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