Latest revision as of 19:15, 3 November 2020

Note: due to the conditions of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, this project was suspended in late spring of 2020.

Overview

The Project: SABR's five New England chapters (covering Boston, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and western Massachusetts) have undertaken a joint project to review and extend our knowledge of the early roots of base ball and similar baserunning games in the six New England states. The page serves as something of a homepage for that project.

The Setting: In the past decade and a half, the Protoball Project has collected considerable data points on the origins of base ball. Protoball, launched with substantial support from the SABR central office and from Project Retrosheet, is a website by and for baseball researchers and writers. The site has assembled a registry of thousands early ballgames and ballclubs prior to 1870, has assembled a Ballplaying Chronology of about 1800 key events in the early evolution of base ball, and also displays original analyses from the game's amateur era. in 2018 the site was cited by SABR as its Bob Davids Award winner for service to baseball research.

Aim: The objective of the current "Roots" project is to refine and extend our understanding of early New England ballplaying, in great part via new research in the region's localities, including sources not found online.

6 Key Research Questions: Our initial plan is to address these relatively specific local data targets:

When did the modern ("New York") style of base ball arrive in the area you are examining? Do you see patterns in how it spread locally? What was the "Base Ball Fever" period (1866-1870) like there?
Did the New York game quickly supplant the "rival" Massachusetts Game in your area? Had the Mass Game been firmly established there?
Was the game of wicket (called Wicket Ball in some areas) known in your area? What was it like? Are its playing rules known?
Prior to 1860, is there evidence in the geographical area you are examining of local baserunning games other than the Massachusetts Game or the New York Game? See our current list of known games here )
Is there evidence in the geographical area you are examining of play or exercise activities by females, involving ballplaying and baserunning games?
Were forms of ballplaying ever banned or restricted by local ordinances? Recall that Pittsfield restricted "base ball" in 1791 . . . the first known USA use of the term.

We hope to add new data to the Pre-pro Baseball data base of about 6,000 Clubs and Games in widespread local areas. SABR participants are invited to join in by doing research on a local town, county, or state that is of interest to them. This effort is encompassing both the modern ("New York rules") form of base ball and the predecessor base-running games (known as bat-and-ball, base, wicket, round-ball, run-round, cricket, etc.) that were known to have been played in New England. Preparation of research reports and/or publications will depend on what we find.

How to Join

Contact Larry McCray via LMcCray@mit.edu. He will welcome you to the project and help you get started.

About the Project

1) Project Organization and Objectives

2) What Local Facts We Now Have, and What We Wish We Had

3) Note: Research Dialogs Encouraged: Project participants are encouraged to contact one another to explore areas of common interest. The Digger Activity Spreadsheets, found below, indicate topics and towns that diggers are exploring. For their e-addresses, contact Larry McCray. Digger Activity Spreadsheets: Towns Spreadsheet Tab, Topics Spreadsheet Tab

Some Research Resources for Origins-Era Beginners

[A] An Internet Search Aid for New Researchers

New information on an area's earliest clubs and ballgames is likely to be found in 19th Century newspaper accounts. We have compiled list of searchable national and local data bases (most of them free) to help new researchers to get started. This document includes practical search tips from several of the most-experienced Origins-Era diggers. Version 1.1 of this guide is found at Protoball Search Aid. We welcome additional listings and suggestions for improving later versions of the Search Tips guide. Before searching for new data, it may be useful to familiarize yourself on currently-held data in your geographical area of interest. We are particularly interested in finding earlier data that what is now on the Protoball site.

[B] A short bibliography by Bill Lyons on selected published work on the evolution of base ball up to 1870

[C] One-sheet introductions to some less-than-familiar subtopics

On Finding Early Baserunning Games in New England
The Massachusetts Game
The Game of Wicket
On Female Play, by Donna Halper (under construction)
[| The Sporting Press] by Donna Halper

