Sports Articles

The Origins of Baseball

The exact time when baseball actually came to be is really
not known. Historians all agree though that baseball did
come from England were it was known there as rounders. When
it was brought to the U.S. in the 19th century it was
called townball or base and it quickly caught on. Pretty
soon small towns and big cities alike were playing the game
but it wasn't until 1845 the rules that hold true today
were made by Alexander Cartwright.
Some fans believe that Abner Doubleday invented the game of
baseball, but the games true father is Cartwright.

The first two teams were formed in 1846 and were called the
Cartwright Knickerbockers and the New York Baseball club.
Their first game was in Hoboken, New Jersey,
were the Knickerbockers lost to the New York Baseball Club,
but the game grew from there and in 1869, the Cincinnati
Red Stocking's was the first team to turn professional. The
players themselves decided to form a baseball
league of their own and formed the National Association two
years later. The association did not last long though and
it wasn't until a group of businessmen got together in
1875, and formed the National League that professional
baseball was born. In 1901, The American League was formed
and lured many of the National League's players to come
over to their side. This caused a battle between the
leagues bosses until a court injunction drew up a list of a
three-man commission to run the league, making it possible
for both leagues to exist quietly with each other.

The first few years of the 20th century, baseball pretty
much stayed a game of strategy with few home runs. The game
had more contact hitters, base stealers and bunters
playing the game. Everything changed in 1911 though with
the introduction of the cork-centered baseball exploded
onto the scene. This ball put away years of previous
batting records, much to the disappointment of the earlier
record setters.

Then came the most popular baseball player in U.S. history,
the great Babe Ruth. He alone changed the way people
watched baseball. Babe started his career as a pitcher for
the Boston Red Sox and then switched to out fielding for
the New York Yankees. Babe's ability to hit a home run
every time he was up to bat drove people crazy for the
game, and he alone contributed to the prosperity of the
game.

Since Ruth's day, baseball has seen its share of great
hitters such as Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Roger Maris,
Reggie Jackson and Pete Rose. It has also had experienced
ups and downs with numerous labor disputes, work stoppages
and even the cancellation of the World Series in 1994 due
to a strike. The 1998 season hearkened back to the days of
Ruth and helped baseball regain its pre-1994 status with
the race for the single-season home run record between Mark
McGuire and Sammy Sosa. McGuire broke Maris' longstanding
record of 61 home runs by hitting 70 home runs that season.
However, McGuire's glory was short lived as Barry Bonds
knocked 73 balls out of the park during the 2001 season.


Frankie Herban operates the website and writes for
<a href="http://www.fohibaseball.com">Fohi Baseball</A>
which is a one-stop research center for all the very
latest news and views baseball related. Please visit
http://www.fohibaseball.com for any questions or comments
about this article
 

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