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.



Frankie Herban operates the website and writes for

Fohi Baseball, Inc.

which is a one-stop research center for all the very

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