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This page is not for profit but to honor those who laid the foundation of how the game is played. Baseball fans should understand the great American past-time and the men involved in its popularization.

K.B.A is named in honor of Alexander Cartwright, the founder of modern day baseball. In order to pay a $75 a year field rent, he founded the 1st organized baseball club, the New York Knickerbockers in 1845. Cartwright created 20 laws that would formally organize his team with a constitution and by-laws which were the sports first written rules. June 19, 1846 at Elysain Field in Hoboken, New Jersey marked the first game in organized baseball history. Knickerbockers lost 23-1 to the New York Nine, which was comprised of all original Knickerbocker players.

"Let him hit it, you've got fielders behind you." - Alexander J. Cartwright

The New York Knickerbockers Base Ball Club. Cartwright is in the center of the top row, 1864.

The Controversy of Abner Doubleday!

Doubleday has often been credited with inventing the game of baseball in 1839 at Cooperstown, New York, now the location of the baseball's Hall of Fame. This claim appears to date from the late nineteenth century, when baseball owners tried to disassociate the game from any connection to the English game of rounders. The assertion that Doubleday invented baseball is almost certainly untrue. Doubleday was not at Cooperstown in 1839; he never referred to the game, much less claimed that he invented it, and his obituary in the New York Times did not mention baseball, either.

In 1863, as major general of volunteers, Doubleday commanded the fighting at Gettysburg. On the first day, Doubleday led the Union troops in their repulse of the Confederate army until reinforcements arrived. Doubleday's top commander, Gen. George G. Meade, was not, however aware of all of the facts concerning Doubleday's meritorious service and Doubleday's division's credit for the ultimate Union victory on the third day of Gettysburg. Therefore, Doubleday did not earn the permanent command of his division; instead it was given to former West Point classmate John Newton, and Doubleday was returned to a lesser command.

The Popularization of Baseball

In 1869, a group of Ohio investors financed the first openly professional team. Harry Wright, a British-born son of a professional cricket player, managed the team. Claiming that the public would gladly pay "seventy-five cents to a dollar-fifty to go to the theatre, and numbers prefer base ball to theatricals," Wright was sensitive to the game's commercial potential if the games were "worth witnessing." His eminently skilled younger brother, George, rightfully commanded the highest salary at $1,400 for the season -- $200 more than Harry.

The Cincinnati Red Stockings completed the 1869 campaign with 65 wins and zero losses, while turning a profit of $1.39. Cincinnati now replaced New York as the baseball capital of the world, although only one of the Red Stockings was actually from the city and most were in fact New Yorkers. A fan told a visiting reporter, "They’ve advertised the city, advertised us, sir, and helped our business, sir." Wright, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported, "eats base-ball, breathes base-ball, thinks base-ball, dreams base-ball, and incorporates base-ball in his prayers."

Wright's prayers weren't the only place baseball was being incorporated. After finally losing, to the Brooklyn Atlantics, in their 93rd game, the city of Cincinnati was devastated and fans quit going to games. Investors withdrew, and the Cincinnati Gazette claimed, "The baseball mania has run its course. It has no future as a professional endeavor." New England promoters believed otherwise, coercing Wright, his best players, and even the team name, to Boston. Wright agreed, stating: "Baseball is business now and I am trying to make them pay, irrespective of my feelings, and to the best of my ability."

The Sporting Life later gave this assessment of Wright's contribution to baseball and the country:

Every magnate in the country is indebted to this man for the establishment of baseball as a business, and every patron for furnishing him with a systematic recreation. Every player is indebted to him for inaugurating an occupation by which he gains a livelihood, and the country at large for adding one more industry to furnish employment.

1871- 1900

On Saint Patrick's day, 1871, at Collier's Cafe in New York City, representatives from several baseball clubs gathered together to form the first professional baseball league, named the National Association of Professional Baseball Players.

The National Association, however, was poorly organized and came to be associated with rowdiness, open gambling, liquor selling in parks, and bribery.

