Articles By Digger

 

Articles by Bill Hicklin

Englische Base-ball on 3 March 2016

The 20 Rules of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club on 5 March 2016

Adopted September 23, 1845

1860 NABBP Rules on 5 March 2016

Rules of the Massachusetts Association of Base Ball Players on 5 March 2016

Adopted May 13, 1858 at Dedham, Massachusetts

La balle empoisonnée on 5 March 2016

From Les Jeux des jeunes garcons, representes par un grand nornbre d'estampes, 4th ed. (Paris: Chez Nepveu, Libraire, ca. 1815)

Feeder and Rounders, 1841 on 6 March 2016

from The Every Boy's Book by J. L. Williams. London: Henry Allman (1841).

1854 Unified Kinickerbocker-Eagle-Gotham Rules on 6 March 2016

Adopted April 1, 1854 

Articles by Bill Humber

Beachville Deconstruction (The New York Game Comes to Canada) on 1 May 2015

version 1.0 

Articles by Bill Lyons

Research Bibliography for Early Base Ball on 1 December 2019

 

Articles by Bob Tholkes

Bob Tholkes Condenses Key 19CBB Postings in December 2012 on 3 January 2013

Postings to 19CBB, Jan. - Feb. 2013 on 21 February 2013

19CBB Digest, March 2013 on 2 April 2013

19CBB Digest, April-May 2013 on 1 June 2013

19CBB Highlights, August September 2013 on 3 October 2013

Spirit Letters From X, 1857-8 on 1 February 2014

A series of 14 letters to the Spirit of the Times, from "X," October 1857- January 1858

Length of Games, 1860-1865 1.0 on 1 October 2019

How Long Did Games Take 160 Years Ago?

When The Game Was Not The Thing on 27 May 2021

Early Women's Baseball on 26 December 2021

 

Articles by Bruce Allardice

The Spread of Base Ball, 1859 - 1870 on 26 September 2013

Some New Data on the Spread of Base Ball in the United States (Version 1.0, 9/26/2013)

Internet Search Tips on 3 October 2013

Bruce Allardice Find Stories, October 2013 on 3 October 2013

The Spread of Early Base Ball in Illinois to 1870 on 9 August 2014

Tracking and Explaining the Spread of Modern Base Ball in Illinois, 1858-1870

Cricket and the Rise of Baseball on 1 June 2015

Version 1.0

Ballplaying by Civil War Soldiers 1.0 on 1 September 2018

Nearly 400 Finds Let Us Understand the Frequency and Nature of Military Ballplaying During the War

Base Ball on the Field, 1858-1865 on 27 March 2020

Tracking Run-scoring and Some Other On-Field Data Before 1866 [Published in Baseball Research Journal, Spring 2020, pages 85ff]

Number of Known BB Clubs in 40 Largest US Cities, 1870 3.0 on 8 September 2020

Which Cities Had the Most Early Ballclubs Per Capita?

Rounders: Baseball's True Origin? on 27 February 2021

The First Baseball Game In Mexico on 27 February 2021

Old Team Nicknames on 27 May 2021

Origins Newsletter -- May 2021 on 27 May 2021

Number of Known BB Clubs in 40 Largest US Cities, 1870 5.0 on 11 July 2021

Which Cities Had the Most Early Ballclubs Per Capita?

Peanuts, But No Cracker Jack on 11 September 2021

Towards A Definition Of Baseball on 11 September 2021

Runs, Runs and More Runs: Baseball 1866-1870. By the Numbers on 1 December 2021

Baseball statistics from the pre-pro era. From BRJ, Fall 2021 

Articles by Corky Gaskell

Baseball Making Notes on 1 March 2018

 

Articles by David Block

Rounders: A Game That "Gets No Respect" on 27 May 2021

Notes on the History and Evolution of Stoolball on 26 December 2021

 

Articles by Debbie Shattuck

Don't Forget the Girls on 1 June 2013

For Fun and Health -- That's Why She Played on 3 October 2013

 

Articles by Donna Halper

The Early Sporting Press in New England 1.0 on 2 April 2020

 

Articles by George Thompson

The Story of George Thompson’s 1823 Find -- "Base Ball" in NYC! on 3 January 2013

The Story of George Thompson’s 1823 Find --- Base Ball in New York City on 8 January 2013

"One evening in the spring of 2001 . . . " 

Articles by Howard Burman

Irish Rounders (Burman's Report) on 1 March 2013

 

Articles by Jeffrey Kittel

What Was Town Ball, Anyway? on 2 October 2012

A Source-Based Description of Town Ball Play

What Was Rounders, Anyway? on 7 November 2012

A Source-Based Description of Rounders Play

What Was The Massachusetts Game, Anyway? on 19 December 2012

A Sourced-Based Description of Massachusetts Game Play

1845 Knickerbocker Rules on 5 April 2013

Evolution or Revolution? A Rule-By-Rule Analysis of the 1845 Knickerbocker Rules

1857 Rules on 30 July 2013

A Rule-by-Rule History Analysis of the Rules Adopted by the 1857 Convention of Base Ball Clubs

Base Ball Fever on 1 September 2014

What was the nation’s “Base Ball Fever” (1865-1870) experience like in your area? 