[D] [| Ethnicity in 19C Base Ball -- A General Introduction ] by Tom Gilbert

=

https://tinyurl.com/ner-towns https://tinyurl.com/ner-topics

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Overview ==
+<div class="styled-links">
-'''''The Project: '''''SABR's five New England chapters (covering Boston, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and western Massachusetts) have undertaken a joint project to review and extend our knowledge of the early roots of base ball and similar baserunning games in the six New England states.  The page serves as something of a homepage for that project.
-'''''The Setting: '''''In the past decade and a half, the Protoball Project has collected considerable data points on the origins of base ball.  Protoball, launched with substantial support from the SABR central office and from Project Retrosheet, is a website by and for baseball researchers and writers.  The site has assembled a registry of thousands early ballgames and ballclubs prior to 1870, has assembled Ballplaying Chronology of about 1800 key events in the early evolution of base ball, and also displays original analyses from the game's amateur era.  in 2018 the site was cited by SABR in conjunction with annual Bob Davids Award for service to baseball research.
-'''''Aim:'''''The objective of the current "Roots" project is to refine and extend our understanding of early New England ballplaying, in great part via new research in the region's localities, including sources not found online.
-'''''6 Key Questions: '''''Our initial plan is to address these relatively specific research questions:
+Note: due to the conditions of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, this project was suspended in late spring of 2020.
-(1) When did the modern ("New York") style of base ball arrive in the area you are examining?  Do you see patterns in how it spread locally?
+== Overview ==
-(2) Did the New York game quickly supplant the Massachusetts Game in your area?  Had the Mass Game been firmly established there?
-(3) Was the game of wicket (call Wicket Ball is some areas)known in your area?  What was it like?
-(4) Is there evidence of other baserunning games?  Were they associated with special days, like Fast Day and Militia Training Day and Town Meeting Day?
-(5)Did local female play/exercise activities include forms of ballplaying?
-(6)Was ballplaying banned or restricted by local ordnance?
+'''''The Project: ''''' SABR's five New England chapters (covering Boston, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and western Massachusetts) have undertaken a joint project to review and extend our knowledge of the early roots of base ball and similar baserunning games in the six New England states.  The page serves as something of a homepage for that project.
-We hope to fill in data in the [[Pre-pro Baseball]] data base of about 6,000 Clubs and Games in widespread local areas. SABR participants are invited to join in by doing research on a local town, county, or state that is of interest to you.  This effort is encompassing both the modern ("New York rules") form of base ball and the predecessor base-running games (known as bat-and-ball, base, wicket, round-ball, run-round, cricket, etc.) that were known to have been played in each geographical area.
+'''''The Setting: ''''' In the past decade and a half, the Protoball Project has collected considerable data points on the origins of base ball.  Protoball, launched with substantial support from the SABR central office and from Project Retrosheet, is a website by and for baseball researchers and writers.  The site has assembled a registry of thousands early ballgames and ballclubs prior to 1870, has assembled a Ballplaying Chronology of about 1800 key events in the early evolution of base ball, and also displays original analyses from the game's amateur era.  in 2018 the site was cited by SABR as its Bob Davids Award winner for service to baseball research.
+'''''Aim:''''' The objective of the current "Roots" project is to refine and extend our understanding of early New England ballplaying, in great part via new research in the region's localities, including sources not found online.
-== Subpages ==
+'''''6 Key Research Questions:''''' Our initial plan is to address these relatively specific local data targets:
-{{New England Roots Project Box}}
+# When did the modern ("New York") style of base ball arrive in the area you are examining?  Do you see patterns in how it spread locally?  What was the "Base Ball Fever" period (1866-1870) like there?
+# Did the New York game quickly supplant the "rival" Massachusetts Game in your area?  Had the Mass Game been firmly established there?
+# Was the game of wicket (called Wicket Ball in some areas) known in your area?  What was it like? Are its playing rules known?
+# Prior to 1860, is there evidence in the geographical area you are examining of local baserunning games other than the Massachusetts Game or the New York Game? See our current list of known games [[Old old games | here ]])
+# Is there evidence in the geographical area you are examining of play or exercise activities by females, involving ballplaying and baserunning games?
+# Were forms of ballplaying ever banned or restricted by local ordinances? Recall that Pittsfield restricted "base ball" in 1791 . . . the first known USA use of the term.
-[[New England Roots Project Organization | Project Organization]]
+We hope to add new data to the [[Pre-pro Baseball]] data base of about 6,000 Clubs and Games in widespread local areas. SABR participants are invited to join in by doing research on a local town, county, or state that is of interest to them.  This effort is encompassing both the modern ("New York rules") form of base ball and the predecessor base-running games (known as bat-and-ball, base, wicket, round-ball, run-round, cricket, etc.) that were known to have been played in New England.  Preparation of research reports and/or publications will depend on what we find.
-[[New England Roots Project - Initial Research Areas | Initial Research Areas]]
+== How to Join ==