The league was run by the players and lasted only five years. Often, teams would not honor their schedules when it required long distance traveling, players that would jump from club to club, and a lack of control of the games by umpires who were usually unpaid. There was a constant turnover of clubs in the five years that the league existed, and one team (Wright's Boston Red Stockings) was dominated all opposition, winning the league championship four out of the five years.

The Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Stockings before a National Association game in 1879.

The N.A. was replaced by the National League in 1876. Although the National Association was baseball's first professional league, it has never been considered to be a major league.

This new National League was well organized. Despite several franchise turnovers in the early years, the National League began to catch on in the 1880's as newspapers began to regularly cover the games..

During the 1880s, the pitching distance was increased from 45 to 50 feet, and pitchers were allowed to throw overhand.

The New York Gothams in 1884. The following year they changed their name to the New York Giants.

In the National League of the 1880's, the Chicago White Stockings were the pre-eminent club; between 1880 and 1886 they won five National League pennants. On the field they were led by a flamboyant outfielder and catcher, Mike "King" Kelly, who was baseball's first superstar. Kelly earned $4, 000 per year; the average player made about $1,600 a season.

Baseball's first superstar Mike "King" Kelly

The American Association was formed in 1882 to rival the N.L. Eventually, the two leagues decided to try and co-exist with each other, resulting in the first post-season series between league champions in 1884.

The St. Louis Browns in 1888

The foremost club in the American Association was the St. Louis Browns. The club was run by manager and first-baseman Charles Commiskey, who later went on to become the founder and owner of the American League's Chicago White Sox.

Charles Commisky

In 1884, Moses Fleetwood Walker became the first black major league player. He, along with his brother Welday, played for the American Association's Toledo Blue Stockings. However, racism soon put to this and Walker was forced to quit. No black player was again allowed to compete at a major league level until Jackie Robinson played with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

                                                          Moses Fleetwood Walker

In 1891 the American Association folded and the National League had a monopoly on major league baseball for the rest of the decade. The most famous team of this era was the original Baltimore Orioles who won three straight pennants in the mid-1890's.

In 1901 the American League was resurrected to challenge the National League, leading to the first modern day World Series in 1903.The two leagues have had a monopoly on major league baseball ever since.

                                                          The 1903 World Series

A central figure throughout the early era of baseball was Albert Spalding. He was a former Major League pitcher who went on to become a baseball executive, a wealthy manufacturer of baseball equipment, and a publisher of various baseball guide books.

Spalding had a huge influence on the game of baseball in its formulative years, and even succeeded in rewriting the history of the game to suit his own particular viewpoint, resulting in Doubleday receiving credit for inventing baseball.

"The Maine Base Ball Club." May, 1898.

This proud but ultimately tragic assemblage of players, coaches, and mascot is the baseball squad from the battleship USS Maine. The team had just won the Navy baseball championship held in Key West, Florida, in December 1897, beating a team from the cruiser USS Marblehead eighteen to three. The Maine's star was a black pitcher named William Lambert (upper right), and engine stoker from Hampton, Virginia, who was described by one shipmate as "a master of speed, curves, and control." Two months after this celebratory photograph was taken, on February 15, 1898, all but one of these men died when the Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor, killing 260 of the ship's crew and sparking the Spanish-American War. Other than the goat, which was left behind in Key West when the ship was ordered to Cuba, the lone survivor was John Bloomer (upper left). Only minutes before this devastating--and still mysterious--explosion, C.H. Newton (middle row, second from left) had sounded taps for the crew at the usual time of 9:10 p.m.

Denton True “Cy” Young

One of the most consistent and durable pitchers the game has ever known, Denton True “Cy” Young won 511 games – almost 100 more than any other pitcher in history. He won 30 games five times and topped 20 wins an astounding 15 times. In 1901 Young had his best season and became the fledgling American League’s first superstar, leading the junior circuit in wins, strikeouts and ERA. In 1903, he pitched in the first modern World Series game helping Boston to the championship by winning two games.

