still playing backyard baseball with his
On Christmas Day 1621, Governor Bradford atsons.
Plymouth Plantation noted that men of the colonyIt is ironic that Cartwright, Spalding, and
"frolicking in ye street, at play openly; some atDoubleday are memorialized at Cooperstown while
pitching ye ball, some at stoole ball and such-likeAdams is not -- even though he devised all the
sport."modern rules of baseball.
In 1744, John Newbery of London, England,Not to quibble. History is mostly agreed-upon
published A Pretty Little Pocket Book "intendedlegend, and baseball is as much icon as sport.