| Baseball and its Origins | | | | causing the National League's commissioners toturn |
| The exact origins of baseball are unknown, but | | | | on each other. A court injunction, which impaneled |
| mosthistorians concur that it was derived from the | | | | athree-man commission to run the league, paved the |
| English gameof rounders. It started gaining population | | | | way forthe two-leagues to peacefully co-exist. |
| in the United | | | | During the first decade of the 20th century, |
| States in the early 19th century, and many sources | | | | baseballremained a game of strategy. Its so-called |
| reportthe growing popularity of the game, | | | | "dead ball" ledto few homeruns. Contact-hitters, base |
| sometimes called | | | | stealing and buntingprovided most of its offense. The |
| "townball" or simply "base." During this period, | | | | 1911 adoption of cork-centered ball changed the |
| smalltowns formed teams and larger cities established | | | | game dramatically. With the useof the new ball, forty |
| baseballclubs. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright | | | | years of batting records began tofall, and the game's |
| established a formallist of rules for play. Many of | | | | popularity exploded. |
| those rules are still inplace today. Abner Doubleday is | | | | One of the most popular people in U. S. history is |
| widely credited withinventing the game, but baseball's | | | | George |
| true father was | | | | "Babe" Ruth. He alone revolutionized the game |
| Cartwright. | | | | because hecould hit a home run just about every |
| The first recorded baseball game took place in 1846 | | | | time his bat hit theball. He first started baseball as a |
| when | | | | pitcher for the Boston |
| Cartwright's Knickerbockers lost to the New York | | | | Red Sox, then became an outfielder for the New |
| Baseball | | | | York |
| Club in Hoboken, New Jersey. Baseball continued to | | | | Yankees. The year was 1920, and it was a very |
| grow inpopularity after this game until the Cincinnati | | | | goodyear for baseball. |
| Red | | | | Some really great players have come from the game |
| Stockings decided to become the first entirely | | | | ofbaseball since the days of Babe Ruth. Men like Hank |
| professionalteam in 1869. Two years later the first | | | | Aaron, |
| professionalbaseball league, the National Association, | | | | Pete Rose, Ted Williams, Reggie Jackson and Roger |
| was formed. Thisassociation was short-lived because | | | | Maris have all contributed to this great game. |
| the teams were ownedand operated by the players | | | | Labordisputes and work stoppages have also marred |
| themselves. A group ofbusinessmen formed the | | | | the game overthe years but the worst was in 1994 |
| National League in 1875, givingbirth to modern | | | | when the World Serieswas actually cancelled because |
| professional baseball. The American Leagueformed in | | | | the players were on strike. |
| 1901 and raided many of the National League'splayers, | | | | |