Cy Young pitched the first perfect game in American League history when he led the Boston Red Sox to victory over Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics on May 5, 1904.

In 1904, Young crafted one of the most amazing streaks of pitching excellence in baseball history. The right-hander pitched 24 1/3 innings without surrendering a hit, through May 11. Young had pitched two hitless innings at the end of a loss on April 25^th, seven innings of hitless relief on April 30^th, and a perfect game on May 5 against future Hall of Famer Rube Waddell and the Athletics. Stretching his hitless streak to 24 innings against Detroit on May 11^th, Young went 15 innings, winning 1-0, and failed to allow a hit until one was out in the seventh inning. Future Hall of Fame outfielder Sam Crawford broke the hitless streak.

John Peter "Honus" Wagner

"The Flying Dutchman"

Honus was watching St. Luke's, of the Allegheny County League, when St. Luke's second baseman, John S. Robb hurt his ankle. Honus was called from the crowd as a substitute. Honus scooped up the first hard drive down his way and snapped it to first for the out. By the end of the day, he had a job, at $3 to $5 a game.

In 21 years of major league baseball, Honus led the league eight times in batting, hit .300 or above for 17 years in succession, fielded .945 in every position except catcher, batted out a lifetime average of .329, and had a blast in the 1909 World series, when he stole half a dozen bases.

Honus, considered by many to be the best all-around player until the advent of Hank Aaron, played before the days of huge earnings. His top yearly salary: $10,000.

The most valuable card of all-time.

In 1936, Honus Wagner became a charter member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth.

Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson 1913.

Ty Cobb may have been baseball's greatest player, if not the game's fiercest competitor. His batting accomplishments are legendary — a lifetime average of .367, 297 triples, 4,191 hits, 12 batting titles (including nine in a row), 23 straight seasons in which he hit over .300, three .400 seasons (topped by a .420 mark in 1911), and 2,245 runs. Intimidating the opposition, "The Georgia Peach" stole 892 bases during a 24-year career, primarily with the Detroit Tigers.

Did you know ... that on May 5, 1925, Ty Cobb collected 16 total bases (three home runs, a double and two singles), setting a single-game American League record that has yet to be surpassed?

Ty Cobb 1927

The 1919 "Black Sox" White Sox

The 1919 World Series resulted in the most famous scandal in baseball history. Eight players from the Chicago White Sox (later nicknamed the Black Sox) were accused of throwing the series against the Cincinnati Reds. Details of the scandal and the extent to which each man was involved have always been unclear. It was, however, front-page news across the country and, despite being acquitted of criminal charges; the players were banned from professional baseball for life. The eight men included the great “Shoeless” Joe Jackson; pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams; infielders Buck Weaver, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, Fred McMullin, and Charles "Swede" Risberg; and outfielder Oscar "Happy" Felsch.

BABE RUTH, 1933 Babe Ruth crosses the plate after hitting the first home run in All Star Game history on July 6^th 1933, at Commisky Park. It was a two-run shot in the third inning and provided the winning margin in the American League’s 4-2 victory. Greeting Ruth at home are teammate Lou Gehrig and batboy John McBride.

Babe Ruth (center) was as popular in Mobile Alabama as he was all over America. He and the Yankees played exhibition ball here three times during the twenties and early thirties. Lefty Gomez is seated on the right, and catcher Bill Dickey is on the left.

Babe Ruth and Jimmie Fox - Two prolific home run hitters of all time.

TWO LEGENDARY THUMPERS

The greatest names of 1941, Joe DiMaggio and Boston's Ted Williams, posed before a game that summer at Yankee Stadium. In 1941, Williams batted .406 and clouted the most dramatic home run in All-Star Game history, but it was DiMaggio who received the Most Valuable Player Award.

SAFE? NO WAY! Yogi Berra turned to argue the call after Jackie Robinson stole home during the 1955 World Series. After beating Brooklyn in the 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1953 World Series, New York finally fell to the Dodgers, losing in seven games.

A Legend Takes his last Bow.