Articles by John Thorn

Lost for 200 Years: John Thorn Detects Base Ball in New York in 1821 on 19 January 2021

"The Members of the Ball Club are requested . . . to meet on . . . the eighth inst. as early as half past three, as the days are short" 

Articles by John and Kay Price

Stoolball Today -- The Rejuvenation of an Ancient Pastime on 15 November 2013

 

Articles by Larry McCray

Ballplaying in Civil War Camps on 1 July 2009

An Overview of an Enriched Data Base: NOTE -- This article was updated and re-cast by Bruce Allardice in 2018

What Was Town Ball, Anyway? on 2 October 2012

A Source-Based Description of Town Ball Play

Early Championships on 12 October 2012

What Was Rounders, Anyway? on 7 November 2012

A Source-Based Description of Rounders Play

The Next Destin'd Post, January 2013 on 8 January 2013

Next Destin'd Post, April 2013 on 1 April 2013

The Next Destin'd Post, June 2013 on 1 June 2013

Next Destin'd Post, August 2013 on 1 August 2013

Protoball Search Aid on 13 March 2014

Version 1.1

Accounts on 1 September 2014

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?

Club Makeup on 1 September 2014

Did club rosters reflect ethnic or social divisions, gradations in athletic talent, players’ ages, or what? Did minority groups form their own clubs?

Playing to Win on 1 September 2014

Playing to win vs. playing just for fellowship or exercise

Competing Pastimes on 1 September 2014

What other pastimes, if any, rivaled early base ball . . . and is it clear why base ball seemed to win out over them?

The Beneficiaries on 1 September 2014

Is it clear who profited from the growth of the game in your area? Did that affect the game on the field? How?

The Big Tours on 1 September 2014

Were the broad regional tours by famous clubs an important part of base ball’s local appeal?

Gambling's Role on 1 September 2014

Was local gambling an essential factor in the diffusion of the game?

Media Effects on 1 September 2014

The galvanizing role of local and of distant news coverage, if any

Predecessor Pastimes on 1 September 2014

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?

Patterns of Spread on 1 September 2014

How do we explain the observed patterns of local propagation of base ball . . . population shifts, transportation technologies, news media effects, etc.

Uniforms on 19 September 2014

Early uniforms and their significance (1st round completed August 2014)

The Massachusetts Game on 1 December 2019

Wicket Ball on 1 December 2019

Emperics on 1 December 2019

NER Project Overview on 11 December 2019

Search Terms on 12 December 2019

Old old games on 15 December 2019

Interview With Author Tom Gilbert on 11 September 2021

 

Articles by Lawrence McCray

Protoball Interview With Richard Hershberger on 26 December 2021

 

Articles by Mark Brunke

The Spread of Base Ball in the Pacific Northwest on 1 January 2013

Ten-Position Base Ball on 5 February 2018

 

Articles by Marty Payne

The Grounds on 1 September 2014

What made for a suitable local playing site . . . . location, surface topography, or what? 

Articles by Protoball Functionary

Interview with John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball on 1 January 2013

An Interview with David Block on 21 February 2013

"The book came about almost by accident."

Interview with Peter Morris on 2 April 2013

Interview with Bill Ryczek on 1 June 2013

Sam Marchiano and the 1755 Bray Diary Find on 1 June 2013

Interview with 2013 SABR-Origins Chair Bill Johnson on 1 August 2013

Richard Hershberger Interview, October 2013 on 3 October 2013

 

Articles by Randall Brown

Randall Brown's Find of the Wheaton Account -- Before the Knickerbockers on 2 April 2013

 

Articles by Richard Hershberger

Sliding on 1 October 2013

Evidence on Sliding in Early Base Ball Accounts (4 pages)

Judgment! on 23 July 2014

At first, most umpiring calls were only made on appeal, and then things changed (7 pages)

Called Pitches on 23 July 2014

When Did Umpires Start Calling Balls and Strikes? (8 pages)

Pitchers Covering First on 23 July 2014

When did pitchers start covering first base on grounders to the right side? (2 pages)

The Backstop on 23 July 2014

Were Foul-Ground Barriers Always Part of Base Ball? (3 pages)

The Play-Testing of Early Base Ball Rule Modifications, version 1.0 on 2 January 2016

Early Evidence on Base Stealing on 23 February 2016

Very Early (pre-1857) Rules on Base Advancement After Caught Fly Balls on 19 June 2018

Did Runners Have to Tag Up? 

Articles by Rob Loeffler

The Evolution of the Baseball Up To 1872 on 1 March 2007

A Chronology of Ballmaking up to 1872 – and a list of 32 Ballmakers, 1858 to 1890 

Articles by SABR Origins Committee

Origins Newsletter -- February 2021 on 1 February 2021

Origins Newsletter -- September 2021 on 11 September 2021

 

Articles by Steve Sisto

Such Tumbles, Such Collisions on 27 February 2021

McKinstry vs. Brooklyn Daily Times on 31 March 2021

In 1862, a baseball rules dispute played out between an umpire and a Brooklyn newspaper.

"A Plague Is Upon Us" on 11 September 2021

 

Articles by Tom Altherr

"A Good Many Different Kinds of Ball" on 1 January 2013

In 1867 story, a father recollects boyhood ballplaying

A New Find on Early Wicket and Old Fashioned Base Ball on 3 January 2013

A Place Leavel Enough to Play Ball on 1 February 2013

Tom Altherr Contemplates His Favorite Finds on 21 February 2013

"I did exclaim several choice phrases"

New Englander Confronts Impious Sunday Ball-playing in Virginia on 1 March 2013

"Great numbers of people of all ages, ranks, and colors"

New England Woman Observes Ball Play in Norfolk, Virginia in 1802 on 2 April 2013

 

Articles by Tom Gilbert

Sons of Liberty on 19 June 2019

The Meaning of Early Base Ball Club Names [Published in Base Ball, Volume 11 (2019), pages 29ff]

Ethnicity in 19C Base Ball -- A General Introduction on 5 May 2020

 

Articles by William Humber

Playing "Ball" In Canada In 1803 on 27 May 2021