It is absolutely amazing how and what happened to propel baseball into a world class following. The facts the fiction the truth the half truths and the overall general speculation has caused and will always cause a torrent of arguments and controversy. We are obliged to accept some and most of the storied history of the game as pure fact. Does it matter just a whole heck of lot if one of us adds our twist to an occurrence? If we just accept and go on then everything is alright and all is well in Podunk, Muddville or Peoria. Slippery Rock is not even in this mix. The only time Slippery Rock is of any big concern is on a saturday afternoon in most football stadiums around the nation when the public address announcer gives half-time scores for football games around the country. Fail to mention how Slippery Rock is faring and the crowd gets restless with concern. Let's get back to my baseball. Generally it is confirmed that professional baseball had it's genesis of teams being somewhat organized beginning in 1871. It is reported that Bobby Mathews of The Kekiongas from Fort Wayne won the first National Association game ever played shutting out Forest City of Cleveland, 2-0, on May 4, 1871. This was some 42 years prior to my mothers birth date of May 4,1913. Mom did not tell me about the game I found out about it from some book about baseball. So as information is not necessarily passed on person to person, or generation to generation, one on one, we garner bits and pieces of data from here and there. Someone claimed Abner Doubleday played ball with some kids on the town square back in 1839,in Cooperstown, New York. Maybe so but facts and written records reflect the truth of the matter . Alexander Joy Cartwright Jr. is the true Founding Father of America's Organized Baseball. (Alick) Cartwright along with his teammates the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in 1845, played and devised the first rules and regulations for America's baseball. From this 1871 game of an association of players calling themselves the National Association it has tassled out to be 30 well organized Big League teams of the National and American Leagues of Professional Baseball. This loose knit hodge podge of teams formed somewhat informally and playing in a make shift association of players was doomed for failure. Failure came by attrition of some teams folding others joining and all struggling without an at the top management control or ownership. Struggle as struggle will up jumps a good ole boy with the money, the means and where with all, to see the possibility of this action being a profitable venture. In 1876 William Hurlbert , owner of Chicagos National Association club, started a league where the power and the profits were controlled by team owners, instead of the players. Now here is some of the fact or fiction to believe it or not to believe it. From the 1871 association of teams only two teams have survived until this present day in the National League. Can you name the two teams? Here we go they are Boston (Atlanta Braves)and Chicago (Chicago Cubs). From these two only one city can proudly proclaim we were there when it started and we are still ticking. Our caps are tipped to Chicago and all those Cubs fans of the "Windy City." Batter Up---Let's Play Ball... |
