Early Rules and Practices Project
19th Century Committee, SABR

by Chip Atkison (sabrchip@aol.com), Director

Email to 19cBB, 2001-11-05
[5 Nov 2001]

       At the 19th Century Committee meeting during the 2000 Convention 
in West Palm Beach FL, I announced a project I was doing, transcribing the
annual Beadle's Dime Base Ball Player.  John Husman asked me if I'd
be interested in co-chairing a subcommittee to research the "custom of play"
in the 19th century.  I was convinced and remain so that this was/is a good
project.  Certain circumstances deprived me of my co-chair.  Several calls
for help brought several interested parties forward but absolutely no
research has appeared.
      So, once again, if you have any documentation about the way the game
was being played for any particular moment in the 19th century, I'd love to
help get this into the Early Rules and Practices project.

      For me I have questions regarding the bound rule.  Does anyone have a
date, approximate or exact, when the Knickerbockers begin to think this
needed amending?  How about any documents referencing this?  When did they
start playing by the fly rule?  It's pretty evident that by the 1857
convention, they were concerned with this matter.

      When did runners begin advancing on the pitcher/catcher or was this
something that had occurred since the publishing of the 1845 rules?  Do you
have any documents, diary notations, news reports alluding to this?  (I'm
not really interested in conjecture unless there is documentation to back it
up.)  What was the response to this?
      When did the swift pitching begin?  There's a notion that this was
ungentlemanly.  Who brought this up?  When?
      There are many mentions of manly and scientific play.  Was this
different from gentlemanly observances?
      John McGraw and his fellows were famous for playing "around" the
rules.  They could not have been the first to bend rules to their liking
since it is obvious that runners often cut second base long before they
arrived on the scene.

      This is the heart of the Early Rules and Practices research.  Many
rules appear to have evolved from various "on-field interpretations."  This
is what we're trying to dredge up here.  Any information regarding the
"custom" of play is useful.  If you have a project your working on and
descriptions of the game are involved in that you come across, let me know
where to find it if you can't send me a copy.

      I'm sure different regions of the country had different ways they
observed the rules.  Tell me about yours.  I don't need comparisons,
unless you'd care to share them.
      I have many photo copies of Rocky Mountain News articles
mentioning baseball being observed around Colorado in the mid 1860s.
Some mention the game being played by "New York rules," others make fun
of teams from the southern part of the state being unaware of rules
regarding challenges to games.
      What this project could come to include is a compendium of regional
observances of the game throughout the century.

      We know that baseball was being played well before the Knickerbockers,
not to mention the 18th century.  It is good that some of those games are
starting to surface, by the diligence of many SABR members.  Is there any
documentation to tell us how those games were played?

      Anyway, this is quite a daunting task.  I can't do it alone.  
This needs contributions by many.
      I'm open to suggestions about collecting the data needed to get
this snowball started.

      Chip Atkison



Email 2001-11-05; Web 2002-11-30 (edited by pgw)

Last modified: body, 2003-07-03 (tweak header, Jun 2005)

Paul Wendt

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