Full Description
Beginning in 1845, the New York Knickerbockers were the first fully organized base ball club to play the game with written rules similar to those used today. While they did not invent the game, they had an unparalleled role in stabilizing the playing rules and maintaining standards of conduct in a way that fostered an astonishing proliferation of players and clubs. Based on years of research and told in the style of oral history, this fictional work features all the principal figures from the Knickerbocker club, including Doc Adams, James Whyte Davis, Alexander Cartwright, William Wheaton, and Duncan Curry.
Contents
Table of Contents
A Note from the Author
Prologue: A Real Letter from Jim Davis to Edward Talcott
PART ONE: THE EARLY DAYS
1. On Beginnings
2. Meeting Doc and Poor Old Davis
3. And a Few Other Early Players
4. Gentlemen Playing All Manner of Games
5. A Connection Is Made Between Volunteer Fire Companies and Base Ball
6. Playing at Madison Park
7. Moving to Sunfish Pond
8. On the Move Again
9. Alick Makes a Suggestion
10. The Idea of Clubs
PART TWO: ORGANIZING THE CLUB 1845
11. Recruiting Members
12. Writing Rules
13. Gentlemen Inventing a Club
14. A Trip Across the River
15. Playing the First Games as the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club
16. Other Clubs, Other Games
17. Can They Carry On?
PART THREE: FIRST FULL SEASON 1846
18. An Important Decision
19. The First Match Game
20. Returning to Club Games
PART FOUR: STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL 1847-1849
21. The Winters Between
22. Struggles for Survival
23. On Operating a Gentlemen's Club
24. Games Amongst Members
25. Doc Invents a New Position
26. Sporting New Uniforms
27. On Crowds and Riots
28. Of Bats and Balls
29. Printing the Rules
30. Going for the Gold
PART FIVE: THE NATIONAL GAME 1850-1854
31. Members Old and New
32. Base Ball, Base Ball, Base Ball
33. Return to Playing Other Clubs
34. On Matters Political
35. Dinners and Diversions
36. The National Game
37. Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds
38. Good Players
39. Spectators
40. The Umpire Issue
PART SIX: BASE BALL FEVER 1855-1857
41. The Fever Spreads
42. Club Squabbles
43. Time to Organize
44. To Plan a Convention
45. The First Meeting
46. The Rules Committee
47. Recommendations
48. Playing the Fly Rule
49. On Maintaining Standards
50. First Nine Matches
51. Challenges
52. Women at the Games
53. Papers Taking Note
54. The Changing Game
55. New Equipment
56. The Pennant
57. An Impediment?
PART SEVEN: THE GREAT BASE BALL MATCH 1858
58. The Second Convention
59. The National Association
60. Another Rules Committee
61. A Symbol
62. Laying Plans
63. To Play or Not
64. The Day Approaches
65. The First Fashion Course Game
66. Aftermath of the Game
67. Getting Even
68. Rubber Match
69. Praise and Complaints
70. Season's Play
PART EIGHT: AN ILL WIND 1859-1860
71. Beginning of the End
72. Going National
73. Sunday Play
74. Chadwick's Guides
75. Out-of-Control Cranks
76. The Spectre of Professionalism
77. To Be Competitive
78. On Running a Club
79. Other Clubs to the Forefront
80. Of Bounders and Flys
81. Banning Entertainments
82. A New Park
83. Rule Changes
PART NINE: PLAYING THROUGH THE WAR 1861-1865
84. Things Unravel
85. Membership Matters
86. Maintaining Control
87. Creeping Commercialism
88. How They Played
89. Other Clubs' Matches
90. Down to a Few
PART TEN: COMMERCIALISM 1866-1870
91. Base Ball Mania
92. Paid to Play
93. To Distinguish Between Amateur and Professional
94. All-Professional Clubs
95. A Question of Race
96. Leaving the Association
97. On Their Own
98. Dirty Dealings
99. Gate Money Principles
100. Difficult Times for Davis
101. Collapse of the Association
PART ELEVEN: AMATEURS AND PROFESSIONALS 1871-1875
102. Red Stockings Reversal
103. All-Amateur Association
104. Blurring the Lines
105. The Professionals Regroup
106. Club Doings
107. Chicanery on the Field
108. Tinkering with the Rules
109. Availability of Goods
110. On Curvers and Long Throws
111. Celebrating Davis
PART TWELVE: NATIONAL LEAGUE 1876-1879
112. A New Approach
113. Suspicions
114. Changes
115. Old-Timers
116. New Amateurs
117. And Then There Was One
PART THIRTEEN: THE END 1880-1882
118. Final Days
119. A Quiet End
Epilogue
