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History of the game of Baseball...
Se we get asked about baseball a lot, now that we own a
team and all. So, as I've had to brush up on some baseball trivia, I've decided
to place it onto a page so everyone can add to their baseball knowledge. As Bob Costas said in the epic documentary by Ken Burns entitled "BASEBALL", "No other
sport brings history into it's game like baseball. If you ask a basketball fan
what Michael Jordan's scoring percentage was, or what his consecutive game
streak was, they don't know. Ask a baseball fan how many home runs Babe Ruth
hit, how many consecutive games Lou Gherig played in or how many home runs Roger
Marris hit in a season, they'll know. That's why Baseball is such an important
part of our culture. It brings history into our present."
Enough said; here goes some history..... Much of it from
the Baseball Almanac website
In the National League…in 1876
The National League of Professional Baseball was formed with an eight-team
circuit consisting of the Boston Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings,
Cincinnati Red Legs, Hartford Dark Blues, Louisville Grays, Philadelphia
Athletics, Brooklyn Mutuals and St. Louis Browns. All owners agreed to play a
seventy game schedule between April 22 and October 21.
In April, the Chicago White Stockings debuted the first shutout in baseball
history with a 4-0 effort over the Louisville Grays. On May 25th, the
Philadelphia Athletics matched the Grays 2-2 for the first tie in Major League
history.
On June 14th, George Hall of the Philadelphia Athletics became the
first player ever to hit for the cycle.
The White Stockings went on to win the first National League pennant after
defeating the Hartford Dark Blues by six games. They finished the season 52-14
followed by Hartford, St. Louis, Boston, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia and
Cincinnati.
In the American League... in
1901
On April 28th, Cleveland Indians rookie pitcher Charles Baker
surrendered an American League record twenty-three singles in a 13-1 loss to the
Chicago White Stockings.
In May, White Stockings Herm McFarland and Dummy Hoy set one of the first
American League records (most homeruns in a game) with two grand slams during
Chicago's 19-9 win over the Detroit Tigers. Detroit also set a Major League mark
of their own with twelve errors (ten by the infield) that was amazingly matched
by the White Stockings in 1903 — against the Tigers.
With two outs in the ninth, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Bill Reidy set a Major
League record after surrendering ten consecutive hits for a 13-2 loss to the
Boston Somersets on June 2nd.
Around the league...
The American League formally organized with the Baltimore Orioles,
Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Somersets, Washington Nationals, Cleveland Blues,
Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago White Stockings. Three of the
leagues original clubs in Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Buffalo were dropped.
The player limit was set at fourteen per team, and the inaugural schedule was
set at one-hundred forty games.
The National League Rules Committee decreed that all foul balls are to count
as strikes, except after two, catchers must play within ten feet of the batter,
a ball will be called if the pitcher does not throw to a ready and waiting
batter within twenty seconds, and that the umpire will remove all players using
indecent language.
At the December league meeting, the Milwaukee Brewers franchise was
officially dropped from the American League and replaced by the St. Louis
Browns.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
In 1858, the first known baseball song was written, "The
Base Ball Polka!" It was not quite as famous as Jack Norworth's 1908 classic,
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game", which was written on some scrap paper on a train
ride to Manhattan, New York. Norworth then provided those paper scrap lyrics to
Albert Von Tilzer who composed the music which in turn was published by the York
Music Company and before the year was over, a hit song was born.
Jack Norworth was a very successful vaudeville entertainer
/ songwriter and spent fifteen minutes writing this classic which is sung during
the seventh inning stretch at nearly every ball park in the country. In 1927, he
changed some lyrics and a second version appeared. Baseball Almanac is proud to
present both versions and an actual print of the original sheet music cover.
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"In the seventh inning fans all get up and sing 'Take Me Out to
the Ball Game,' and they're already there. It's really a stupid thing to say
and I don't know who made 'em sing it. Why would somebody that's there get
up and sing take me out to the ball game? The first person to do it must
have been a moron." - Pitcher Larry Anderson |
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Take
Me Out to the Ball Game
Original 1908 Cover
(Click for Larger Version)
1908 Version |
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
1927 Version |
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Author: Jack Norworth
Composer: Albert Von Tilzer
Published on: 1908, 1927
Published by:
York Music Company |
Author: Jack
Published by:
York Music Company |
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Katie Casey was base ball
mad.
Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou Katie blew.
On a Saturday, her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go,
To see a show but Miss Kate said,
"No, I'll tell you what you can do."
"Take me out to the ball
game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."
Katie Casey saw all the
games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:
"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game." |
Nelly Kelly love baseball games,
Knew the players, knew all their names,
You could see her there ev'ry day,
Shout "Hurray," when they'd play.
Her boy friend by the name of Joe
Said, "To Coney Isle, dear, let's go,"
Then Nelly started to fret and pout,
And to him I heard her shout.
"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."
Nelly Kelly was sure some fan,
She would root just like any man,
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along, good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Nelly Kelly knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song.
"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game." |
How Old is Your Baseball Team?
From the first generation of baseball fans that tore open newspapers to
gobble up box scores through the generations who gathered around the radio
and then the television, to today's fans who get scores on their cell phones
or over the Internet — the question has never changed — "How did my team do
today?"
The answer to that question immediately defines quality of life for a
baseball fan. The days when the answer is "my team won" just seem brighter
and better than other days. Love of a baseball team runs deep and is not
diminished by time or distance. Why is that?
Perhaps it is because we take a team to heart at a young age, when
players and teams seem like Olympian heroes to be worshipped and admired. We
lose that child-like wonderment about everything, but not about our baseball
teams.
Or perhaps because the game is played every day for six months, and
fortunes of the team become as much a part of our life as those of friends
and family. Baseball, like life, is full of difficult day-to-day challenges,
with regular disappointments to which we can all relate and occasional
bursts of success we can celebrate. What else explains rational people
jumping for joy or crying in despair at the fortunes of a group of 25 men
they don't know and who don't know them?
Baseball teams are wrapped in the mythic personality of their
accomplishments and histories. No matter their recent accomplishments, the
Red Sox are the slow-footed gaggle of hulky right handed hitters looking to
dent the Green Monster, while the Cardinals are a model of pitching and
defense. The Giants are a haven for sluggers and the Mets continually
produce quality hurlers. The Cubs are the lovable losers with the grand
ballpark and the Dodgers are always playing home-grown talent. And the
Yankees — well, they are always the Yankees.
Baseball Almanac pays tribute to the thirty teams of today and their
predecessors — all of whom are the torch bearers of the game's history.
Their accomplishments can be found here, their championship seasons, and the
great performances which define the personality and measure the success of a
team.
Each team also has its share of famous firsts, fabulous feats, record
setters, and histories that need to be told. Baseball Almanac is dedicated
to the preservation of each team's unique history and we hope you enjoy our
look at the Major League franchises. |
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"The kid who was lucky enough to come up with a real league ball or a
store-bought bat automatically became team captain." - Ford Frick in
Games, Asterisks and People (1973)
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