-[[New England Roots Project - Research Aids | Research Aids]]
+Contact Larry McCray via LMcCray@mit.edu. He will welcome you to the project and help you get started.
-[[New England Roots Project - Research Dialogs | Research Dialogs]]
+== About the Project ==
-== Previous Text ==
+) [[NER Project Overview |Project Organization and Objectives]]
-== How to Join ==
+) [[ Emperics | What Local Facts We Now Have, and What We Wish We Had]]
-Contact Larry McCray via {{#show:Larry McCray|?Email}}. He will welcome you to the project and help you get started.
+) '''''Note'': Research Dialogs Encouraged:'''  Project participants are encouraged to contact one another to explore areas of common interest.  The Digger Activity Spreadsheets, found below, indicate topics and towns that diggers are exploring.  For their e-addresses, contact Larry McCray. '''Digger Activity Spreadsheets:'''
+[https://tinyurl.com/ner-towns Towns Spreadsheet Tab],
+[https://tinyurl.com/ner-topics Topics Spreadsheet Tab]
+<!--
+[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16GEw2_RYzr85GsaqLhyBvTwxpAZnsWZA8hP5Ntty4lk/edit Towns Spreadsheet Tab],
+[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16GEw2_RYzr85GsaqLhyBvTwxpAZnsWZA8hP5Ntty4lk/edit#gid=350194957 Topics Spreadsheet Tab]
+-->
-== Some [[Local-Origins Resources]]for new researchers ==
+== Some Research Resources for Origins-Era Beginners ==
-===[1] A Search Guide for new researchers ===
+===[A] An Internet [[ Protoball Search Aid | Search Aid ]] for New Researchers ===
 New information on an area's earliest clubs and ballgames is likely to be found in 19th Century newspaper accounts.  We have compiled list of searchable national and local data bases (most of them free) to help new researchers to get started.  This document includes practical search tips from several of the most-experienced Origins-Era diggers.  Version 1.1 of this guide is found at [[Protoball Search Aid]]. We welcome additional listings and suggestions for improving later versions of the Search Tips guide. Before searching for new data, it may be useful to familiarize yourself on currently-held data in your geographical area of interest. We are particularly interested in finding earlier data that what is now on the Protoball site.
-===[2] One-sheet introductions to less-than-familiar topics ===
+===[B] A short [[Research Bibliography for Early Base Ball | bibliography]] by Bill Lyons on selected published work on the evolution of base ball up to 1870 ===
+===[C] One-sheet introductions to some less-than-familiar subtopics  ===
-===[3] A bibliography on published work on the pre-1870 evolution of base ball ===
-=== [4] Some Online Sources that May Help You Interpret Local Data ===
+#[[Old old games | On Finding Early Baserunning Games in New England]]
+#[[The Massachusetts Game ]]
+#[[Wicket Ball | The Game of Wicket]]
+# On Female Play, by Donna Halper (under construction)
+# [[https://protoball.org/The_Early_Sporting_Press_in_New_England_1.0 | The Sporting Press]] by Donna Halper
-'''''A.  Population Data --''''' In may cases, decadal local census data can be found by doing a search for the town at https://www.wikipedia.org.  The 10-year population record is usually found on the lower right of the town's Wikipedia page.
+===[D] [[https://protoball.org/Ethnicity_in_19C_Base_Ball_--_A_General_Introduction_1.0 | Ethnicity in 19C Base Ball -- A General Introduction ]] by Tom Gilbert ===
-=== [4] Main Topics to be Treated in the L.O. project (version 1.4, Sept 2014)===
+===
-==== Issues ====
+https://tinyurl.com/ner-towns
+https://tinyurl.com/ner-topics
-Issue 1 – ''Uniforms'' -- Early uniforms and their significance [1st round completed August: for version 1.0 of a compilation, see [[Uniforms]].
-Issue 2 – ''The Grounds'' -- What made for a suitable local playing site . . . . location, surface topography, or what? [1st round completed in September 2014: for Version 1.0 of the compiled research inputs, see [[The_Grounds]].
-Issue 3 – ''BBF '' -- What was the nation’s  “Base Ball Fever” (1865-1870) experience like in your area? [discussion introduced September 23]
-Issue 4 (our ‘cleanup hitter?’) – ''Patterns of Spread'' -- How do we explain the observed patterns of local propagation of base ball . . . population shifts, transportation technologies, news media effects, etc.
-Issue 5 – ''Predecessor Pastimes'' -- What prior ballgames, if any, were played in the area . . . by adults, youths, juveniles, females before the NY game reached the area?  Were local on-field/off-field variations maintained in some areas?
-Issue 6 – ''Accounts'' -- How did game accounts evolve locally?  What were local box-score summaries like?? Was quantification and/or statistics important in the local popularity of the game?
-Issue 7 – ''Media Effects'' --The galvanizing role of local and of distant news coverage, if any
-Issue 8 – ''Gambling's Role'' -- Was local gambling an essential factor in the diffusion of the game?
-Issue 9 – ''The Big Tours'' -- Were the broad regional tours by famous clubs an important part of base ball’s local appeal?
-Issue 10 – ''The Beneficiaries'' -- Is it clear who profited from the growth of the game in your area?  Did that affect the game on the field? How?
-Issue 11 – ''Competing Pastimes'' -- What other pastimes, if any, rivaled early base ball . . . and is it clear why base ball seemed to win out over them?
-Issue 12 – ''Playing to Win ''-- Playing to win vs. playing just for fellowship or exercise || was there an emergence of claims of local on-field supremacy in your area –championship claims, rivalries, tourneys, etc.?
-Issue 13 – ''Club Makeup''-- Did club rosters reflect ethnic or social divisions, gradations in athletic talent, players’ ages, or what? Did minority groups form their own clubs?
-== Study Groups ==
+</div>
-{{#ask:[[Category:Local-Origins Study Groups]][[Regional Focus:New England]]
-| ?Main Contact
-| ?Continuity Editor
-| ?Regional Focus
-| ?Special Interest
-| format=template
-| template=Display Group
-| link=none
-}}

The New England Roots Project of SABR: Difference between revisions